Kalshi has had potentially its biggest marketing win yet, after its partnership with Argentina’s Football Association (AFA) led to a promotional Instagram post from none other than Lionel Messi.
The post came after last week’s news that the prediction market platform struck a deal to partner with Argentina on the same day that the 2026 World Cup started.
Just days later, Kalshi backed this up by partnering with the Croatian Football Federation in a move that saw another Ballon d’Or winner, Croatia captain Luka Modrić, become a brand ambassador for the business.
Messi took to Instagram three days ago to post a snap with fellow Argentina teammates Rodrigo De Paul and Nicolás Otamendi, which was emblazoned with the Kalshi logo.
“History, again? Argentina. Kalshi,” the caption read.
“Follow @Kalshi for a chance to win an official signed AFA jersey.”
Messi deal is Kalshi’s biggest win yet
At the time of writing, the post has 1.5 million likes, over 6,800 comments and 19,200 reposts.
The reach of this post will only have been boosted by the six-time Ballon d’Or winner’s staggering hat-trick for Argentina against Algeria in their opener in the early hours of this morning.
Messi is now level with Miroslav Klose as the World Cup’s all time top goalscorer on 16 goals.
With Messi’s account having over 507 million followers, this has to be classed as Kalshi’s biggest marketing win yet.
The prediction market platform is not banned in Argentina, as it is in many countries around the world, though the jurisdiction did restrict its rival Polymarket back in March.
As part of its agreement with Argentina, Kalshi will also receive official match data through the AFA’s data and streaming partner, Genius Sports.
The data will support the creation and settlement of sports prediction market contracts, while Kalshi will participate in Genius’ integrity information-sharing processes to enhance transparency and monitoring of betting activity.
“Argentina is the standard of excellence in world football. That’s exactly who Kalshi belongs alongside,” said Adam Barrick, Head of Sports Partnerships at Kalshi.
“We’re building the future of how people engage with live events, and partnering with the reigning champions of the beautiful game is the clearest signal we can send about where we’re headed.”
Kalshi making World Cup waves
This agreement, as well as the one with Croatia, will see the prediction market operator become an official sponsor of both national teams for the duration of the tournament, with activations including co-branded marketing campaigns, social media collaborations and the use of official team branding.
Real Madrid legend Modrić, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2018 and led Croatia to a first World Cup final back in 2018, has also already begun featuring in advertising campaigns for the company.
A post from his Instagram account – which has nearly 40 million followers – two days ago saw the star doing kick ups and featuring a goalkeeper placing his predictions for him.
Kalshi branding will also appear across the Croatian Football Federation’s digital platforms.
Despite ADI Predictstreet being FIFA’s official prediction market partner for the tournament and its logo appearing on LED advertising boards around stadiums throughout the World Cup, it seems Kalshi has managed to nail some of the biggest names in football down to sponsorship deals.
While controversy and blacklash continue around prediction markets, many of them are not wasting time to promote their brands – including seizing on the huge marketing opportunity of the biggest event on the global sporting calendar.
The two biggest, Kalshi and Polymarket, have, as mentioned, been banned or restricted in a whole host of countries, and have had to contend with claims of insider trading and operating illegally.
However, despite all their critics, it seems they, as well as others in the space, are here to stay – a view which has only been amplified by the coverage of prediction markets in the opening week of the World Cup.
With Messi set to break the all-time record for the top scorer in World Cup history, Kalshi has an unprecedented opportunity in the space which others will only envy.
The business now has an undisputed all-time great in Messi promoting it, underpinning the rapid expansion that it and others in the space have undertaken.
As Messi looks to make it back-to-back World Cups with Argentina, the Kalshi logo is expected to remain prevalent in his and other Argentine football-related content as the tournament continues.
Other globally-known athletes, including basketballer Giannis Antetokounmpo and golfer Bryson Dechambeau, as well as one of football’s greatest managers José Mourinho, have previously mirrored the actions of Messi and Modrić in partnering with the business.
