to leave a comment.
▲ World Cup, Prediction Market/AI Generated Image
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has grown the on-chain prediction market to a size of $20 billion. The United States and China led the country-specific fund flows.
According to BeInCrypto on July 31 (local time), blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis announced that the World Cup prediction market recorded a transaction volume of $20 billion. Over 400,000 wallets participated in tournament-related betting. The World Cup market accounted for approximately 63% of all prediction market activity during the tournament period.
Daily transaction volume approached $50 million from January 2026, before the World Cup began. On June 11, when the tournament started, it soared to approximately $250 million. Over $300 million was concentrated in the final match where Spain defeated Argentina. A market asking whether Cristiano Ronaldo would shed tears in his final World Cup also recorded a transaction volume of $49 million.
55% of participants finished the tournament profitably. Among the users who made a profit, 79% had prior experience using prediction markets. An analysis of country-specific flows from June 11 to July 19 showed that the United States and China recorded the highest transaction volumes. Canada, Thailand, and the United Kingdom were also listed as major participating countries.
Approximately 3,700 wallets were identified with illegal transaction histories, representing less than 1% of all participating wallets. At least $5.4 million flowed into World Cup betting wallets from Huobi/HTX, which is subject to sanctions by the UK and the European Union. Funds from scam-linked wallets also totaled approximately $2 million.
In FIFA's blockchain business, almost no exposure to illicit funds was identified. Key wallets for FIFA Collect, based on Avalanche, received $24 million from NFT buyers from May 2025 until the end of the tournament. Funds collected by FIFA from secondary sales were analyzed to be at least $6 million. Chainalysis explained that strict identity verification procedures might be the reason for the reduced exposure to illicit funds.
[Article Key Summary]
-The 2026 FIFA World Cup prediction market recorded a transaction volume of $20 billion, with the United States and China leading country-specific fund flows.
-World Cup-related markets accounted for approximately 63% of all prediction market activity during the tournament period.
-Approximately 3,700 wallets had illegal transaction histories, representing less than 1% of all participating wallets.
*Disclaimer: This article is for investment reference only, and we are not responsible for any investment losses based on it. The content should be interpreted for informational purposes only.*
Newsletter
Get key news delivered to your email every morning
to leave a comment.