In addition to new revenue opportunities, the model gives FIFA more visibility into who ultimately attends its events. In the traditional ticketing ecosystem, much of this information is controlled by secondary marketplaces.
“The actual administrator of these tickets, FIFA, has no idea who the people are buying,” Carbonaro said. “That data is with SeatGeek, StubHub, Ticketmaster, Vivid Seats.” He argued that FIFA Collect’s RTB and RTT system gives FIFA greater insight into how ticket rights change hands within its own ecosystem, rather than relying on third-party platforms that typically manage the customer relationship.
With RTBs and RTTs, FIFA can better track how fans move through the ticketing process while keeping personal information offchain and using blockchain records as a verification mechanism.
This data component may ultimately prove to be as valuable as the ticketing function itself. Sports organizations increasingly see direct fan relationships as strategic assets, especially as AI tools make first-party data more valuable.
Whether FIFA’s ticketing model will become a template for future tournaments remains to be seen. Critics could argue that the introduction of tradable buying rights simply creates another layer between fans and tickets.
Either way, the WC offers a glimpse of where blockchain adoption might be headed. Instead of asking consumers to embrace crypto, projects like FIFA Collect are trying to hide it entirely. And for the Avalanche, it might be the most important test of all.
