FIFA World Cup drives record trading on Kalshi as platform adds 3 million users | Today’s news
The 2026 FIFA World Cup sparked a surge in activity on the prediction markets, helping Kalshi attract millions of new users while generating record trading volumes related to the outcome of the tournament.
According to company data cited CNBCKalshi added around 3 million new users during the World Cup, making it one of the platform’s biggest growth periods since launch.
The excitement surrounding the tournament has also generated unprecedented business activity. More than $1.2 billion has been advanced Kalshi’s prediction contracts on which team will lift the FIFA World Cup trophy, making it the company’s largest single prediction market to date. Trading of the contract is scheduled for Sunday after the final between Spain and Argentina.
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To capitalize on the global sporting event, Kalshi launched an aggressive marketing campaign aimed at expanding brand awareness. Among its biggest initiatives was a partnership with ADI Predictstreet, the official sponsor of the tournament’s prediction market, which allowed Kalshi to run co-branded ads in World Cup stadiums.
The company also partnered with OpenAI last week to incorporate Kalshi contract odds into ChatGPT search results related to World Cup matches, providing users with real-time market probabilities while watching the tournament.
Kalshi further boosted her visibility by collaborating with several big names from the football world. Promotional campaigns featured Croatian midfielder Luka Modric, legendary former Real Madrid manager José Mourinho and the Argentina national football team. As part of the partnership with Argentina, the company also gained awareness through an Instagram post by soccer icon Lionel Messi.
Speed was another key part of Kalshi’s marketing strategy. CEO Tarek Mansour said one ad, featuring retired soccer stars playing in an exhibition match, was conceived, produced and released in just 24 hours before going live on Friday.
“Our volumes are where the news is,” Mansour said. “It’s a lot of the World Cup approach. … The most important thing is to allow creativity based on what’s going on.”
Apart from football personalities, Kalshi has also acquired celebrities outside the sport. The company released an ad featuring actor Timothée Chalamet in June as he drew attention for his appearances at New York Knicks games during the NBA Finals. Another campaign featuring Colombian music artist J Balvin debuted earlier this month.
Despite the strong pace, Kalshi’s rapid expansion comes as predictive markets face increasing regulatory scrutiny in the United States. Several states argue that sports betting contracts operate similarly to sports betting, an area traditionally regulated by state agencies.
But Kalshi argues that prediction markets fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which oversees the derivatives and swaps markets. The company supports the federal government’s view that the CFTC has sole authority to regulate such contracts.
Mansour dismissed criticism from state regulators, saying the opposition mostly comes from established gambling operators who fear increased competition from prediction market platforms.
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The company’s next challenge will be converting the influx of World Cup users into long-term participants. Trade volumes were already noticeably lower on non-tournament match days compared to game days.
But Mansour remains optimistic, saying the pattern has repeated itself during previous major events. While activity usually cools off after the main event ends, eventually new catalysts emerge to drive trading volumes back up, helping the platform sustain long-term growth.
“You have to believe there will be no news after Sunday,” he said. “Maybe, but more likely there will be a lot going on in the world and Kalshi will be there to service it.
