A FIFA-branded market enters a crowded U.S. field
ADI Predictstreet went live on June 8, launching in Gibraltar ahead of the tournament’s June 11 opener and reaching the U.S. through a co-branded “World Cup Hub” with Fanatics Markets. The hub is now available in 23 states, giving American traders access to FIFA-branded prediction contracts for the first time.
Built on ADI Chain, the platform lets users fund accounts with both crypto and fiat, streams every World Cup match in eligible jurisdictions, and settles eligible markets through what it calls a near real-time resolution engine. The Fanatics hub carries official FIFA player data and tournament news alongside the markets. ADI Predictstreet CEO Dimitrios Psarrakis said Fanatics’ “reach and understanding of the American sports fan is unmatched,” describing the U.S. as “a strategically important market” as the World Cup’s primary host country.
The launch drops ADI into the territory Kalshi and Polymarket have spent months contesting. Both venues have drawn record inflows ahead of kickoff. FIFA’s decision to anoint a single official partner – rather than the incumbents – hands a newcomer the tournament’s branding at the exact moment prediction markets have gone mainstream in U.S. sports.
The scrutiny centers on Gibraltar, which issued ADI what officials describe as its first prediction-market operator license. Reports that the approval came nine days after the company was incorporated, at the justice minister’s discretion, prompted criticism that the process was rushed. Gibraltar’s gambling commissioner, Andrew Lyman, pushed back, calling the reporting “sensationalist” and arguing that speed did not mean a lack of scrutiny.
ADI Predictstreet traces through Finstreet to Sirius International Holding, the digital arm of Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Company, linking it to one of the emirate’s largest conglomerates. Its leadership has drawn attention too: Josimar has reported that Psarrakis previously advised former European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili, arrested in the 2022 “Qatargate” investigation tied to the Qatar World Cup. Psarrakis denies any involvement and Kaili denies wrongdoing. ADI says its compliance stack – identity checks through Sumsub, blockchain analytics via Global Ledger and transaction monitoring from Modulus – is built to meet integrity standards in regulated markets. TK confirm missing source links
For now, the platform is live and taking positions – a shift from the spring, when ADI’s earlier moves drew skepticism over whether it was operating at all. Whether a sovereign-linked newcomer can hold the World Cup’s official prediction badge without the regulatory friction already dogging its larger rivals will play out over the month-long tournament.
