According to Cointelegraph, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has announced its decision to utilize the Avalanche network to power its dedicated blockchain network for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and digital fan engagement. This strategic move, revealed on May 22, aims to leverage Avalanche's scalability-focused infrastructure to cater to FIFA's extensive fan base of five billion worldwide.
The decision follows FIFA's earlier announcement of its plans to launch a new blockchain-based collectibles network. Avalanche's Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility is expected to facilitate seamless integration with decentralized wallets and applications, enhancing the user experience. Francesco Abbate, CEO of Modex and FIFA Collect, highlighted the benefits of this transition, emphasizing the delivery of unique digital collectibles and immersive fan experiences powered by the network's speed, scalability, and EVM compatibility.
Abbate further explained that the decision was based on a comprehensive analysis of key factors such as performance, security, transaction fees, customizability, and scalability. As part of the rollout, FIFA will migrate its NFT marketplace and collection, FIFA Collect, to the new Avalanche-powered blockchain. This migration will result in the discontinuation of support for external Algorand-based wallets like Pera and Defly, with users being able to connect to FIFA Collect via MetaMask or other EVM-compatible wallets supporting WalletConnect.
FIFA initially launched its NFT collection in collaboration with blockchain firm Modex ahead of the 2023 Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, in November 2024, FIFA partnered with blockchain gaming studio Mythical Games to introduce FIFA Rivals, a free-to-play soccer game available on iOS and Android platforms. While FIFA has outlined future plans and business cases, these details remain undisclosed to the public at this time.
