Switzerland’s gambling authority is reviewing whether “right-to-buy” tokens sold by FIFA, the global soccer governing body, ahead of the 2026 World Cup adhere to gambling regulations, as reported by Bloomberg. No allegations of misconduct have been made.
Gespa is exploring if the tokens, which are available for purchase, sale, and trade on FIFA’s NFT marketplace, resemble gambling mechanisms or constitute conditional purchase rights. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association.
The authority has not claimed any wrongdoing nor received reports of it, and is collecting information to decide if any measures are necessary, director Manuel Richard told Bloomberg on Monday.
According to FIFA’s official site, RTB tokens are NFTs that secure a specific purchase window for a match. While they aren’t tickets, they permit holders to buy tickets at face value if certain conditions are met.
FIFA initially launched “Right-to-Buy” (RTB) tokens for the 2024 World Cup Final, offering 1,000 RTB opportunities for fans. Team-specific RTBs only activate if the selected team qualifies, and they can be traded on the secondary market via FIFA’s marketplace, backed by its Web3 partner, Modex.
For the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico, “Right to Final” tokens are priced between $299 and $999, depending on the team. Many tokens are already sold out, with prices influenced by odds—underdogs are more affordable, while favorites like Argentina, Brazil, and England occupy the higher price range.
FIFA stated that RTBs were designed in response to significant demand for tickets for specific matches and tournaments. For instance, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there were 3.4 million tickets available amidst approximately 23 million requests, according to FIFA.
Cointelegraph reached out to FIFA for a statement but had not received a response by the time of publication.
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FIFA’s investment in NFT technology
NFTs are unique blockchain tokens that confirm ownership and authenticity of specific assets. Although the broader NFT surge peaked in 2021–22, FIFA has persisted in utilizing NFT technology for digital collectibles, ticket-access rights, and gaming.
Soccer’s governing body began experimenting with Web3 and NFTs in 2022, announcing the launch of its native platform, FIFA Collect, on the Algorand blockchain.
In December 2023, prior to the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, FIFA and Modex released 1,000 NFTs—100 of which provided a chance to win tickets to the 2026 World Cup finals, and 900 additional collectibles minted on Polygon.
FIFA also ventured into Web3 gaming in 2024 with FIFA Rivals, developed in collaboration with Web3 gaming studio Mythical Games. The free-to-play mobile game, launched in June 2025, enables players to manage clubs, compete, and trade NFT player cards on the Mythos blockchain.
In May, FIFA decided to transition from Algorand and move its NFT marketplace and collection to Avalanche, which will support its own layer-1 blockchain.
Francesco Abbate, CEO of Modex and FIFA Collect, mentioned that AvaCloud’s EVM-compatible stack simplifies connecting FIFA Collect with mainstream wallets and decentralized applications (DApps).
With an estimated global fan base of over five billion, Avalanche Subnets will enable FIFA to operate a dedicated, adjustable chain that can independently manage event-driven surges, such as the World Cup.
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