US men’s soccer crashes out of its own World Cup, and crypto was already one step ahead

The United States Men’s National Team lost 4-1 to Belgium in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending its run on home soil. Co-hosting the tournament was supposed to be the moment American soccer arrived on the global stage. Instead, the team packed its bags before the quarterfinals.

This was the USMNT’s fourth Round of 16 elimination in the last five World Cups it has participated in, a streak broken only by the team’s failure to even qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice for Belgium in the match.

A historic format, a familiar ending

The 2026 World Cup is the first to feature 48 teams, expanding from the traditional 32-team bracket. The tournament is co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.

The USMNT actually won three matches in a single World Cup for the first time in its history, a milestone that felt significant at the time. But European opposition has been a consistent wall for this program, and Belgium proved it once again.

The last time the US reached the quarterfinals was 2002, when the team made a memorable run in South Korea and Japan.

The crypto gap the USMNT left wide open

The USMNT entered the 2026 cycle without a dedicated crypto sponsorship or fan token. On June 9, 2026, just weeks before the US was eliminated, Kraken was announced as the official FIFA crypto exchange supporter for the tournament.

Chiliz, the blockchain company behind the Socios fan token platform, has reportedly allocated between $50 million and $100 million specifically to engage US soccer fans.

What this means for investors watching sports tokens

The USMNT’s early exit means whatever latent demand existed among American fans for crypto-native engagement products just lost its catalyst. That $50 million to $100 million Chiliz earmarked for US fan engagement now has to find traction without the tailwind of a winning team.

Fan tokens are not decoupled from what happens on the field. A team that loses in the Round of 16 generates less sustained attention than one that reaches the semifinals, and attention is the oxygen these tokens need to maintain liquidity and valuation.

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