FIFA’s dedicated blockchain, built on Avalanche infrastructure, has now issued more than 100,000 Right-to-Buy tokens for the 2026 World Cup.

The system isn’t just moving numbers on a dashboard. Combined secondary market volume for FIFA’s Right-to-Buy (RTB) and Right-to-Ticket (RTT) digital assets has already surpassed $25 million, with RTTs alone accounting for more than $15 million of that total.

How the FIFA blockchain actually works

FIFA isn’t selling match tickets as NFTs. The actual tickets still get issued through traditional channels. What the blockchain handles is the access layer, the right to purchase those tickets in the first place. RTBs grant holders the privilege to buy tickets for major FIFA events. RTTs function similarly but are specifically tied to ticket entitlements. Both are tradeable on secondary markets, which is where that $25 million in volume comes from.

Over 50,000 Club World Cup tickets were distributed in bundles with RTBs, serving as a stress test before the main event.

FIFA opted to use USDC for transactions on the platform rather than launching a native token. Stablecoins as the payment rail, blockchain as the verification layer.

Why FIFA ditched Algorand and Polygon

The organization previously worked with Algorand and Polygon for various digital initiatives. The migration to an Avalanche-powered Layer-1 blockchain represents a deliberate architectural decision to go with an EVM-compatible chain that could handle the specific demands of global event ticketing.

The partnership between FIFA and Avalanche was announced on May 22, 2025. Ava Labs, the team behind Avalanche, has been a key technical partner alongside Modex. Dominic Carbonaro of Ava Labs has been among those providing insights on the venture’s development.

On-chain verification changes the equation on ticket scalping and fraud. Every RTB and RTT has a transparent ownership history. FIFA can set rules through smart contracts that govern how these assets are resold, at what price caps, and to whom.