The phenomenon of the dance between major sports events and the crypto market actually repeats a similar script every time.

When the market is not active, no one pays attention; only after the gains are realized does regret set in. Looking back at history, this logic becomes clear.

**How it played out in 2018**

During the Russia World Cup, the term "sports concept coins" didn't even exist. But any project with funds locked in saw astonishing gains. The more than 6x increase of WICC is a vivid example—it's not that the project itself is particularly outstanding, but rather the power of scarce themes combined with emotional resonance.

**2022 retrospective**

Mainstream exchanges started laying out the fan token ecosystem half a year in advance. The interesting part is: the real market explosion didn't happen on the day of the World Cup, but during the psychological expectation phase. Most fan tokens saw 2-3x gains during that period. Once the whole internet was talking about the World Cup? Most of the moves had already been made.

**How to view the opportunities in 2026**

The US, Canada, and Mexico are co-hosting, with the event scheduled for June. What's the current market condition? No heat, no transactions, charts just sideways oscillation. This actually is the cleanest window for early positioning.

**Specific operational tips**

First, avoid falling into this trap—it's pointless to chase headline-grabbing dark horses. Fan tokens are essentially an emotional game; funds will definitely flow into the most widely recognized projects.

CHZ (Chiliz) is somewhat special—it is both the infrastructure provider for fan tokens and holds the leading position in the entire ecosystem. Mainstream fan tokens are almost inseparable from it. The gains may not be the biggest, but the certainty is the strongest, belonging to the "mainline projects" tier.

When choosing fan tokens, only look at strong targets. Santos, Lazio, Porto—among these, Santos clearly leads in trading volume, activity, and upward momentum. With volume, funds, and manipulation hints, it’s worth adding to your watchlist.

**Final note**

Sports event themes are not short-term gambling; they are cyclical opportunities that require planning at least a year in advance. Keep an eye on the market sentiment in June 2026. The current task is not to chase the rise but to stay steady and let time brew that cup of wine.