The Swiss regulator Gespa is investigating whether the “Right-to-Buy” NFT tokens sold by FIFA ahead of the 2026 World Cup comply with the law.
Swiss regulators are investigating whether the “right-to-buy” tokens sold by the global football organization FIFA ahead of the 2026 World Cup comply with regulations governing gambling. So far, no allegations of wrongdoing have been made.
Gespa is assessing whether these Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), which can be bought, sold, and traded on FIFA’s unique token marketplace, resemble gambling or represent conditional purchasing rights.
The authority has not made any allegations of wrongdoing nor received any reports of violations. Director Manuel Richard told Bloomberg on Monday, “Gespa is gathering information to determine if any action is needed.”
According to the FIFA website, RTB tokens are NFTs that reserve an exclusive purchase window for a specific match. They are not tickets, but they allow holders to buy tickets at face value if the conditions are met.
FIFA first launched the “Right-to-Buy” (RTB) tokens for the 2024 World Cup Final, announcing 1,000 RTB opportunities for fans. Team-linked RTBs are only activated if the chosen team qualifies, and they can be sold on the secondary market via the native marketplace powered by FIFA‘s Web3 partner, Modex.
For the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, the “Right to Final” tokens range from $299 to $999 depending on the team. Many tokens have already sold out, with prices being set based on probability. Tokens for surprise teams are cheaper, while favorites like Argentina, Brazil, and England are selling at a higher price.
FIFA stated that the RTBs were created to address the excessive demand for tickets at certain matches and tournaments. For example, according to FIFA, only 3.4 million tickets were available for approximately 23 million requests at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
FIFA‘s Shift to NFT Technology
NFTs are unique blockchain tokens that verify the ownership and authenticity of a specific asset. While the general NFT boom peaked in the 2021–22 period, FIFA continues to use NFT technology for digital collectibles, ticket access rights, and games.
The world governing body of football first started experimenting with Web3 and NFTs in 2022, announcing plans to launch its own native platform, FIFA Collect, on the Algorand blockchain.
In December 2023, ahead of the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, FIFA and Modex released one thousand NFTs. One hundred of these offered a chance to win tickets to the 2026 World Cup finals, while the remaining 900 consisted of additional collectibles minted on Polygon.
FIFA also stepped into the Web3 gaming space in 2024, developing FIFA Rivals with Web3 game studio Mythical Games. The free mobile game, launched in June 2025, allows players to manage clubs, compete, and trade NFT player cards on the Mythos blockchain.
In May, FIFA decided to move away from Algorand and migrate its NFT marketplace and collectibles to Avalanche, which will support its own Layer-1 blockchain.
Francesco Abbate, CEO of Modex and FIFA Collect, said that AvaCloud’s EVM-compatible structure makes it easy to connect FIFA Collect with mainstream wallets and DApps.
With an estimated global fan base of over 5 billion, Avalanche Subnets will allow FIFA to run an adjustable, private chain independent of the main Avalanche network to manage event-driven surges, such as those caused by the World Cup.
This is a fascinating intersection of major sports events and emerging technology. Do you think this scrutiny by Swiss regulators will impact FIFA‘s future use of NFTs for ticketing or fan engagement?
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