FIFA Goes Blockchain: Football’s Billion-Dollar Game Just Got a Crypto Upgrade
The beautiful game meets decentralized ledgers—FIFA’s blockchain play could redefine fan engagement, ticketing, and even player transfers. Here’s the kicker: it might actually work.
From World Cup tickets to NFT jerseys
Imagine scanning a QR code on your phone for stadium entry, or trading a Messi NFT like a rookie card. FIFA’s move cuts out middlemen—no more scalpers, no more shady resale markets. Just smart contracts executing flawlessly (unless, of course, the tech ‘pulls a FIFA’ and crashes during peak demand).
The real goal? Money, obviously
This isn’t about grassroots football. It’s about monetizing 5 billion fans. Tokenized voting for awards? Check. Blockchain-based merch authentication? Sure. A shiny new revenue stream for an organization that treats transparency like a VAR decision—conveniently opaque.
Love it or hate it, FIFA’s blockchain gamble is here. And if it flops? Well, there’s always another corporate sponsor to bail them out.
- FIFA Collect is upgrading to its own EVM-compatible blockchain around May 20th, 2025, promising better performance and new features for users’ digital collectibles.
- Users with exported collectibles must re-import them before the migration; post-migration, only EVM wallets like MetaMask will be supported.
- FIFA is also exploring a native coin launch before the 2026 World Cup, signaling a deeper dive into the digital finance space.
FIFA’s digital collectibles arm is leveling up, transitioning into an EVM-compatible blockchain. Until now, FIFA Collect was managed through a third-party provider. This marks its first direct dive into blockchain technology. The proposed upgrade is set to provide a better user experience, performance, and improved scalability.
Targeted for May 20th, 2025, a platform will announce a confirmed go-live date and clear instructions soon. For users, their digital collectibles will simply move to the new blockchain instead of FIFA Collect. While further details are awaited, the new chain will support new experiences, enable wallet compatibility, and provide stronger foundations for future innovation.
Those who have exported collectibles are required to bring them back onto the FIFA Collect platform before the above deadline. Once the platform has migrated to the new blockchain, users will still be able to withdraw their stablecoin holdings such as USDC out of the platform but won’t be able to use them to buy new collectibles on the platform anymore. This indicates the new platform might use a different currency or payment system for purchases.
Impact on Access, Listings, and a Glimpse into FIFA’s Digital Currency Plans
During the migration, users might face a temporary downtime of nearly 12 hours, which would be notified prior. Also, wallets other than MetaMask or any EVM wallet will not be accepted after the migration.
Furthermore, listed collectibles will be automatically listed in the new platform unless delisted by the user before the migration date.
Notably, the football association is also exploring launching a digital currency, potentially called the “$FIFA Coin,” ahead of the 2026 World Cup. market observers say this is a strategic play to boost fan engagement and tap into the emerging fintech space.
Read more: FIFA Partners up With Algorand for the 2022 World Cup
