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Thomas Tuchel’s first competitive match as England manager at a major tournament ended with four goals, a convincing win, and a halftime speech that sounds like it belongs on a motivational poster.
England beat Croatia 4-2 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group L opener on June 17, with Tuchel revealing afterward that his halftime message boiled down to three things: play with courage, be brave, and be themselves.
Tuchel’s emphasis on authenticity is worth noting. The German coach, who took charge of England in January 2025 after being appointed in late 2024, has been tasked with solving a problem that plagued previous regimes: getting a squad loaded with individual talent to actually play like they enjoy football.
The last time these two teams met at a World Cup, it didn’t end well for England. Croatia’s 2018 semifinal victory in extra time remains one of the more painful nights in recent English football memory, with Mario Mandzukic’s winner sending the Three Lions home just one step from the final.
While Tuchel’s halftime words had nothing to do with digital assets, England’s victory unfolded against a World Cup that has embraced crypto sponsorship more aggressively than any previous edition of the tournament.
Kraken became FIFA’s first official crypto exchange supporter on June 9, just over a week before England’s opener. The partnership is designed to boost crypto adoption in key markets like North America and Europe, regions where the tournament is being played.
The Chiliz ecosystem and its Socios.com platform have also been linked to fan engagement efforts around the tournament. CHZ, the token powering fan tokens for various football clubs, sits at the intersection of two massive audiences: football supporters and crypto users.
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