Robinhood Bets on World Cup for Prediction Markets

Robinhood is bringing the 2026 World Cup onto its platform, allowing users to trade on match outcomes, player performance, and tournament winners. This move significantly expands the scope of Robinhood's prediction markets, turning global sporting events into speculative assets.

The company announced that it is routing these event contracts to Rothera, a newly established CFTC-licensed exchange and clearinghouse. Rothera is a product of Robinhood's joint venture with Susquehanna International Group, aiming to provide a regulated environment for these new trading products.

Rothera Exchange Goes Live with World Cup Contracts

JB Mackenzie, VP and GM of Futures and Prediction Markets at Robinhood, stated that the World Cup is an ideal event to launch Rothera. The exchange will initially handle World Cup and professional baseball contracts, with plans to scale to additional events over time.

Thomas Chippas, CEO of Rothera, emphasized the exchange's role as a purpose-built platform for the growing prediction markets sector. He highlighted the goal of offering robust technology, regulatory certainty, and risk management for both retail and institutional participants.

Users can trade on various outcomes, including team wins, Golden Boot awards, group qualifications, and game-specific totals or spreads. Contract prices fluctuate based on the perceived probability of each outcome, offering a dynamic trading experience.

Lower Fees and Incentives

Robinhood has simultaneously implemented a new, more competitive fee structure for its prediction markets. Commission fees are now dynamic, based on contract price and order size, with lower rates for contracts priced near $0.01 and $0.99. The maximum fee per contract will not exceed $0.01.

Robinhood Gold subscribers receive an additional discount, paying up to 50% less in commission fees compared to non-Gold members. To further incentivize participation, users who refer five friends to Robinhood's prediction markets will unlock $0 commissions on all World Cup trades, effective June 8th.

Prediction markets have become Robinhood's fastest-growing product line since its launch in late 2024. The platform reported over 12 billion event contracts traded in 2025, with more than 16 billion already traded year-to-date in 2026. Robinhood offers educational resources and the ability for users to opt out of sports-related notifications.