FIFA’s Blockchain Tickets Stir Up Swiss Regulator

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Well now, if you’ve heard tell of collect.fifa.com and its blockchain contraption, the regulators are weighin’ anchor to see if it’s a gamble or just a bit of riverbog. A Bloomberg tale says the watchdogs are rummagin’ through the matter to decide whether them tokens might fall under Swiss gambling laws. Gespa Director Manuel Richard told Bloomberg that you “cannot be ruled out” that the tokens could trespass into gaming territory. Now the crowd in charge will don their spectacles and do a heap of fact-finding to figger out whether FIFA or its partners need a license big enough to float a ship. 😅

FIFA, headquartered up in Zurich, hasn’t been accused of any misdeed and wouldn’t talk. Gespa says it hadn’t received no complaints before this inquiry kicked off. 🤐

Tokenized tokens and ticket risks

With forty-eight teams slated for 2026, most tokens are likely to yield no tickets at all, though FIFA’s till reportedly rang up about $15 million from sales, according to The Athletic. 💰

The platform is run in partnership with Modex Tech Ltd., a blockchain software outfit with roots in Switzerland, Gibraltar, and Italy. Modex says they’ve not yet been hollered at by Gespa. 🧭

Regulatory Options

If Gespa finds violations, it can compel Swiss-based companies to halt illegal operations or ask internet providers to block access to noncompliant foreign websites. The regulator is also bound by law to alert prosecutors if criminal breaches are spotted. ⚖️

FIFA projects $11 billion in revenue between 2023 and 2026, with the World Cup spread across 16 cities in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Ticket resale prices for the final have already climbed to about $30,000 on FIFA’s official secondary marketplace. 🏟️💵

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2025-10-06 20:33