World football governing body FIFA is to launch a platform allowing fans to collect and ‘own’ key moments from the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the form of non-fungible tokens.
FIFA+ Collect, launching on its FIFA+ service later this month, will also allow football fans to buy digital collectibles such as art and imagery around the tournament.
It will also offer these features around the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“Fandom is changing and football fans around the world engage with the game in new and exciting ways,” said FIFA chief business officer Romy Gai.
“This exciting announcement makes FIFA collectibles available to any football fan, democratising the ability to own a part of the FIFA World Cup.
“Just like sports memorabilia and stickers, this is an accessible opportunity for fans around the world to engage with their favourite players, moments and more on new platforms.”
FIFA+ Collect will release a range of initial collections and details of upcoming exclusive and limited-edition collections to be released soon.
From launch, FIFA+ Collect will be available across all web and mobile devices and in three language editions (English, French, and Spanish), with several additional languages to follow.
FIFA+ Collect is powered by Algorand, the official blockchain platform of FIFA which is described as a carbon neutral blockchain accessible via multiple currencies and payment methods.
“FIFA’s platform – via a truly decentralised and scalable public blockchain – is the first tangible representation of the technical partnership recently announced between FIFA and Algorand,” said W. Sean Ford, interim CEO of Algorand.
“The commitment FIFA has made to bridge to Web3 enabled by Algorand, is a testament to their innovative spirit and desire to directly and seamlessly engage with football fans around the world.”