As the 2026 World Cup approaches, trading of meme coins on Solana related to the event has gained momentum. Since its launch in mid-May, World Cup Coin has surged rapidly; an early buyer turned an initial investment of $341 into an approximate paper profit of $157,600 within days.
Buy at $341 and quickly amplify
According to Decrypt, citing data from DEX Screener and SolScan, the trader purchased World Cup Coin in five separate transactions just hours after its launch, when the token’s market cap was under $40,000. Within approximately 12 hours, the token initially traded sideways before its market cap rose to $2.18 million, then surged further to $6 million the following day.
During these two rallies, the trader sold part of their position, cumulatively cashing out approximately $35,700. Thereafter, World Cup Coin briefly dropped 49% from its peak, with its market cap falling to around $3.15 million, but then rebounded again, reaching a historical high of $12.2 million on May 21.
Has cashed out nearly $50,000
The report states that the trader continued to reduce their position during the second rally, realizing approximately $49,400 in profits across 78 trades. At the time of the report, World Cup Coin had a market capitalization of about $8.37 million, and the remaining related holdings in their wallet were valued at approximately $108,200.
At this rate, an initial investment of $341 has generated approximately $157,600 in total returns, representing a gain of over 14,000%. However, these unrealized gains are still subject to fluctuations based on the token’s price.
The World Cup theme drives speculation
World Cup Coin launched on May 11 as a token themed around the 2026 World Cup, but it is not an official FIFA project. In addition to the main token, multiple tokens named after participating countries have appeared on Pump.fun, forming a group of speculative trades centered around the event.
According to reports, the market capitalizations of the tokens related to France, Spain, and Portugal temporarily ranked highest, at approximately $315,000, $255,000, and $225,000, respectively. The aforementioned trader also holds positions in some national team tokens, with the largest position being in the Spanish token, at approximately $9,400.
Such trades are not new. In the past, the crypto market has often seen speculative hype around meme coins ahead of major events, anniversaries, or cultural festivals, but the enthusiasm typically peaks around the event’s start and end, with more pronounced price volatility.