The World Cup Meets Casino Capitalism

FIFA’s new prediction market partners cast a shadow over the people’s game.

Jul 07, 2026

∙ Paid

During the World Cup, Kalshi became the fourth-most-downloaded app at the Apple App Store. *(Cheng Xin / Getty Images)*

Just when one might think the FIFA greed machine couldn’t possibly whir at a higher, more grating pitch, the barons at the world’s governing body for soccer always seem to find a higher gear.

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A guest post by

Jules Boykoff

Jules Boykoff is the author of "Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing, and the FIFA Greed Machine" (OR Books, 2026) and "Kicking," a memoir (Duke University Press, 2026). He teaches political science at Pacific University.