What Canada’s first World Cup goal in 36 years tells us about crypto’s FIFA ambitions

Alphonso Davies made history in 67 seconds against Croatia, while crypto companies quietly positioned themselves as the real long-game players in FIFA's commercial ecosystem.

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Add us on Google by Editorial Team Jun. 9, 2026

Alphonso Davies needed exactly 67 seconds to end a 36-year national embarrassment. On November 27, 2022, the Bayern Munich fullback buried Canada’s first-ever World Cup goal against Croatia in Qatar, erasing a drought that stretched all the way back to 1986.

Canada still lost 4-1 and got eliminated. But the goal itself was the point, a moment that crystallized how far Canadian soccer had come and, somewhat less poetically, how deeply crypto companies had embedded themselves into FIFA’s biggest stage.

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The goal, the game, and the gut punch

Croatia’s Andrej Kramaric equalized in the 36th minute, then Marko Livaja made it 2-1 before halftime. Kramaric added another in the 70th minute, and Lovro Majer sealed the 4-1 result deep in stoppage time. Canada’s World Cup was over, but the Davies goal had already accomplished something no scoreline could undo.

For context, Canada’s only previous World Cup appearance was Mexico 1986. They played three games, lost all three, scored zero goals, and went home. The national team then spent the next 36 years failing to qualify for a single tournament.

Crypto’s quiet takeover of FIFA sponsorship

Crypto.com served as an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Kraken was named the official crypto exchange supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026, the tournament that will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

That said, the actual crypto products tied to FIFA have been underwhelming. Tokens marketed around World Cup themes have shown minimal trading activity and failed to connect meaningfully with the sporting milestones they were supposedly celebrating. The sponsorship deals are real. The token economy around them is mostly vapor.

What this means for investors

The risk is that sponsorship spending does not always translate into sustainable business growth. The crypto industry has a history of overextending on marketing during bull markets and then retreating dramatically when prices fall. FTX had its name on an NBA arena right up until it didn’t. Crypto.com’s own marketing budget reportedly faced significant cuts during the 2022 bear market, even as its FIFA sponsorship was in full swing.

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