NFT Fantasy Sports brand Sorare has partnered with the FA in a deal worth $30 million. The major announcement sees the Paris-based Web3 company launch official playing cards of all 20 English Premier League clubs into its NFT collection.
As well as introducing Premier League NFTs, Sorare also announced several updates to its gameplay. This includes only being able to play against players using cards from the same league.
To further the challenge, Sorare also launched capped-mode tournaments that limit high-value players in each competition. With these newly implemented features, it’s expected that you’ll experience greater challenges when playing within your preferred league.
The Premier League is the biggest football league in the world and is a huge addition to Sorare’s partnerships with the French, German, Spanish, and Italian leagues. Add that to more deals with American MLS, NBA, and MLB leagues, it’s clear Sorare offers unparalleled digital experiences for sports fans across the globe.
Sorare Bucking The Trend
During the crypto winter, Non-fungible tokens took a massive hit in value. Data from CryptoSlam shows NFT prices average out at $143.22 as of December 2022, down significantly from the previous year when it stood at $383.73.
Trading activity has also experienced a drastic drop. All NFT sales dropped by 78%, from $3.1 billion to only $678.2 million. In the same time frame, bucked the downward trend, with total card exchanges of around $500 million last year – an increase from 2021’s numbers of approximately 270 million.
As of this week, Sorare has surpassed an impressive 3 million users. Much of the growth comes from the FIFA World Cup played last November and December in Qatar. During the four-week tournament, Sorare gained an impressive 600,000 users on its platform.
This was helped by 2 of Sorare’s ambassadors, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, reaching the World Cup Final. The former established his name as the best ever by lifting the famous golden trophy for his native Argentina.
Sorare Taking The Global Sporting Markets By Storm
Sorare continues to grow, even during the crypto winter downturn. Boasting all the best European football leagues, the brand is becoming a major player in the sports gaming industry and in Web3.
And with a base now in the US, where the popularity of football is growing thanks to teams like Manchester United, Liverpool and Leeds United, it’s clear Sorare is on track to crack the world’s biggest market.
Football cards are the perfect utility for NFTs, and with all the major leagues coming on board, Sorare might just become the EA Sports and Panini of Web3.
