FIFA Launches Avalanche-Based System for 2026 World Cup Ticket Access and Resale

FIFA is operating a new ticketing system for the 2026 World Cup on a custom Avalanche Layer-1 blockchain called the FIFA blockchain, with Modex handling operations through the FIFA Collect platform. The system issues Right-to-Buy digital entitlements that grant holders priority to purchase specific match tickets before they reach the general public.

An RTB converts into a Right-to-Ticket upon redemption, which fans then use to complete the purchase through FIFA’s existing ticketing infrastructure.

Fans obtain RTBs directly on FIFA Collect and can trade them on secondary markets. More than 100,000 RTBs have been issued, and more than 50,000 Club World Cup tickets have been distributed in bundles with RTBs, according to figures from Ava Labs. Secondary-market volume for RTTs has surpassed $15 million, while combined RTB and RTT volume has exceeded $25 million.

Dominic Carbonaro, who leads the consumer enterprise vertical at Ava Labs, said the model addresses the problem of bots purchasing large volumes of tickets at announcement. “It’s a little bit of the Taylor Swift problem,” he said. “Concert gets announced, huge influx of buying comes in, primarily from bots.

Carbonaro stated that the RTB model “shifts where the secondary sales market takes place,” moving resale activity into an environment FIFA controls rather than third-party platforms. ” Carbonaro noted that under the previous system, FIFA had no visibility into buyers because that data resided with SeatGeek, StubHub, Ticketmaster, and Vivid Seats.

The new records allow FIFA to track how rights change hands while keeping personal information offchain.