Lionel Messi is promoting Kalshi as his nation, Argentina, get their World Cup title defense underway against Algeria. This is despite FIFA having strict rules forbidding players from having any financial interest in betting.
On Sunday, Messi posted a story on his Instagram account promoting the prediction market platform. He appeared in the promo alongside fellow players Rodrigo De Paul and Nicolas Otamendi. Instagram marked it as a paid partnership.
Kalshi Announces Deal With Argentina
Kalshi revealed that it had signed a deal with the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (AFA), the governing body of Argentina’s national soccer team, last week.
The partnership includes co-branded activations, coordinated social media campaigns, and Kalshi’s use of AFA intellectual property.
“Argentina is the standard of excellence in world football,” said Adam Barrick, Head of Sports Partnerships at Kalshi.
“That’s exactly who Kalshi belongs alongside. 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.”
Do FIFA Rules Forbid Messi Promo?
Article 27 of FIFA’s Code of Ethics states that individuals bound by the code, including players, referees, coaches, and match agents, “shall not have any direct or indirect financial interest (through or in conjunction with third parties) in activities, such as betting, gambling, lotteries or similar events or transactions connected with football matches and competitions.”
FIFA rules do not ban national football federations, such as the AFA, from signing corporate sponsorship deals with gambling operators. Messi’s promotion is part of that deal and therefore appears acceptable.
If it were a personal deal between Messi and Kalshi, then the governing body may have been forced to intervene.
Ahead of the 2018 World Cup, Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s participation was called into question after he signed a deal to promote the Malta-based betting company, Bethard. Zlatan defiantly declared, “FIFA can’t stop me. If I want to be there, I’ll be there.”
In the end, he was not selected for the Sweden squad, and his association with Bethard eventually led to a €50,000 fine from UEFA, Europe’s governing body for soccer.
Messi’s international teammate Emi Martinez is also being investigated after appearing in a gambling ad in his home country for bplay. Martinez plays for Aston Villa in the English Premier League, which strictly forbids players from promoting betting.
The MLS also prohibits players from appearing in sports-betting-related marketing or advertisements. It is unclear if the league intends to take any action against Messi. The league signed a deal with Kalshi’s rival Polymarket earlier this year.
World Cup Helps Kalshi Reach Record Trading Volumes
The start of the World Cup set a record day for Kalshi in terms of trading volume. It surpassed $1 billion on both Saturday and Sunday, the first time it has reached that level for a single day. That helped the platform reach $100 billion of total lifetime volume.
Over $311 million has been traded on the tournament winner market. Argentina is the fifth favorite to successfully defend their trophy, with Kalshi’s market giving them an 8.5% chance. France became the new favorites after Spain failed to beat Cape Verde in their opening match on Day 5. France will kick off their tournament against Senegal on Tuesday.
Argentina face off against Algeria on the same day and are given a 70% chance of winning. Messi & Co. lost their opening match of the last tournament to Saudi Arabia in a shock upset.
The Saudis managed to frustrate another South American side on Monday, holding Uruguay to a 1-1 tie, which was our pick for Day 5. Throughout the tournament, we are running an experiment to see how AI stacks up against a human tipster in picking bets each day.
