The 2026 FIFA World Cup lifted prediction-market trading volume to $20 billion, data showed.

Cointelegraph reported on July 30 that data analytics firm Chainalysis said the transaction total linked to the World Cup reached $20 billion, including activity before and after the tournament as well as during it.

The $20 billion figure included trading both before and after the event. The amount wagered during the five weeks when the World Cup was played was about $5.7 billion. Over that period, World Cup-related markets accounted for about 63 percent of total prediction-market activity. It suggests a major global sports event boosted short-term demand for blockchain-based prediction markets.

Participation also expanded. The number of wallets involved in World Cup-related blockchain betting topped 400,000, and transactions were confirmed on every continent except Antarctica. By country of attribution, the United States and China had the largest volumes, followed by Canada, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

The share of illicit funds was limited relative to overall volume. The portion of wallets participating in World Cup prediction markets linked to illicit actors was estimated at less than 1 percent. Funds flowing in from sanctioned entities and other illicit sources were put at about $5.4 million. Although the surge in trading did not bring regulatory risk to the fore, it means sanction-linked funds were not fully blocked.

Digital collectible trading also rose. During the tournament, fans traded about $24 million worth of 'FIFA Collect' non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. More than 100,000 match tickets were also distributed through the same platform. Among FIFA Collect users, the share of wallets linked to sanctioned targets was less than 0.01 percent, and Chainalysis assessed that the platform's identity verification procedures partly affected the outcome.

This World Cup is seen as a case in which blockchain use expanded at the same time across prediction markets, NFTs and digital tickets. As transaction volumes grow, risks of money laundering and sanctions evasion could also rise, and future major sports events are expected to face a key challenge of building operating systems that can expand users while complying with regulation.