It was announced by global football federation FIFA that a partnership has been formed with Avalanche to develop its own blockchain network.
The FIFA Blockchain, developed by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, is being constructed as an Avalanche Layer 1 blockchain—formerly referred to as subnets—using Avalanche’s scalability-oriented technology. FIFA’s existing NFT collection will be migrated from Algorand and Polygon to this new network, which will also be designated for delivering fan engagement experiences.
In a blog post, it was stated by Avalanche that the FIFA blockchain would be enabled to operate efficiently even during periods of extreme traffic, such as during the World Cup, when the global fanbase of five billion viewers is engaged.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to be held in North America, with matches being hosted across Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
Although a FIFA Coin was hinted at by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the White House Crypto Roundtable in March, no reference to a native token was made by Avalanche in its announcement regarding the blockchain.
Transitioning to Ethereum-Compatible Infrastructure
It was first announced by FIFA in April that a blockchain would be developed on an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible platform, with plans to migrate the FIFA Collect NFT collection to the new network.
It was stated by Avalanche that “The FIFA Blockchain has been developed as a custom Layer 1 (L1) network, intended to deliver digital collectibles and next-generation fan engagement on a global scale.” It was further noted that, as digital infrastructure continues to advance, entities such as FIFA are transitioning from fragmented platforms to unified, purpose-built systems capable of scaling efficiently and enhancing user experiences.
The move was initiated following the implementation of the Avalanche9000 upgrade to the Avalanche network. This upgrade was designed to attract a new wave of developers interested in building customized Layer 1 blockchains and was intended to significantly lower the cost associated with deploying an Avalanche Layer 1.
FIFA Showcases Crypto Ambitions at the White House
The public-facing portion of the March 7 White House Crypto Roundtable was taken over by FIFA.
For reasons not fully disclosed, the first speaking slot was allocated to Trump ally Gianni Infantino, who used the opportunity to present a new trophy and announce forthcoming plans for the FIFA coin.
FIFA’s interest in launching a FIFA coin was strongly expressed by Gianni Infantino, who stated that the initiative was intended to be developed in the United States with the goal of reaching the world’s five billion soccer fans. An open invitation to collaborate was extended, as he added, “If there is anyone here who is interested to team up with FIFA, here we are.”
