Manchester United has introduced “Fantasy United,” marking the Premier League’s first Web3 fantasy football game, built on the Tezos blockchain
This innovative project integrates digital collectibles with an interactive fantasy football experience, allowing fans to collect “Player Trading Cards” and form fantasy squads, enhancing fan engagement and modernizing football fandom.
The initiative follows a series of successful digital ventures by the club, aiming to deepen fan interaction and modernize football fandom.
Launch of Player Trading Cards for Premier League’s First Web3 Fantasy Football Game
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
For the 2024/25 season, Manchester United has rolled out Player Trading Cards featuring all first-team players from the men’s squad, including new signings Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro.
These cards come in Classic, Rare, and Ultra-Rare editions, are hand-drawn, and updated with real-time stats.
Fans can use these cards to create five-man squads for the Fantasy United game, where they compete in mini-leagues and earn points based on the real-life performances of Manchester United players, such as goals, assists, tackles, and saves.
Throughout the season, fans will receive updates on the most selected players and the strategies employed by United legends and fantasy football experts.
Additionally, fans can compete directly against former United players in the Legends leagues, adding an extra layer of excitement.
Early access to Player Trading Cards was given to Devil-holders, owners of the club’s original digital collection, on Monday, while all other fans can now begin collecting today (July 31).
Through its digital initiatives, Manchester United has cultivated a growing community of nearly 100,000 members in their Discord channel, where fans can interact, learn about new drops, and access live town halls and Q&As with the club.
The collaboration between Manchester United and the Tezos Blockchain has significantly enhanced fan interaction and engagement, setting a new standard in modern football fandom.
As stated on their website, the game will start with Manchester United’s Premier League opener against Fulham on August 16.
Man United Collaboration with Tezos Blockchain and Community Impact
The collaboration between Manchester United and the Tezos Blockchain has been highly successful. It began with the launch of ‘The Devils,’ the club’s original digital collection, in 2022, featuring 7,777 unique characters inspired by United’s history.
Following a high demand for digital collectibles, these were quickly snapped up within a few days.
Sunil Singhvi, Head of Culture at Trilitech, Tezos R&D Hub, stated that this new initiative enables fans to have a deeper connection with their favorite club. Sunil said,
“Through dynamically updating collectibles, supporters will be able to cheer on their heroes and watch how the season develops.”
Manchester United’s venture into the Web3 space with Fantasy United is part of a broader trend among football clubs embracing blockchain technology to engage with fans.
Manchester City, for example, 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 benefits such as merchandise, hospitality tickets, and exclusive experiences.
This initiative is also part of Manchester City’s broader strategy to engage with the NFT and Web3 spaces, building on previous successful ventures. The club has launched various NFT collections, including commemorative pieces and partnerships with companies like OKX and Sony.
Last year’s season, fans were able to claim free hand-drawn digital collectibles at all men’s and women’s home games, resulting in over 750,000 claims.
Similarly, Quidd’s collaboration with Manchester City marks its second partnership with a professional football team, following a similar deal with Newcastle United.
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