Kalshi’s logo appears on a smartphone placed on a reflective surface, with a blurry betting curve projected in the background in Creteil, France, on March 9, 2026, during a major scandal and $54 million lawsuit concerning bets related to recent strikes in Iran.Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesThe 2026 FIFA World Cup has sent prediction market trading volumes across platforms soaring. And for Kalshi, it has delivered millions of new users. Kalshi has brought in 3 million new users over the course of the tournament, the company shared with CNBC. More than $1.2 billion has been traded on Kalshi’s contracts that ask traders to predict the winner of the World Cup, a record for a singular market. That market will officially close on Sunday, after Spain and Argentina compete in the final for the title. “I don’t think there’s any game like football,” said Vijay Viswanathan, an associate dean of integrated marketing communications at Northwestern University, referring to soccer. “It’s played in about every country in the world … so in just terms of the total addressable market, there’s really nothing that comes close to the FIFA World Cup.”Argentine fans react as their team scores against Egypt during a FIFA World Cup match watch party at Cerveceria La Tropica on July 07, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Argentina and Egypt are playing in the round-of-16 match in Atlanta. Joe Raedle | Getty ImagesAcross the World Cup, Kalshi has made several moves to boost its brand. Those include a partnership with the official prediction market sponsor of the World Cup, ADI Predictstreet, to feature co-branding advertisements in stadiums. It also partnered with OpenAI last week to feature the company’s contract’s odds when users search about games in the tournament on ChatGPT. But it also has featured a slew of advertisements with key faces in the soccer world: Croatian soccer star Luka Modric, longtime Real Madrid coach José Mourinho, and even a partnership with the Argentina national team. That deal got the company a feature in a post by superstar Lionel Messi on Instagram. “Our volumes are where the news is at,” said Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour, who takes on a lead role in guiding the company’s marketing strategy. “It’s a lot of the approach for the World Cup. … The most important thing is enable creativity based on what’s happening.”Speed is key, too. One advertisement featuring former professional soccer stars playing a scrimmage with each other released on Friday was conceived, executed and released in 24 hours, Mansour said. …
