FIFA President Gianni Infantino responded to mounting criticism of the 2026 World Cup on July 26 by accusing detractors of being “consumed by hate” and spreading “hate and false rumours” about the tournament. He characterized the event as “incident-free” and called it “the best show in the world.”

The complaints he’s brushing aside aren’t trivial. Iran’s national team faced visa restrictions limiting them to 24-hour entry windows due to US-Iran tensions, and the White House reportedly requested a review of a red card given to US player Folarin Balogun.

In February 2026, Infantino pitched a FIFA-branded digital token at the World Liberty Forum. A month later, in March, he showed up at the White House Digital Assets Summit with a similar message.

The organization already operates FIFA Collect, an NFT platform built on the Avalanche blockchain that has generated over $25 million in sales.

A FIFA-branded token would enter a fan token market that’s already been carved out by players like Chiliz and its Socios platform. CHZ has built partnerships with major European soccer clubs including Barcelona, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain.

The $25 million in FIFA Collect NFT sales on Avalanche represents real, sustained interest in FIFA-branded digital assets during a period when most NFT projects have seen their volumes collapse.

The compliance requirements for a global sports organization issuing digital assets across dozens of jurisdictions would be staggering. If FIFA launches a token, the same centralized decision-making that allows Infantino to wave away concerns about Iran’s treatment could also affect how that token is managed, distributed, and governed.