The partnership integrates real-time sentiment and data-driven features into MLS matches and the Leagues Cup through second-screen fan engagement. At the same time, prediction markets are experiencing a lot of growth as crypto traders move away from token speculation after a $150 billion altcoin market collapse. Data from Bloomberg and Dune shows Polymarket app installs rising from about 30,000 to over 400,000 in 2025, while weekly prediction market volumes surged from roughly $500 million to nearly $6 billion. The shift coincides with a near-30% drop in Bitcoin from its October peak, the effective collapse of more than 11 million cryptocurrencies, large outflows from digital asset investment products, and growing use of crypto-based infrastructure to support event-driven prediction markets.
MLS Taps Polymarket
Polymarket entered into a multi-year partnership with Major League Soccer, becoming the exclusive prediction market partner for the league and its flagship interleague tournament, the Leagues Cup. The deal creates data-driven experiences that allow supporters to follow real-time sentiment around matches, key moments, and season-long narratives.
According to Polymarket and MLS, the partnership will focus on “second-screen” engagement, which is a growing trend in sports consumption where fans use mobile devices alongside live broadcasts to access statistics, data, and interactive features. Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan said the collaboration reflects how soccer fandom in the US is evolving, and audiences are looking for deeper and more participatory ways to engage with the sport.
By aggregating and displaying collective sentiment through prediction markets, Polymarket wants to offer fans a new perspective on how expectations shift before and during games.
The timing of the deal is interesting, as it comes during what the companies described as sustained momentum for soccer in North America, driven in part by the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted across the US, Canada, and Mexico later this year. The agreement also forms part of a push by prediction market operators to secure high-profile partnerships across sports, media, and technology platforms, including placements in major news outlets and integrations with Google’s search products.
Both MLS and Polymarket explained that the partnership includes safeguards intended to protect the integrity of matches and markets. These measures include independent monitoring of trading activity to detect potential manipulation or irregular behavior, which is a key concern as prediction markets expand into sports-related content.
Regulatory uncertainty, however, is still a major overhang. While the CFTC recently issued a no-action letter to Bitnomial, saying it would not intervene against certain prediction market offerings, several US states have moved in the opposite direction. States including Nevada, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Massachusetts launched legal challenges against Kalshi and other platforms, arguing that sports-related prediction contracts amount to unlicensed sports betting.
Announcement from the CFTC
Prediction market operators pushed back, maintaining that they fall squarely under federal commodities law and that the CFTC has exclusive jurisdiction over their activities.
Despite these tensions, prediction markets are being framed not just as financial instruments, but as entertainment and engagement tools that could potentially reshape how fans interact with live sports in the US.
Altcoin Crash Drives Traders Into Prediction Markets
Crypto traders are abandoning token speculation in favor of prediction markets. After an estimated $150 billion collapse across alternative cryptocurrencies, platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi have seen explosive growth in user activity as traditional crypto exchange engagement cratered.
According to Bloomberg, Polymarket app installs surged from roughly 30,000 to more than 400,000 between January and December of 2025. At the same time, weekly trading volume across major prediction platforms jumped from around $500 million in June to almost $6 billion by January, based on figures from Dune. In contrast, downloads of centralized crypto exchanges fell by more than 50% over the same period.
(Source: Bloomberg)
The migration reflects widespread exhaustion across the token economy. Bitcoin fell by close to 30% from its October peak, while more than 11 million cryptocurrencies effectively died last year. Investor sentiment deteriorated further as digital asset investment products recorded $1.73 billion in weekly outflows, the largest since mid-November 2025.
BTC’s price action over the past 6 months (Source: CoinCodex)
Former meme coin traders are now at the forefront of the shift toward prediction markets, which offer binary outcomes tied to real-world events rather than long-term token narratives. Several builders who previously chased speculative tokens redirected their efforts toward analytics and research tools for event-based markets, due to lower capital requirements and more immediate engagement. While losses are still very common, a small fraction of participants continue to capture the bulk of realized gains.
Despite traders fleeing token speculation, the infrastructure behind prediction markets is still deeply rooted in crypto. On platforms like Polymarket, most trade mechanics operate on-chain. Crypto-related contracts have now become one of the most active categories on prediction platforms, with notional volume rising almost tenfold over the past year.
Source: https://coinpaper.com/14054/polymarket-now-official-prediction-partner-of-major-league-soccer
