The NFT boom has significantly impacted the football/soccer world, creating new ways for fans to engage with their favorite clubs and players. These digital assets allow supporters to:
NFTs are also reshaping teams and club dynamics. For instance, Crawley Town FC recently allowed NFT holders to vote on player signings, while Barcelona launched its first NFT in July 2022.
In this article, we explore some popular football NFT projects and games that offer fans new ways to support their teams and potentially influence club decisions along with earning football tokens.
Sorare has emerged as a leading football card trading game that introduced online gaming through the integration of non-fungible tokens. This innovative platform and game grants users access to over 280 professional football clubs and their players, allowing enthusiasts to collect digital cards representing athletes from various leagues worldwide. These collected players can then be utilized to form virtual squads for online competitions.
The Sorare ecosystem enables players to engage in competitive matches against other users, with performance evaluations and rewards based on real-game data. To participate in these contests, users must acquire a minimum of five player cards.
Source: Freepik
The platform also features a marketplace where fans can collect, trade, and scout officially licensed digital cards and card collections, fostering a dynamic community of football enthusiasts.
Sorare’s reward system is tied to weekly rankings, providing additional incentives for active participation and strategic gameplay. The platform has gained significant attention in the NFT space, with some digital cards fetching remarkable prices.
Notably, an NFT featuring Erling Haaland sold for over $600,000, surpassing the previous record held by Cristiano Ronaldo’s NFT, which sold for $400,312. This milestone underscores the growing value and popularity of football-related non-fungible tokens in the digital collectibles market.
Dapper Labs, renowned for creating NBA Top Shot, has joined forces with LaLiga to introduce their Official Football NFT Collectible Highlights. This collaboration brings iconic and inspiring gaming moments from LaLiga matches to life in the form of digital collectibles. These NFTs capture favorite recorded moments from the past 20 seasons of LaLiga, featuring popular clubs such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlรฉtico de Madrid, Villarreal CF, Sevilla FC, Valencia CF, Athletic Club, Real Betis, and many others.
To facilitate trading and ownership of these digital assets, a dedicated peer-to-peer NFT marketplace has been established. Here, fans can buy, sell, and trade the listed collectibles using either the Dapper wallet or credit cards for purchases. The value of each NFT fluctuates based on its demand and rarity, creating a dynamic marketplace for football enthusiasts.
LaLiga fans can acquire these NFT collectibles through the Flow blockchain, which offers a secure platform for verifying and tracing the scarcity and authenticity of each digital collectible. This partnership between Dapper Labs and LaLiga represents a significant step in bringing blockchain technology and digital collectibles to the world of football, offering fans a new way to engage with and own pieces of their favorite sport’s history.
Fanz is an innovative blockchain-based football platform designed to bridge the gap between fan culture and blockchain technology. At its core, Fanz introduces the groundbreaking “Football in Web 3.0” concept, offering users a comprehensive gateway to gaming, governance, and NFTs within the football ecosystem.
The platform’s vision is to revolutionize the role of football fans, transforming them from mere customers into active owners. Users can seamlessly connect their digital wallets to the platform, enabling them to send, receive, and store Ethereum and other ERC20 tokens, thus integrating cryptocurrency functionality into the football fan experience.
Among the NFT collections available on Fanz, the “Motty Collection” stands out as the most popular. This collection pays tribute to John Motson, a legendary BBC football commentator who dedicated over 50 years to the sport, encapsulating his legacy in digital form.
Fanz Fantasy5, a key gaming project within the platform, offers a free-to-play game centered around the Premier League. This innovative game rewards players with signed merchandise and NFTs based on their performance, further blending the digital and physical aspects of football fandom.
By combining blockchain technology, NFTs, and interactive gaming experiences, Fanz is paving the way for a new era of fan engagement in football, where supporters can actively participate in and potentially influence the sport they love.
Topps, a renowned name in licensed football collectibles, has expanded its reach into the Web3 space with the launch of its official Bundesliga NFT Series. This move has significantly boosted Topps’ popularity within the football NFT community, offering fans a new way to own and trade digital memorabilia.
The Bundesliga NFT collectibles showcase memorable highlights from the league, with the initial series capturing key moments from the 2021/22 season. Topps continues to release these collectibles in series format, with the latest Topps Series 4 unveiled in June 2022, featuring NFT cards of standout Bundesliga 21/22 moments.
Utilizing ERC 721 tokens, Topps ensures the uniqueness and authenticity of each NFT on its platform. To enhance accessibility, the platform accepts purchases via Mastercard or Visa credit cards, though users must create a Topps account to participate in the NFT marketplace.
Interestingly, Topps presents its football NFT collectibles in packs, adding an element of surprise and excitement to the purchasing experience. The number of collectibles within each pack varies, and buyers only discover the specific contents upon opening, mimicking the thrill of traditional physical card packs in the digital realm.
This innovative approach by Topps blends the nostalgia of traditional football collectibles with the cutting-edge technology of blockchain, offering fans a unique way to engage with and own pieces of football history.
Source: Freepik
Along with NFT football games that have existed for quite a while, new games dedicated to this fascinating game are emerging. Here are the most promising of them, most of them can be played not only on a desktop but also on mobile devices.
MonkeyLeague is an innovative esports metaverse that blends high-quality multiplayer gaming with blockchain technology. Built on the Solana blockchain, this play-and-earn soccer game incorporates NFTs and decentralized finance to create an engaging, turn-based experience that’s accessible yet challenging.
