Manchester United Launches First Web3 Game

This innovative project integrates digital collectibles with an interactive fantasy football experience, allowing fans to gather “Player Trading Cards” and create fantasy teams, thereby enhancing fan engagement and modernizing the football fan community.

This initiative follows a series of successful digital projects by the club, aiming to bolster fan interaction and update the football fan community.

Launch of Player Trading Cards for the Premier League’s First Web3 Fantasy Football Game

For the 2024/25 season, Manchester United has introduced Player Trading Cards featuring all first-team players in the men’s squad, including newcomers Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro. These cards come in Classic, Rare, and Ultra-Rare versions, are hand-drawn, and feature real-time stat updates.

Fans can use these cards to create five-player lineups for Fantasy United, where they compete in mini-leagues and earn points based on the real-world performance of Manchester United players, such as goals, assists, tackles, and saves.

Dynamic live stats 📊
Classic, rare & ultra-rare players 👀
Special United rewards 🎁

Our Player Trading Cards and Fantasy United explained ⬇️#MUFC

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 31, 2024

Throughout the season, fans will receive updates on the most popular player picks and strategies employed by United legends and fantasy football experts.

Additionally, fans can compete directly against former United players in the Legends League, adding an extra layer of excitement.

Early access to the Player Trading Cards was granted to Devil-holders, the owners of the club’s original digital collectibles, on Monday, while all other fans can start collecting from today (July 31).

Through these digital initiatives, Manchester United has cultivated a rapidly growing community of nearly 100,000 members on their Discord channel, where fans can interact, learn about new releases, and participate in live sessions and Q&As with the club.

The partnership between Manchester United and the Tezos Blockchain has significantly enhanced fan interaction and engagement, setting a new standard in the modern football fan community.

According to their website, the game will kick off with Manchester United’s Premier League opener against Fulham on August 16.

The Collaboration of Man United with Tezos Blockchain and Its Impact on the Community

The collaboration between Manchester United and Tezos Blockchain has been remarkably successful. It began with the launch of ‘The Devils,’ the club’s original digital collectible series, in 2022, featuring 7,777 unique characters inspired by United’s history.

Due to the high demand for digital collectibles, these items quickly sold out within days. Sunil Singhvi, Head of Culture at Trilitech, Tezos R&D Hub, stated that this new initiative allows fans to connect more deeply with their favorite club. Sunil remarked,

“Through flexible collectible updates, fans will be able to cheer on their heroes and follow the season’s progression.”

Manchester United’s entry into the Web3 space with Fantasy United is part of a broader trend of football clubs adopting blockchain technology to engage fans.

For instance, Manchester City recently announced a partnership with Quidd to launch a series of Manchester City-themed NFT trading cards. This collaboration aims to offer fans unique digital memorabilia with special perks such as merchandise, hospitality tickets, and exclusive experiences.

This initiative is also part of Manchester City’s broader strategy to engage in the NFT and Web3 space, building on previous successful projects. The club has launched several NFT collections, including commemorative artworks and partnerships with companies like OKX and Sony.

Last season, fans could claim free hand-drawn digital collectibles at all men’s and women’s home games, resulting in over 750,000 claims.

Similarly, Quidd’s partnership with Manchester City marks their second collaboration with a professional football team, following a similar agreement with Newcastle United.