African football shines at 2026 World Cup as crypto bets big on the beautiful game

Nine out of ten African teams made it out of the group stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Morocco, Ivory Coast, Egypt, South Africa, and Cape Verde all finished as group runners-up. DR Congo, Ghana, Algeria, and Senegal advanced as top third-placed sides.

Only Australia and Japan advanced to the Round of 32, with South Korea and Iran both going home after the group stage.

Africa’s record run and what drove it

The expanded 48-team format, with matches spread across Canada, the US, and Mexico, gave Africa a record number of starting berths.

The 2022 Morocco run planted a flag. What 2026 has done is show that the flag was not a fluke.

Crypto’s World Cup moment

Kraken was named the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of the World Cup in mid-June 2026.

FIFA has also integrated Avalanche blockchain technology for ticketing and digital collectibles.

Chiliz’s Socios platform reported increased trading volumes tied to tournament matches.

What this means for investors watching the overlap

The Avalanche integration carries a different kind of value. Developers and institutional observers pay attention to which blockchains get selected for high-stakes deployments. A FIFA ticketing contract is a reference point that travels.

For Chiliz and the fan token sector, the World Cup is both opportunity and ongoing stress test. Volume increases during tournaments are well-documented.

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