CoinDesk
FIFA is running Avalanche under one of its highest-stakes consumer tests yet: a ticketing system for the 2026 World Cup designed to keep bots, fraud and runaway resale prices from hijacking match access. Built on a custom Avalanche Layer-1 called the FIFA blockchain and operated through FIFA Collect with infrastructure partner Modex, the system issues digital Right-to-Buy (RTB) entitlements that fans can trade on secondary markets before converting into Right-to-Ticket (RTT) instruments, which are then redeemed through FIFA's existing ticketing stack for official match seats.
According to figures shared by Ava Labs, more than 100,000 RTBs have been issued to date, with more than 50,000 Club World Cup tickets distributed in bundles carrying RTBs. Secondary-market volume for RTTs has surpassed $15 million, while combined RTB and RTT turnover has crossed $25 million — a deployment scale the crypto industry has rarely matched outside speculation-driven products.
Why it matters
Dominic Carbonaro, who leads the consumer enterprise vertical at Ava Labs, framed the design as a response to what he called "the Taylor Swift problem" — concert announcements triggering bot-driven buying frenzies that push real fans into costly secondary markets. By moving resale activity into FIFA-controlled rails, the federation recaptures value that historically leaks to StubHub, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster, while gaining first-party visibility into how ticket rights change hands. Personal data stays offchain; the blockchain serves as a verification and ownership layer rather than a user-facing product. "We want to deliver Web2 experiences with blockchain underneath," Carbonaro said. "The user should not even know they're using blockchain."
Market impact
For Avalanche, the FIFA deployment is positioned as infrastructure validation rather than an NFT or token-driven use case — the kind of enterprise-grade, consumer-invisible adoption the network has chased since its launch.
Frequently asked questions
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How does FIFA's Avalanche ticketing system actually work?
FIFA issues digital Right-to-Buy (RTB) entitlements on a custom Avalanche Layer-1 called the FIFA blockchain, operated through FIFA Collect with Modex. RTBs are traded on secondary markets, then converted into Right-to-Ticket instruments, which fans redeem through FIFA's existing ticketing infrastructure for an…
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How many RTBs and tickets have been issued so far?
According to figures shared by Ava Labs, more than 100,000 RTBs have been issued, more than 50,000 Club World Cup tickets have been distributed in RTB bundles, RTT secondary-market volume has surpassed $15 million, and combined RTB and RTT turnover has crossed $25 million.
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Why is FIFA using blockchain for World Cup ticketing?
FIFA wants to curb bot-driven buying and ticket fraud, keep more of the resale value inside its own ecosystem rather than ceding it to third-party marketplaces, and gain first-party visibility into how ticket rights change hands. The blockchain layer handles verification and ownership while personal data stays…
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What role is Ava Labs playing in the project?
Ava Labs, the primary developer firm behind the Avalanche network, supports the custom Layer-1 and the consumer-facing design. Its consumer enterprise lead, Dominic Carbonaro, has positioned the project as Web2 experiences with blockchain underneath, where the user should not know they are onchain.
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Could the FIFA model become a template for other tournaments?
It is the clearest test yet of blockchain infrastructure attached to a live, large-scale consumer event rather than speculation, which is why Ava Labs and other observers are watching closely. Critics counter that tradable purchase rights add another intermediary between fans and match seats, so the verdict likely…
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