Swiss Gambling Regulator Investigates FIFA’s “Right-to-Buy” Blockchain Tickets

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Switzerland’s gambling regulator, Gespa, has launched an investigation into FIFA’s “Right-to-Buy” (RTB) blockchain-based non-fungible tokens (NFTs), examining whether they are in line with the country’s gambling regulations.

RTBs give fans the option to reserve a ticket-purchase window for a specific team-linked World Cup match. Although they are not tickets in themselves, holders may then exercise the “right to buy” the tickets at face value should the asset-holder’s chosen team qualify. However, RTBs can be traded on FIFA’s NFT marketplace, introducing secondary-market dynamics. 

Gespa’s review is to assess if these RTB tokens qualify as gambling instruments or conditional purchases under Swiss law.

For the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico, “Right to Final” tokens have already been sold in tiers ranging from $299 to $999, depending on the team’s qualification odds. Some of the more popular teams’ tokens, like Argentina and Brazil, command premium prices.

FIFA argues the RTB system was introduced to help manage demand: in the 2022 World Cup, 23 million ticket requests competed for only 3.4 million available seats. Meanwhile, FIFA continues to expand its Web3 gaming and NFT operations, shifting its NFT marketplace from Algorand to Avalanche.

Gespa is conducting an investigation into whether action should be taken. However, no wrongdoing by FIFA has been alleged.