Swiss investigation targets FIFA's blockchain-based "right to buy" tokens

• RTB investigated for alleged similarity to games
• Tradable Tokens on FIFA's NFT Marketplace
• Platform migrated to Avalanche blockchain

The Swiss gambling regulator (Gespa) has opened a preliminary investigation into whether “right to purchase” tokens — or RTB —sold by FIFA before the 2026 World Cup fall under gambling regulations. No formal charges have been filed so far.

The analysis focuses on determining whether these tokens, which are tradable on FIFA's NFT marketplace, have gambling-like characteristics or merely represent conditional purchase rights. The Swiss authority has not yet received any complaints or identified any irregularities, but is gathering facts to decide whether any action is necessary, Manuel Richard, the agency's director, told Bloomberg.

According to FIFA itself, RTB tokens are not tickets: they grant the holder the right to purchase a ticket at its original price, provided specific conditions are met. These tokens reserve a purchase window for specific matches and can be traded on the secondary market through the FIFA platform, in partnership with Modex.

The RTB initiative debuted at the 2024 World Cup final, with 1.000 opportunities available to fans. Team-linked tokens are only activated if the corresponding country qualifies, and can then be sold on the native marketplace.

For the 2026 tournament, which will be hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, "Right to the Final" tokens range in price from $299 to $999, depending on the team. Many are already sold out, with favorites like Brazil, England, and Argentina in the higher ranges, while underdogs have lower prices.

FIFA argued that RTBs offer a solution to the strong demand for tickets — for the 2022 World Cup alone, there were 3,4 million tickets for 23 million requests, according to data released by the organization.

In parallel, FIFA migrated its digital collectibles platform, FIFA Collect, to its own blockchain-based technology Avalanche —, abandoning the Algorand network. The move aims to ensure greater control and compatibility with wallets and dApps in the EVM ecosystem. This infrastructure should also support other Web3 products, such as mobile gaming. FIFA Rivals, which allows the exchange of NFT cards and club management in the blockchain universe.