World Cup Generated $20 Billion in Prediction Market Volume

The 2026 FIFA World Cup generated approximately $20 billion in blockchain-based prediction market volume and $24 million in digital collectible trading, according to a report from blockchain analytics company Chainalysis. More than 400,000 wallets participated in blockchain-powered betting linked to the tournament. The $20 billion total includes activity recorded both before and during the competition, with around $5.7 billion in wagers placed over the five weeks of the World Cup itself.

World Cup-related contracts represented roughly 63% of all prediction market activity during that period, highlighting the tournament’s impact on blockchain-based betting platforms.

Participation reaches nearly every continent

Chainalysis found that users from every continent except Antarctica took part in World Cup prediction markets. The United States and China generated the highest attributable trading volumes, followed by Canada, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

Despite the size of the market, illicit activity remained relatively limited. Fewer than 1% of participating wallets were linked to illicit actors, although Chainalysis identified approximately $5.4 million in funds originating from sanctioned entities and other illegal sources.

Digital collectibles gain wider adoption

The report also pointed to growing use of blockchain-based digital collectibles during major sporting events. Fans traded around $24 million worth of FIFA Collect NFTs throughout the tournament, while more than 100,000 match tickets were distributed through the platform.

Wallets associated with sanctioned entities represented less than 0.01% of FIFA Collect users, which Chainalysis partly attributed to the platform’s identity verification requirements. Chainalysis said the results indicate that blockchain technology is likely to play a larger role in future global events, while also emphasizing the importance of strong compliance controls as participation expands.

Sources:

https://cointelegraph.com/news/world-cup-generated-20b-prediction-market-volume-chainalysis

https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/2026-world-cup-prediction-markets-nft-tickets/