The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has reportedly filed trademark applications to take experiences that will be created in the 2026 World Cup into the metaverse.
FIFA Planning Ahead
On Wednesday, a trademark attorney, Mike Kondoudis, revealed on Twitter that on July 14, FIFA applied to trademark several aspects of World Cup 2026 to digitize them in the metaverse. This is worth noting as the organization has already made serious headway for the upcoming 2022 World Cup, scheduled to be held in November in Qatar, through several partnerships with blockchain and crypto firms. The fact that FIFA is planning so far ahead for the next world cup tournament, which is happening four years later, indicates that the football organization is highly driven towards its Web3 expansion efforts.
Virtual Retail Stores For World Cup 2026
According to the application filed, the organization is planning on retailing the digital versions of these items through virtual retail stores. These items include virtual clothing and accessories like headwear, eyewear, and sports gear. As of now, the exact plans of the organization with these products are unknown. Besides virtual retail stores, the application also seeks to trademark virtual stock trading, crypto and virtual crypto exchanges, financial and monetary services, and more. These further emphasize FIFA’s intention to incorporate its core financial services into the metaverse. The inclusion of the different payment management services, virtual stock trading, exchanges, and their respective management could also indicate that the company is keen to continue its expansion into the blockchain ecosystem.
FIFA’s Web3 Efforts
FIFA has been working on its web3 expansion centered around the 2022 World Cup. It has entered into several partnerships with crypto and blockchain companies to firmly establish itself as a major player in the digital asset space. One of the first sponsorship deals it signed was with the leading crypto exchange, Crypto.com. In March 2022, FIFA signed on Crypto.com as an official sponsor for the 2022 World Cup tournament happening in Qatar.
In another deal, FIFA has signed on blockchain network Algorand to be the first official blockchain partner of the 2022 tournament. Furthermore, the blockchain company will also be the official sponsor of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup scheduled to be held in Australia and New Zealand. The contract signed by the two also dictates that FIFA will be developing its digital asset technology (as well as a blockchain-supported wallet) with help from Algorand.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
