NFTs make an impressive debut ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

The scope of blockchain and non-fungible token technologies has expanded to cover several industries over the past couple of years. Now, with the fast approach of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the crypto industry is embracing one of the most exciting and passionate “industries” around – football.

Although not the first to start this trend, FIFA grabbed the headlines last month when they said they will use the occasion of the Qatar World Cup 2022 to launch their very first NFT collection of classic highlights from the most prestigious international football tournament.

Launched in September, the FIFA+ Collect NFT collection gave football fans a way to own and trade some of the most memorable ‘moments in time’ from World Cup history, featuring some of the greatest goals, saves and celebrations of previous tournaments. Moments such as Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’, Zinedine Zidane’s stunning double against Brazil in the 1998 final, and Paul Gascoigne’s tears during England’s semi-final defeat in Italy ’90 are now all immortalized as NFTs.

FIFA’s World Cup NFT clip is hosted on the Algorand blockchain, which was announced as its official crypto partner and wallet provider back in May. They are available to purchase from FIFA+ with English, French and Spanish editions available.

“FIFA collectibles are accessible to every football fan, democratizing the opportunity to own a piece of the FIFA World Cup,” said FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai. “Just like sports memorabilia and stickers, this is an accessible opportunity for fans around the world to engage with their favorite players, moments and more on new platforms.”

The potential of NFT-based tokenization technology goes far beyond digital memories. Already, we’ve seen a number of prominent football clubs sign up to the idea of ​​’fan tokens’ to enable supporters to have more of a say in how their favorite teams are run. With the Socios app, fans of teams including Barcelona, ​​AC Milan, Roma, Juventus, Novara and other clubs have a way to purchase NFTs that give access to exclusive benefits, including the ability to vote on key team decisions. Fans are of course not allowed to vote on who makes the team, but they do get to have their say on more marginal things like the team’s new kit design

By issuing fan tokens, clubs not only have a way of encouraging more participation from their supporters, increasing their loyalty and sense of belonging.

NFTs can also drive new game ideas within the world of football. A new blockchain platform called Pooky is positioning itself as a healthier alternative to sports betting. With the use of NFTs, football fans compete with each other to predict the outcome of major football matches, earning rewards for correctly guessing the result – or better yet, predicting the correct score. When a player guesses correctly, they earn cryptocurrency rewards and points that enable them to climb the Pooky leaderboards. The points they earn can then be used to upgrade their Pookyball NFT, which in turn allows them to score more points when they successfully predict the outcome of games in the future.

A slightly different take comes from Crypto Pitch, which is a strategy and management game that sees players take on the role of a football coach, managing a team full of world-class players and competing with others to earn crypto rewards. The game involves Crypto Pitch NFTs, which are digital trading cards that represent real players. Players must build up a collection of NFTs and create a team of 5 or 11 players, which entitles them to participate in regular tournaments. During the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Crypto Pitch will allow its NFTs to be wagered, allowing players to predict the results of the games and earn more prizes when they get them right.

This latest development suggests that there is much promise in the recent convergence of football and blockchain technology. Whether they are useful or not, soccer NFTs are an exciting and trendy new type of digital collectible that could emerge as the next generation of “trading cards” or “soccer stickers” that have always proven incredibly popular.

NFT-based collectables have hit the ground running within the world of football, and gamification is of course only one of many possible areas of use, with NFT-based ticket sales yet another example of where this can end up. The seed has been sown and the roots are already growing. Only time will tell how the NFT phenomenon will play out with soccer fans, but it has made an impressive debut and is definitely one to watch.