Kalshi signs Modrić and Croatian Football Federation for 2026 World Cup
Kalshi has announced a two-tier partnership with the Croatian Football Federation and captain Luka Modrić as a global ambassador for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking the platform’s most prominent sports sponsorship to date.
Croatia: a medal record few nations can match
Luka Modrić is 38 years old, has won the Ballon d’Or, and remains the player who best embodies Croatia’s identity at the World Cup. Kalshi knows this. That is why it chose him.
On 15 June 2026, the New York-based platform announced a deal with the Croatian Football Federation (Hrvatska Nogometna Federacija, HNF) and a separate collaboration with Modrić, who joins as a global ambassador for the tournament. The World Cup returns to United States soil for the first time in 32 years, with the final at MetLife Stadium. According to the company, audience figures could rank among the highest ever recorded for football in the United States.
Kalshi’s choice of Croatia was not a marketing accident. The Balkan nation has won three medals across six World Cup appearances, a record that very few countries, regardless of size or budget, have managed to replicate. Modrić has been at the centre of that run, and his profile has become inseparable from the team’s competitive identity.
Adam Barrick, Head of Sports Partnerships at Kalshi, summarised the rationale: “Croatia’s run over the last two World Cups is one of the great stories in modern football, and Luka Modrić has been at the heart of all of it. We are proud to partner with the Croatian Football Federation and with one of the game’s defining players, as the World Cup comes to the United States.”
What the deal includes and how a prediction market company appears on the pitch
The agreement has two concrete components. Kalshi, a US-regulated prediction market platform, will have its branding across the Croatian Football Federation’s official digital properties, including its website and social media channels, for the duration of the tournament. Modrić will feature in the platform’s advertising campaigns throughout the competition.
Ante Cicvarić, Marketing Director of the Croatian Football Federation, said the deal was about reaching new audiences: “We are proud to welcome Kalshi as a partner of the Croatian Football Federation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As Croatian football reaches a global audience at this tournament, we are pleased to work with partners who share our ambition and help bring our team closer to supporters in the United States and around the world.”
Industry reading: smart, but not without regulatory tension
Glen Debattista, Chief Operating Officer of Betstarters and one of the most experienced voices in online gambling with more than two decades in the industry, assessed the move plainly. For Debattista, the deal follows a clear logic but is not without tension: “I think it is a smart move by Kalshi, even though it does highlight a bit of a regulatory contradiction.”
His central argument points to brand exposure rather than direct user acquisition: “Kalshi’s intent is not to acquire Argentine users, but to have their brand exposed internationally through one of the biggest national teams in the world, being seen by users from other countries where prediction markets are allowed.”
Debattista also raised a precedent the industry knows well: “Stake used to sponsor Everton even though it could not operate in the United Kingdom. But that helped them gain a lot of global visibility through Premier League broadcasts. A win-win situation.”
The Kalshi partnership with the Croatian Football Federation and Modrić joins a growing roster of agreements the platform has built around the 2026 World Cup, spanning national federations, football media and players from across the global game. For Kalshi, the World Cup has become something more than a tournament. It is the platform’s most visible bet yet.
This article was first published on the Spanish SiGMA News page on 19 June 2026.
Be part of the action! Join the world’s biggest iGaming community with SiGMA’s Top 10 News countdown. Subscribe HERE for weekly updates, insider insights, and exclusive subscriber-only offers.
