FIFA Tests Avalanche-Based Ticket Rights for World Cup Access
FIFA is using Avalanche and Modex through FIFA Collect to test blockchain-based ticket rights aimed at reducing fraud, bots and uncontrolled resale activity. The model has already issued more than 100,000 right-to-buy assets, according to figures shared by Ava Labs.
What happened?
FIFA is using Avalanche and Modex through FIFA Collect to test blockchain-based ticket rights aimed at reducing fraud, bots and uncontrolled resale activity. The model has already issued more than 100,000 right-to-buy assets, according to figures shared by Ava Labs.
Why it matters
FIFA Collect's model centers on two assets: a Right-to-Buy and a Right-to-Ticket. A Right-to-Buy gives a fan priority access to purchase a specific ticket before it becomes publicly available and can be traded on secondary markets. Once redeemed, it becomes a Right-to-Ticket, which can then be used through FIFA's existing ticketing infrastructure to buy the official match ticket.
FIFA is testing a blockchain-based ticketing model on Avalanche as the 2026 World Cup takes place across North America. The system runs through FIFA Collect, the federation's digital collectibles and fan platform, and uses Modex and a customizable Avalanche Layer-1 known as the FIFA blockchain to manage ticket-related rights rather than the match tickets themselves.
The development matters because it gives a major global sports organization a real-world blockchain use case tied to ticket access, fraud prevention and resale oversight. Instead of asking fans to interact directly with crypto mechanics, the system is designed to keep blockchain verification in the background while users engage with a more familiar consumer experience.
FIFA Collect's model centers on two assets: a Right-to-Buy and a Right-to-Ticket. A Right-to-Buy gives a fan priority access to purchase a specific ticket before it becomes publicly available and can be traded on secondary markets. Once redeemed, it becomes a Right-to-Ticket, which can then be used through FIFA's existing ticketing infrastructure to buy the official match ticket.
According to figures shared by Ava Labs, more than 100,000 Right-to-Buy assets have been issued so far. More than 50,000 Club World Cup tickets have been distributed in bundles with those rights, while secondary-market volume for Right-to-Ticket assets has topped $15 million and combined Right-to-Buy and Right-to-Ticket volume has exceeded $25 million.
The approach is meant to move more resale activity into FIFA's own ecosystem instead of leaving it entirely to third-party marketplaces. Ava Labs says the model can help make ticket access more verifiable and reduce counterfeit sales, while also giving FIFA better visibility into how ticket rights change hands, with personal information kept offchain.
The experiment still leaves open questions about who benefits most, since tradable purchase rights may also add another layer between fans and tickets. Even so, the World Cup trial shows how blockchain infrastructure is being tested in consumer settings where the crypto component is meant to be mostly invisible.