FIFA said that on May 20, its NFT platform, FIFA Collect, will switch to a blockchain that is compatible with Ethereum Virtual Machines (EVMs), marking a significant change in the company’s approach to digital collectibles. FIFA’s official FAQ states that the change is intended to increase the platform’s scalability and transaction efficiency.
Temporary Outage Scheduled During Migration
As part of the transition, FIFA Collect will undergo a 10-hour outage during which trading activities and wallet access will be suspended. Once the upgrade is complete, all user-held digital assets will be automatically transferred to the new EVM blockchain infrastructure.
FIFA issued a warning, meanwhile, stating that in order to continue being tradeable, collectibles kept off the platform must be reimported by the May 20 deadline. After migration, USDC balances can still be withdrawn, but they can no longer be used to make FIFA Collect purchases. If users do not choose to manually remove existing marketplace listings, they will migrate automatically.
End of Support for Algorand Wallets
The migration signals FIFA’s official departure from the Algorand ecosystem. Following the upgrade, the platform will exclusively support Ethereum-compatible wallets, including MetaMask and WalletConnect. Algorand-native wallets such as Pera and Defly will no longer be supported.
FIFA emphasized that no immediate action is required from users, and comprehensive migration guidance will be provided ahead of the switch.
Digital Token on the Horizon?
FIFA’s wider entry into the Web3 area is a topic of curiosity as the infrastructure update is announced. During the March White House Crypto Summit, FIFA President Gianni Infantino disclosed that the organization is actively investigating the development of a proprietary digital currency, which it has tentatively named the “FIFA coin.”
“FIFA is very, very interested in developing a FIFA coin, to do it from here, from America,” Infantino said, implying that the organization might work with partners based in the United States to reach its global fan base.
As the sporting world watches FIFA’s blockchain evolution unfold, all eyes are on how these technological pivots will reshape fan engagement in the digital era.
