World Cup generated $20B in blockchain prediction market volume: Chainalysis

The 2026 FIFA World Cup generated approximately $20 billion in trading volume on blockchain-based prediction markets, according to a report by blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. This total includes all trading activity before and during the five-week tournament, during which roughly $5.7 billion in bets were placed. In that period, World Cup-related prediction markets accounted for about 63% of the overall prediction market activity. More than 400,000 unique wallets participated in blockchain betting related to the event.

Chainalysis noted that users from every continent except Antarctica engaged in these prediction markets, with the highest trading volumes coming from the United States and China, followed by Canada, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Despite the large scale of activity, the presence of illicit actors was limited, with fewer than 1% of wallets linked to illicit activities. The firm identified about $5.4 million in flows originating from sanctioned or illicit sources.

In addition to prediction markets, the World Cup saw significant engagement with blockchain-based digital collectibles. Approximately $24 million worth of FIFA Collect NFTs were traded during the tournament, and over 100,000 match tickets were distributed through the platform. Wallets associated with sanctioned entities made up less than 0.01% of the platform’s users, a figure Chainalysis partly attributed to FIFA Collect’s identity verification measures.

Chainalysis emphasized that these findings demonstrate increasing adoption of blockchain technologies in major global events. They also highlighted the importance of compliance and identity verification protocols as the blockchain ecosystem attracts wider participation from diverse geographic regions.