Global football federation FIFA announced that it has partnered with Avalanche to develop its own blockchain network.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is building the FIFA Blockchain as an Avalanche Layer 1 blockchain—previously known as subnets—using Avalanche’s scalability-focused technology. FIFA will migrate its existing NFT collection from Algorand and Polygon to the new network, which will also power fan engagement experiences.
Avalanche stated in a blog post that it designed the FIFA Blockchain to operate efficiently even during periods of extreme traffic, such as the World Cup, when it engages a global fanbase of five billion viewers.
North America will host the 2026 World Cup, with matches taking place across Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
Although FIFA President Gianni Infantino hinted at a FIFA Coin during the White House Crypto Roundtable in March, Avalanche made no mention of a native token in its blockchain announcement.
Transitioning to Ethereum-Compatible Infrastructure
FIFA first announced in April that it would develop a blockchain on an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible platform and planned to migrate the FIFA Collect NFT collection to the new network.
Avalanche stated, ‘We developed the FIFA Blockchain as a custom Layer 1 (L1) network to deliver digital collectibles and next-generation fan engagement on a global scale.’ The company also noted that as digital infrastructure advances, organizations like FIFA are moving from fragmented platforms to unified, purpose-built systems that scale efficiently and enhance user experiences.
The move followed Avalanche’s implementation of the Avalanche9000 upgrade, which aims to attract a new wave of developers interested in building customized Layer 1 blockchains. The upgrade also significantly lowers the cost of deploying an Avalanche Layer 1.
FIFA Showcases Crypto Ambitions at the White House
FIFA took over the public-facing portion of the March 7 White House Crypto Roundtable.
For undisclosed reasons, organizers gave the first speaking slot to Trump ally Gianni Infantino, who used the opportunity to present a new trophy and announce upcoming plans for the FIFA Coin.
Gianni Infantino strongly expressed FIFA’s interest in launching a FIFA Coin, stating that the organization plans to develop the initiative in the United States to reach the world’s five billion soccer fans. He also extended an open invitation to collaborate, adding, ‘If there is anyone here who is interested to team up with FIFA, here we are.’
