FIFAs betting expansion raises integrity fears ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

This story is written by journalist Steve Menary for Play the Game and narrated by Stanis Elsborg.Is FIFA moving into the betting industry faster than it can protect the integrity of the game?Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, football’s global governing body is deepening its relationship with betting operators, prediction markets, data companies, and streaming rights - and, on June 9, FIFA announced Kraken as an official crypto exchange supporter of the tournament.The result is a rapidly expanding commercial landscape where new betting opportunities are emerging not only around the World Cup itself, but also around low-level matches streamed on FIFA+.Some of those matches involve amateur or poorly paid players in countries where online gambling is illegal. Yet they can still end up on global betting markets, raising questions about offshore operators, cryptocurrency, weak regulation, and match-fixing risks.This episode looks at how FIFA’s commercial partnerships are bringing thousands of matches closer to betting markets, why sports integrity experts are concerned about prediction markets ahead of the 2026 World Cup, and whether football’s systems of protection and accountability can keep up.This is a story about money, governance, betting, and the integrity of football – from the biggest World Cup ever staged to some of the smallest leagues in the game.Host: Stanis Elsborg, head of Play the GameAuthor: Steve Menary, journalistThis episode is produced by Play the Game.Music: Cold Case by Riverside