In MonkeyLeague, players create teams of four Monkeys and compete in twelve-round matches against AI or other players. The game’s unique selling point is its concept of asset portability, where players truly own their in-game assets. Monkeys and Stadiums exist as NFTs, while the in-game currency, MonkeyBucks ($MBS), is a tradable token.
The game offers multiple play-and-earn channels, providing players with diverse ways to engage and profit. Future plans include implementing a DAO governance token ($SCORE), allowing players to participate in platform decisions and treasury management.
MonkeyLeague features three main types of in-game assets: Monkey NFTs (players), Stadium NFTs (land), and non-NFT Spectators. This structure creates a rich, interconnected ecosystem within the game.
The development team behind MonkeyLeague boasts impressive credentials, with a combined century of experience in game art, design, and development. Their track record includes creating games that have generated billions in revenue over nearly two decades, lending credibility and expertise to this innovative blockchain-based project.
The game can be played on iOS and Android devices and on a desktop.
Phantasia is a groundbreaking Fantasy Sports Platform that integrates blockchain technology, offering unique benefits to players. As the first of its kind, it introduces a Play to Earn Model where users can earn $FANT tokens by winning contests and completing in-game quests.
This innovative platform focuses on football (soccer) and is accessible through web browsers, making it easy for users to participate from various devices. The game combines the excitement of traditional fantasy sports with the advantages of blockchain technology, creating a new paradigm in the world of online gaming.
For those interested in learning how to play Phantasia Sports, the platform provides comprehensive guides to help users navigate the game mechanics and maximize their earning potential. These resources are designed to assist both newcomers and experienced fantasy sports enthusiasts in understanding the unique features of this blockchain-based game.
By merging fantasy sports with cryptocurrency rewards, Phantasia offers a fresh and potentially lucrative experience for football fans and crypto enthusiasts alike. The platform’s use of blockchain technology ensures transparency and ownership of digital assets, while the Play to Earn model adds an extra layer of engagement and motivation for players.
The game can be played on iOS and Android devices and on a desktop.
TradeStars is an innovative Fantasy Sports Game that leverages blockchain technology to create a unique gaming experience. It combines a DeFi “trading” layer with a DFS “gaming” layer in a play-to-earn model, offering players a new way to engage with fantasy sports.
The game focuses on fantasy and football, providing a platform where sports enthusiasm meets financial strategy. TradeStars operates on the Ethereum blockchain, ensuring transparency and security for its users.
TradeStars has garnered significant attention in the investment world, with backing from eight prominent investors. These include well-known names in the crypto and venture capital space such as AU21 Capital, LD Capital, Sfermion, Morningstar Ventures, Spark Digital Capital, Free Company, Faculty Capital, and NGC Ventures.
One of TradeStars’ key strengths is its accessibility. Players can enjoy the game across multiple platforms, including Android and iOS mobile devices, as well as through web browsers. This multi-platform approach ensures that users can participate in the game wherever they are, using their preferred devices.
For those new to TradeStars or looking to improve their gameplay, the platform offers comprehensive guides. These resources are designed to help players understand the game mechanics, develop effective strategies, and maximize their earning potential within the play-to-earn model.
By merging fantasy sports with blockchain technology and decentralized finance, TradeStars presents an exciting opportunity for sports fans and crypto enthusiasts alike to engage in a new form of digital gaming and trading.
The game is available on iOS and Android devices and on a desktop.
NFT Soccer Games is a digital soccer game built on the Avalanche Contract Chain, offering players the opportunity to own unique ERC-721 tokens while enjoying an immersive football experience. The game allows players to earn rewards through various activities such as training players, participating in friendly matches, competing in death matches, and ranking in tournaments.
The development team behind NFT Soccer Games believes in the growing impact of blockchain technology on gaming. They aim to create safer and higher quality games, positioning themselves as pioneers in the Avalanche network.
The game features a limited collection of 11,000 unique NFTs, which were made available for sale starting November 1, 2021. Of these, 50 NFTs were pre-minted for social advertising purposes, and 100 NFTs were reserved for the development team. The team’s reserved NFTs were not minted until after the first 500 public mints.
Players can engage with the game using just one NFT, but this limits them to training activities (token minting). For optimal gameplay, particularly in tournaments, a team of 11 NFTs is recommended. However, the game offers flexibility with various tournaments and leagues that accommodate smaller team sizes.
The game is available to play on iOS and Android devices and on a desktop.
To address potential player shortages or to generate additional income, NFT Soccer Games implements a player rental system. This feature allows players to either rent additional players to complete their team or earn by leasing their idle players to other teams.
This innovative approach combines the excitement of soccer management with the benefits of blockchain technology, creating a unique gaming experience that blends strategy, competition, and digital asset ownership.
The rise of non-fungible token football games is revolutionizing how fans interact with football, offering new ways to collect, trade, and engage not only with games but also with their favorite teams and players.
These platforms and NFT marketplaces blend traditional fan experiences with blockchain technology, creating a dynamic and immersive world where digital collectibles and in-game assets can hold real value. From trading digital player cards in Sorare to participating in fan-driven decisions at Crawley Town FC, the intersection of football and NFTs is opening up exciting opportunities for fans to be more than just spectators.