Suspected $108 Million in Trades at FIFA's Prediction Market Partner

ADI Predictstreet, FIFA's official prediction market partner for the 2026 World Cup, is under scrutiny over the authenticity of its trading volume. According to a Wall Street Journal analysis based on blockchain data, about $108 million of the $167 million traded on the platform through the end of September came from crypto wallets that appear to be linked to the company.

Since late August, 99 percent of trades have come from 795 wallets. These wallets are reported to have been funded from a single crypto address that also collects the platform's trading fees. The accounts traded almost exclusively with one another. The pattern was spotted by three Harvard students, and the crypto analytics firm Solidus Labs confirmed the findings.

The activity drew attention in July, during the tournament, when two wallets traded more than $81 million across hundreds of markets. After the tournament, volume fell sharply. The findings raise the possibility of wash trading, meaning linked accounts trading with each other to make a market look more active than it is. Even so, the available data does not prove intentional manipulation, and the owner of the wallets has not been identified.

The platform is licensed in Gibraltar. Andrew Lyman, the territory's gambling commissioner, said an initial review found no breach of local rules against self-trading and no consumer harm. The company had earlier been criticized over reports that it paid more than $150 million for exclusive advertising rights tied to the 2026 World Cup. The platform is alleged to have a connection to International Holding Company, chaired by Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan. IHC denies claims of control.

The findings could complicate the company's growth plans, including the DAZN partnership announced in April. Questions are also being raised about whether FIFA's market integrity safeguards noticed this unusual trading pattern.