FIFA, association football’s international governing body, is set to launch its very own football NFT platform in partnership with the blockchain firm, Algorand. The platform, which is set to be called FIFA+ will offer digital collectibles of moments from the World Cup and Women’s World Cup tournaments throughout history.

The details on FIFA+

FIFA+ is the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)’s answer to an NFT platform. Launching next month at some point, the platform will allow for football fans to accumulate a range of tokens and collectibles.

These digital collectibles will represent unforgettable moments from games at the World Cup, and Women’s World Cup Tournaments. Think of Diego Maradona’s Hand of God or Carli Lloyd’s 16-minute hat trick in the 2015 Final.

FIFA’s NFT platform has been created as a part of the agreement with Algorand, a blockchain firm, which was announced earlier this year. They will be working together at this year’s Qatar World Cup, with Algorand being a sponsor and technical partner.

Romy Gai, FIFA‘s Chief Business Officer, said: “Fandom is changing and football fans around the world engage with the game in new and exciting ways… Just like sports memorabilia and stickers, this is an accessible opportunity for fans around the world to engage with their favorite players, moments and more on new platforms.”

Beyond the launch of FIFA+, the platform will also host FIFA+ Collect. It is set to be a digital platform which will provide users access to live games from around the world. As well as interactive games, news, tournament information and other original content.

What do they do?

FIFA is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was initially launched in 1904 to oversee international competition among a few nations. Then, in 1930, they hosted the very first FIFA World Cup in Uruguay. This marked the start of the competition that still runs until this day.

Currently, there are 211 national associations that are members of the organisation, which is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It is currently headed by Gianni Infantino.

The body has been the subject of many controversies. Most recently, their decision to continue to host the 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar. Despite issues around the human rights of stadium builders, as well as the country’s views on homosexuality, which have been pointed out in the football community.

FIFA is also the title of the world’s best-selling sports video game franchise. Developed by EA Sports, they have partnered with FIFA and FIFpro. Doing this to get the name, image and likeness deals for the players who feature in the games. Next year, however, the historical partnership between the two will end. EA Sports’ game will become ‘EA Sports FC’ and FIFA look to go on and make another football video game.