Every major sporting event, the crypto market reenacts the same storyline.

When the market hasn't started moving, no one pays attention. Once the price surge occurs, regrets abound.

Looking back at history, this pattern is actually very clear.

**2018 Cycle**

During the Russia World Cup, there was no real "sports concept coins" in the market. Any project that attracted capital saw astonishing gains. WICC is a typical example—an average increase of over 6 times. This isn't because the projects themselves are particularly strong, but rather due to the rarity of the theme combined with emotional hype.

**2022 Milestone**

Mainstream exchanges started laying out the fan token ecosystem half a year in advance. Interestingly, the real market explosion didn't happen on the day of the World Cup, but during the anticipation phase. Most fan tokens during that cycle experienced 2–3x gains, which is normal. When the whole internet was discussing the World Cup? It was probably time to exit.

And what about 2026?

Co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, scheduled for June. What is the current market state—no interest, low trading volume, sideways chart movement. This is actually the cleanest window for strategic positioning.

**How to actually operate**

First, beware of a common pitfall—don't try to catch obscure dark horses. Sports fan tokens are essentially emotional games; capital will prioritize targets that are easiest for the public to recognize.

CHZ (Chiliz) holds a special position. It is both the underlying infrastructure for sports fan tokens and the leader in this ecosystem. Almost all mainstream fan tokens are closely tied to it. It may not always surge the most, but it offers the highest certainty and is a key "mainline asset" worth focusing on.

When choosing fan tokens, focus only on the strong ones. Take the "Big Three" fan tokens on major exchanges—Santos, Lazio, Porto. Based on trading volume, activity, and rally pace, Santos clearly outperforms the other two. With volume, capital, and obvious manipulation signs, these are the ones worth adding to your watchlist.

**Final words**

Sports event themes are not short-term gambling games; they are cyclical opportunities that require you to set your direction a year in advance.

If you truly believe in the market sentiment for June 2026, your current task is not to chase the rally but to patiently lay low and let time reward you. When everyone starts discussing this topic, the time for building positions is often already gone.