Switzerland’s gambling watchdog has launched a review into FIFA’s “Right-to-Buy” tokens for the 2026 World Cup, examining whether the digital assets fall under the country’s strict gambling laws.
The probe, first reported by Bloomberg, is still in its early stages and does not allege any wrongdoing.
Manuel Richard, Gespa’s director, told Bloomberg that the regulator is in a fact-gathering phase and has not received any formal complaints. Marketed as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), FIFA’s RTB tokens reserve the right to purchase tickets for specific matches if certain conditions are met.
The Swiss authority, Gespa, confirmed it is currently assessing if the tokens, which can be purchased and traded on FIFA’s NFT marketplace, resemble gambling products or are simply conditional rights to buy tickets.
The program was first introduced for the 2024 World Cup Final, offering 1,000 tokens linked to different national teams. For 2026, token prices range from $299 to $999 based on a team’s likelihood of reaching the final.
These are not tickets themselves but grant holders a guaranteed purchase window, at face value, should their selected team qualify for a given stage of the tournament.
FIFA developed the program to address demand pressure for high-profile games. During the 2022 Qatar World Cup, 3.4 million tickets were available, but 23 million were requested, the organization reported. FIFA’s Web3 infrastructure is powered by Modex, which operates the native marketplace. While the broader NFT market has cooled since its 2021–2022 peak, FIFA has continued expanding into the space.
Underdogs are priced lower, while tournament favorites like Brazil, Argentina, and England carry higher price tags. Many of the tokens are already sold out.
