Switzerland’s gambling authority is investigating whether the “right-to-buy” tokens sold by FIFA in advance of the 2026 World Cup adhere to gambling regulations, according to Bloomberg. No accusations of misconduct have been made.
Gespa is examining if the tokens, which can be bought, sold, and traded on FIFA’s NFT marketplace, resemble gambling activities or merely represent conditional purchase rights. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association.
The agency has not claimed any wrongdoing nor received reports of it, and is gathering information to determine if further action is necessary, director Manuel Richard informed Bloomberg on Monday.
According to FIFA’s website, RTB tokens are NFTs that secure a specific purchase window for a match. They are not tickets but allow holders to buy tickets at face value if certain conditions are met.
FIFA first introduced “Right-to-Buy” (RTB) tokens for the 2024 World Cup Final, providing 1,000 RTB opportunities for fans. Team-specific RTBs activate only if the selected team qualifies, and they can be traded on the secondary market through FIFA’s marketplace, powered 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 based on odds—long shots are cheaper, whereas favorites like Argentina, Brazil, and England are at the higher end.
FIFA stated that RTBs were developed to meet the high demand for tickets at certain matches and tournaments. For instance, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there were 3.4 million tickets available for approximately 23 million requests, according to FIFA.
Cointelegraph contacted FIFA for a comment 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 validate the ownership and authenticity of a particular asset. While the broader NFT boom peaked in 2021–22, FIFA has persisted in utilizing NFT technology for digital collectibles, ticket-access rights, and gaming.
The organization first began exploring Web3 and NFTs in 2022, when it announced plans to launch FIFA Collect on the Algorand blockchain.
In December 2023, prior to the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, FIFA and Modex unveiled 1,000 NFTs—100 providing 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 with Web3 gaming studio Mythical Games. This 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 announced it would leave Algorand to transfer its NFT marketplace to Avalanche, which it would use for its own layer-1 blockchain.
Francesco Abbate, CEO of Modex and FIFA Collect, said AvaCloud’s EVM-compatible stack simplifies the connection between FIFA Collect and mainstream wallets and DApps.
With an estimated global fan base exceeding five billion, Avalanche Subnets will allow FIFA to run a specialized, adjustable chain that can be modified independently of the Avalanche network to manage event-driven surges, such as during the World Cup.
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