World Cup 2026 knockout rules spark crypto trading frenzy as Kraken becomes FIFA’s official exchange partner

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is doing something it hasn’t done in nearly a century of existence: expanding to 48 teams. That means more matches, a new round of 32 in the knockout stage, and the same old question fans have been asking since the invention of the television. What happens when a knockout game ends in a draw?

The answer is reassuringly traditional. Knockout matches tied after the standard 90 minutes will proceed to 30 minutes of extra time, followed by a penalty shootout if necessary. The golden goal and silver goal experiments died over two decades ago, and nobody seems to miss them.

More games, more stakes, and a tweak to penalties

The expanded format introduces a round of 32, which is entirely new territory for the World Cup. Previously, group stage survivors jumped straight into a round of 16. Now there’s an additional elimination round, which means more matches where extra time and penalties could come into play.

FIFA is also reportedly considering a minor procedural adjustment to the penalty shootout itself. The current format involves multiple coin tosses, but discussions are underway to streamline the process by reducing it to a single toss.

The round of 16 matches are set to commence on June 28, 2026. By then, 16 teams will have already been eliminated in the new round of 32, meaning the knockout drama starts earlier and lasts longer than any previous World Cup.

Kraken, Chiliz, and the crypto World Cup

Kraken was appointed as the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of the 2026 World Cup on June 9, 2026. The deal is expected to drive fan engagement through promotions and trading initiatives tied to the tournament.

Meanwhile, Chiliz (CHZ) continues to power the fan token ecosystem through the Socios.com platform. National team fan tokens, which let holders vote on minor team decisions and access exclusive content, have been a growing niche since the 2022 tournament. With 48 teams instead of 32, there are more tokens, more fans, and more trading activity.

Avalanche serves as the blockchain backbone for FIFA’s digital initiatives, including collectibles and related activities.

What this means for crypto investors

Fan tokens tend to be highly correlated with on-field results. When a favored team gets knocked out in extra time or loses on penalties, the corresponding token can drop sharply. When an underdog advances, its token might spike.

The risk side of the equation is worth noting. Previous major sporting events have consistently attracted scammers who launch unofficial tokens designed to exploit fan enthusiasm. The 2022 World Cup saw a wave of fake fan tokens and fraudulent projects targeting people who didn’t know the difference between an official Socios token and a random meme coin on a decentralized exchange. With the 2026 tournament being larger, the attack surface for these kinds of schemes grows proportionally.

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