Crypto and sports betting are crashing into each other right on schedule.
Blockchain.com, the crypto brokerage with 43 million users across more than 70 countries, has teamed up with Polymarket to offer prediction-market bets directly to its customers in the European Union. The feature goes live on July 14, 2026 - the same day as the World Cup semifinal between France and Spain.
That timing is not an accident. Soccer fans and bettors are about to flood these platforms, and crypto companies want a piece of the action.
Why Crypto Companies Are Racing Into Prediction Markets
Prediction markets are basically betting exchanges where users wager on the outcome of real-world events. Polymarket is the biggest name in the space, and it has been on a tear.
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Over the past month, prediction-market exchanges handled a record close to $50 billion in total notional trading volume, based on data compiled by users and tracked on Dune Analytics. Of that total, roughly $15 billion came from Polymarket's international and US-only platforms.
The World Cup is the next big catalyst. Over the last twelve months, soccer-focused betting on Polymarket has surpassed $5 billion.
Blockchain.com CEO Peter Smith said in an interview that they expect the new feature to be "pretty significant." Crypto firms are scrambling to either build their own prediction products or partner with established platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi Inc.
Coinbase Global Inc. is collaborating with Kalshi on prediction markets. Separately, Intercontinental Exchange Inc. invested in Polymarket and now serves as a worldwide distributor of its event data. Back in May, Blockchain.com launched SnapMarkets, a feature allowing users to wager on short-term Bitcoin price predictions. This new partnership significantly broadens the available choices, enabling Blockchain.com users to bet on any event listed on Polymarket.
For Blockchain.com, this partnership gives its users a new reason to stay on the platform.
The catch: However, the feature will initially be available in the European Union, not in the United States. Regulatory rules around prediction markets vary wildly by country.
Still, the direction is clear. Crypto companies are layering betting features onto their existing apps, hoping the World Cup draws in casual users who might stick around for the next big event.
The World Cup tournament is expected to drive enormous engagement - analysts project $10 billion in total bets across sportsbooks and prediction markets. Blockchain.com's integration with Polymarket gives its EU-based users access to a wide array of event markets, ranging from game outcomes to political elections, expanding far beyond the Bitcoin price predictions offered by its own SnapMarkets feature.
The Tuesday semifinal between France and Spain starts in the afternoon Dallas time, with stars Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal likely spearheading their teams' offenses. Polymarket data suggests France is still the frontrunner to win the World Cup.
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