Messi Hat Trick Boosts Kalshi’s Argentina Soccer Partnership
Posted on: June 17, 2026, 11:54h.
Last updated on: June 17, 2026, 11:58h.
- Kalshi announced World Cup sponsorship agreement with Argentina Football Association June 10
- Argentina star Lionel Messi scored hat trick in last night’s win over Algeria
- Partnership activations include paid partnership post on Messi’s Instagram platform, which has over 500 million followers
Kalshi’s new sponsorship agreement with the Argentina Football Association (AFA) got a big boost not with only with a paid post on Lionel Messi’s massive Instagram account but also with the soccer star’s hat trick in last night’s World Cup win over Algeria.
World Cup Sponsorship with Kalshi
Messi, 38, leading Argentina into what will likely be his last World Cup, has 507 million Instagram followers.
On June 10, Kalshi, the prediction market platform, announced a partnership with AFA, the governing body of Argentina’s national football team, and defending FIFA World Cup champions.
Under the agreement, Kalshi is serving as an official sponsor of AFA for the duration of the 2026 World Cup, which runs through July 19. The partnership includes co-branded activations, coordinated social media campaigns, and Kalshi’s use of AFA intellectual property, including the football club’s iconic sky-blue and white crest, across its marketing materials.
Hat Trick Against Algeria
That all started June 14 with the paid partnership post on Messi’s Instagram platform, featuring an image of Messi alongside Argentina teammates Nicolas Otamendi and Rodrigo De Paul, promoting a signed AFA jersey giveaway.
The post also highlighted Kalshi’s market on whether Argentina will repeat as World Cup champions, with the implied probability of 8.9%. The Instagram post has 1.6 million likes.
Messi Instagram Post
That probability percentage changed as of this morning, though, after Messi scored a hat trick in Argentina’s win over Algeria, 3-0, in the team’s tournament-opening match in front of over 69,000 people at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
With the performance – 20 years since he made his World Cup debut with Argentina – Messi tied Miroslav Klose for the most men’s World Cup goals, at 16. That was his first-ever hat trick in the World Cup.
Argentina Win Probability Rises
At Kalshi, that implied probability has risen to 10.5%. France is at 18.5%, followed by Spain at 13%, and Portugal at 11.4%. England, which kicks off their tournament today against Croatia, is just after Argentina, at 10.4%. Portugal plays their first match today, against Congo.
Also, as part of the Kalshi-AFA agreement, AFA’s Official Data and Streaming Partner, Genius Sports, will be providing Kalshi with verified official sports data to support the creation and settlement of related sports prediction market contracts.
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