Brazil came into the 2026 World Cup as one of the tournament favorites. They left in the Round of 16, beaten 2-1 by Norway, undone in part by a tactical decision that raised eyebrows across the footballing world: deploying 34-year-old Casemiro as a central striker, a position he hadn’t occupied in years.
Haaland scored both goals for Norway, sending the Scandinavians to their first World Cup quarterfinal in history. Brazil’s Bruno Guimarães missed a penalty earlier in the match, a moment that would prove decisive. Neymar converted a late spot kick for a consolation goal, but the damage was already done.
Here’s where this match gets interesting for a different audience. Kraken, the US-based crypto exchange, is the official crypto exchange supporter of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the first partnership of its kind at a tournament of this scale.
Beyond Kraken’s headline sponsorship, the crypto economy has found other ways into the tournament. Crypto sportsbooks reported live betting volume across the Brazil-Norway match, with the upset outcome generating the kind of volatility that drives engagement on prediction markets and betting platforms.
NFT marketplace Sorare, which lets users trade digital player cards and participate in fantasy competitions, has also seen activity track closely with high-profile matches. Brazil’s elimination creates a specific market dynamic on platforms like Sorare: cards tied to Brazilian players may see short-term price pressure as tournament relevance evaporates, while Norwegian player assets, particularly anything connected to Haaland, are likely seeing the opposite effect.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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Editorial Team