With the 2022 Qatar World Cup around the corner, FIFA – the event organizer and football’s apex governing body – has announced the launch of an NFT platform in partnership with blockchain solution Algorand.
The platform, to be known as FIFA+ Collect, is scheduled to launch later this month. It will allow football fans worldwide to get “affordable, inclusive, and accessible” NFTs featuring notable moments, including goals, celebrations, saves, and more, from the upcoming FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women’s 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,” said Chief Business Officer of FIFA, Romy Gai, in a statement.
The Football World Cup is the most popular team-based sporting event in the world, drawing thousands of fans to the stadiums and billions of viewers. It takes place every four years, with this year’s edition scheduled from November to December.
“At FIFA, we must constantly strive to identify and explore the most cutting-edge, sustainable and transparent means of increasing revenues to continue to support global football development. Algorand is clearly a forward looking, innovative partner that can help us achieve these goals,” stated FIFA President Gianni Infantino on the occasion of the announcement.
Algorand, a layer-1 carbon neutral blockchain, has been making headlines this year with the acquisition of music sharing platform Napster and the launch of an open music and entertainment NFT marketplace – LimeWire – featuring the work of music artists.
Along with Algorand, Crypto.com is also set to feature in the World Cup after signing up as an exclusive crypto exchange sponsor.
