FIFA Caught in Legal Trouble Over World Cup NFT Collection — What’s Going On?

Jakarta, Pintu News – FIFA is now facing a lawsuit from Gespa, the Swiss gambling authority, regarding the NFT collection they offer. Gespa claims that competitions for prizes in the form of NFTs could be considered an unregistered form of gambling.

Although this complaint is non-binding, Gespa is willing to cooperate with the authorities in further investigations, but will not lead the case. FIFA has the opportunity to resolve this matter without going through legal channels.

FIFA NFT Suspected of Violating Gambling Laws in Switzerland

FIFA and the crypto world have been intersecting for several years, with FIFA already offering their own NFTs. However, this activity seems to have brought trouble to the football association, especially after the Swiss authority, Gespa, filed a criminal complaint.

Gespa alleges that FIFA’s NFT offering could be considered gambling as users do not purchase products directly, but rather participate in challenges or wait for a “drop” in hopes of earning assets.

Since those NFTs have monetary value, they could violate gambling regulations. Gespa only learned about FIFA’s NFT platform this month and was previously unaware of competitions that allowed users to win NFTs. It is not known what made Gespa aware of this activity, but their quick response indicates a serious concern.

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The switch to Avalanche is suspected to be the trigger for FIFA’s NFT problem

A change in distribution scheme by FIFA may be the trigger for this issue. FIFA switched from using Algorand to Avalanche as the supporting blockchain, which led to a huge spike in activity on Avalanche. This change may have introduced a more lottery-like mechanism in asset distribution.

Gespa claims that they only found out about FIFA’s NFT platform this month, and were previously unaware of competitions such as drops and challenges that allow users to win NFTs.

The Swiss regulator’s one-page complaint states that law enforcement has jurisdiction to determine whether FIFA’s NFT offering violates the law. Gespa itself did not take an official position on the matter. It offered to assist with future investigations but declined to release further information.

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FIFA still has peaceful ways to avoid Gespa lawsuit

Non-litigation solutions may be available to FIFA to avoid this complaint. FIFA may be able to reform their NFT distribution scheme to avoid this complaint, or the association may reach another agreement with the Swiss regulator. For now, we will have to wait to see if the local authorities will pursue the case filed by Gespa.

However, FIFA has the opportunity to resolve this issue without going through legal channels, which could be a more favorable solution for all parties involved. This kind of deal could help FIFA avoid further legal risks and allow them to continue their NFT operations more prudently in the future.

Conclusion

This case highlights the challenges faced by sports organizations in adopting new technologies like NFTs, especially in the face of strict regulations. How FIFA handles this situation will set an important precedent for the sports and crypto industry as a whole.

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Reference

• BeInCrypto. FIFA World Cup NFTs Lead to Criminal Charges for Gambling. Accessed on October 19, 2025
• Featured Image: Bitcoinist