FIFA Serves as a “Bridge” Between Web3 and Mainstream Fans

Experts believe that FIFA will work as a bridge between Web3 and mainstream fans

The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off this weekend in Qatar. Millions of soccer fans are not only getting their fill of sports and competition this year, but they also can choose to interact with the various Web3 brands and companies that are hoping to achieve some goals of their own. During the last FIFA World Cup in 2018 in Russia, the term Web3 was not a part of the global conversation. In 2022, however, athlete NFT drops and Bored Apes in Adidas commercials, for example, are accepted additions to the month-long tournament.

Ronaldo launched an NFT collection on Binance.com as part of an exclusive, multi-year partnership with the exchange. The 6,645 NFT CR7 collection features seven animated statues depicting an iconic moment in Ronaldo's life. The digital collectibles have four levels of rarity and depending on the NFT rarity, owners have access to different perks — ranging from a personal message from Ronaldo, autographed merchandise, access to future NFT drops, and complimentary gift boxes.

Starting with the international governing body of football itself, FIFA launched its own NFT marketplace deployed on the Algorand blockchain called FIFA+ Collect. Similar to the NBA Top Shots platform, users can collect video moments and highlights from previous World Cups.

Users can buy a pack of trading cards with three randomly selected highlights or single moments. The most expensive NFT in the marketplace at the time of writing is French player Kylian Mbappe's goal against Argentina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup for $7,500.

Additionally, FIFA partnered with blockchain-based companies — Uplandme, Matchday, Phygtl, and Altered State Machine — to develop various soccer-themed Web3 games. One mobile game called AI League, created in partnership with the Altered State Machine protocol will let fans who make it to the top of the leaderboard be eligible for digital and physical prizes such as Vivo phones, gaming equipment, and Adidas gift cards.

The Upland metaverse, which maps virtual land to real-world cities, has set up a digital replica of the FIFA World Cup Lusail stadium, village, and shops. Users can trade NFTs of country crests, apparel, and posters from all 32 World Cup teams to complete digital collection albums. World Cup village properties can only be won in tournament-specific Upland activities. Additionally, the Argentinian player Lionel Messi-backed gaming startup Matchday collaborated with FIFA to create a betting app. Users who challenge friends to World Cup predictions can win by getting it right and collecting trading cards of footballers who perform the best during the tournament.

Messi teamed up with Web3 studio Ethernal Labs and its NFT marketplace Ethernity to develop his second NFT collection — the Messi Time Machine Collection. Five new digital collectibles are meant to commemorate the Paris Saint-Germain forward's career. The first NFT in the series highlights his first World Cup appearance in 2006. Holders of that token will have access to up to four additional collectibles commemorating previous World Cup appearances in 2010, 2014, and 2018. A raffle will grant 10 holders a chance to claim an NFT for this year's tournament.

He added that the World Cup serves as a "bridge" between mainstream fans and the Web3 world: "Players and brands recognize they must cater to new technologies like digital collectibles and metaverse meet-ups to catch the attention of fans that grew up in a digital age."

Additionally, Messi stars in a World Cup commercial with Adidas-owned Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT, Indigo Herz, on the front of a cereal box aptly named "INDIGOOOOOLS." Adidas purchased BAYC #8774 Indigo Hertz last year for a total of 46 ETH ($156,000 at the time) as part of its Adidas Originals ecosystem.