The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has revealed its plans to migrate its digital collectibles platform, FIFA Collect, to a new blockchain network.
According to the platform’s FAQ page, FIFA Collect will move from the Algorand blockchain to the new FIFA Blockchain, an EVM-compatible platform. Stating the reason for the move, the update read, “The FIFA Blockchain was created to support new experiences, enable wallet compatibility, and provide stronger foundations for future innovation.”
Major Updates on the FIFA Transition
The transition, expected to begin on or after May 20, 2025, will include some changes. Since the migration will cause the platform to experience temporary downtime of approximately 12 hours, users will be notified of the confirmed go-live date and instructions in advance.
For those who already have existing digital collectibles, the platform will transfer their assets to the new blockchain, where they can access and use digital collectibles in the ways they are accustomed, with new features that may be introduced over time.
However, for users who have already exported their collectibles from the platform, the update directs them to re-import them before May 20th, 2025, to include them in the migration. Failure to do this will require going through customer support, which may require additional verification.
In addition, users have until the migration date to spend their USDC balance, after which spending will be disabled post-migration.
Furthermore, after migrating to the new FIFA Blockchain, users will connect to their wallets using MetaMask or other EVM wallets that support WalletConnect, as Algorand-based wallets, such as Pera and Defly, will be disabled.
FIFA Establishes a Strong Presence in Blockchain
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA launched FIFA Collect, allowing football fans to own digital collectibles of famous football moments. Initially, the NFT platform was launched on the layer-1 Algorand blockchain, but was later extended to Polygon a year later.
With its latest move, FIFA deepens its infusion into blockchain. By launching its blockchain network, the international football association body is establishing a more substantial presence in the blockchain ecosystem.
Meanwhile, the NFT market has been experiencing a significant decline since January, with some platforms shutting down, in contrast with its past performance. Recently, X2Y2 NFT trading platform announced its plans to shut down.
