In the metaverse, a virtual world similar to a video game is depicted as the internet’s next generation. It is possible to work, learn, make art, shop, attend concerts and football games, socialize with friends and family, and participate in a wide range of other real-life activities in the metaverse.

As the Metaverse comes to fruition, consumers and sports fans alike will become more immersed in virtual worlds. Sports organizations, athletes, and partners can use their virtual imaginations to see what kind of content and new kinds of stories they can create and how they can do it best in this space.

The metaverse powered by the Web3 offers a slew of new ways for football clubs to interact with their fans and generate new revenue streams. NFT Labs chief of staff and member of the Blockchain and Crypto Assets Council (BACC) Dhwani Mehta says, “Fans will no longer be watching the game, but experiencing it.”

This article examines how some metaverse football clubs have carved out their niches.

List Of Football Clubs In The Metaverse

1. Birmingham City

Birmingham City

Birmingham City is the first English Football League (EFL) team to join the Metaverse. As a result, the St. Andrew’s stadium of the Blues will be replicated in virtual reality.

NFTs (Non-fungible tokens) will allow fans from all over the world to acquire digital real estate in the form of virtual stadium tours and the ability to watch virtual reality recordings of Birmingham matches in a facility that replicates the 29,409-seat stadium.

In December 2021, work began on scanning and mapping a digital replica of St. Andrew’s Stadium. In addition to providing commercial opportunities for the club, Birmingham City’s digital metaverse will also provide entertainment and educational options for Blues fans, as well the BCFC Community Trust, Academy, and other charitable causes.

2. Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama

Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama

MetaSoccer, the world’s first soccer metaverse game, and Rio de Janeiro’s Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama have teamed up to form a licensed team made up of NFT players born in the metaverse.

According to CEO and Co-Founder of Mudrex, global algorithm-based crypto investing platform Edul Patel, “Mudrex, more real-world sports will be replaced by virtual sports shortly.

There are many ways to make money in the MetaSoccer metaverse while playing. They will be rewarded with MetaSoccer tokens if they complete certain tasks, such as winning a match, selling a player, and more.

3. Liverpool FC

Liverpool FC

Designed in conjunction with Sotheby’s, the LFC Heroes Club is a new collection of NFTs that allows fans to be more involved in the game by providing them with digital assets and access to a larger community, both online and off.

Each of the 24 members of the men’s team is represented by an NFT collectible, though some aspects of their appearance are generated at random by an algorithm to create distinctive looks, and some are rarer than others.

Members of the LFC Hero NFT will have access to a community forum, LFC experiences, virtual gatherings, competitions, and discounts on LFC merchandise, among other benefits.

“We wanted to build a genuinely accessible collection of NFTs that are truly unique to LFC, and simply provide fans with an opportunity to explore this new and emerging topic,” said Drew Crisp, Liverpool FC’s Senior Vice President of Digital. “Most importantly, we want to give fans the option to buy one while still supporting the wonderful work of the LFC Foundation.”

From March 30 to April 1, Sotheby’s Metaverse NFT marketplace hosted the limited-edition LFC Heroes Club sale and the Legendary 1/1 auction. Fifty percent of all Legendary profits, ten percent of all Hero profits, and ten percent of all future resale royalties will go to the LFC Foundation.

4. AC Milan

AC Milan

AC Milan has partnered with BitMEX and FanSea to launch a new NFT concept. The Rossoneri have released a special South Sudanese-themed 3D NFT of their home jersey. Donations to the NPO’s charitable endeavors around the world, such as its efforts to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe in war-torn Ukraine, will be used to support these efforts.

75,817 pieces of digital memorabilia can be purchased starting on April 14th. Launching the platform’s app version within two weeks of the 3D NFT will allow users to access the feature

An AC Milan shirt from a South Sudanese boy that ended up in a Milan museum inspired the design of the limited-edition NFT. Jan Grarup, a Danish photographer visiting South Sudan to document the effects of floods there, came across the unusual shirt.

For the first 10,000 fans who pre-order the NFT, BitMEX, the official trading partner of AC Milan, has agreed to donate money to Fondazione Milan in exchange for their purchase of a large number of the limited-edition NFT. This donation will go toward the project’s goal of raising $100,000.

5. Manchester City

Manchester City

We will soon be seeing a virtual recreation of Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. Fans around the world can now visit Manchester City FC’s Etihad Stadium via their avatars, thanks to a collaboration between the Premier League champions’ home stadium and Sony.

With this demonstration of the concept, Sony hopes to establish a presence in the areas where it believes consumers will eventually congregate in large numbers. Sony already has a significant stake in sports, as well as music, video games, and other forms of entertainment.

Sony is working hard to digitally map every area of Etihad Stadium to recreate it in virtual worlds where fans’ digital avatars will be able to inhabit. The partnership is expected to last three years.

6. Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain

To establish a presence in the Metaverse, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has applied for a new trademark. NFT and Metaverse products and services were trademarked on March 16 by the French behemoths.

Multimedia assets such as text, audio, and video (as well as virtual clothing and sports gear), electronics, and cryptocurrency wallet software are included in the trademark application.

Protecting the brand as it grows into the Metaverse calls for this filing. PSG is drafting a trademark for the virtual economy that will eventually rule the Metaverse.

7. FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona

Football clubs are adopting new technology at an increasing rate, and Barcelona has joined the trend. President Joan Laporta announced the club’s plans to create their cryptocurrency, NFTs, and the metaverse so that they can “survive” against the sport’s most elite.

Similar offers have been turned down by Barcelona, which prefers to develop its digital currency and metaverse in-house as it does with its footballers.

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Laporta said, “We’re building our metaverse, so we rejected the opportunity to be linked with any cryptocurrency enterprises.”

There will be no help for us if we want to create our cryptocurrency. Because of our dependence on the sports industry, we are a one-of-a-kind organization.

No large corporations or shareholders are involved in our organization. As a result, we’re forced to be innovative, creative, and fearless in a variety of ways in the sports industry.

8. Rangers FC

Rangers FC

It was announced in June 2021 that Animoca Brands and Queens Park Rangers Football Club would work together to create and launch NFTs based on the well-known English soccer team.

As part of the collaboration agreement signed between Animoca and the QPR Holdings Limited company, the company has been granted a worldwide license to create and publish NFT for Queen Park Rangers Football Club.

Yat Siu, the chairman, and co-founder of Animoca Brands said:

“When it comes to Queens Park Rangers, we’re ecstatic about the prospect of working together and looking forward to expanding our options for the club’s fans.”

9. Juventus

Juventus

An NFT was released by Juventus in June 2021 and three NFTs were dropped on their team shirts.

In the first NFT, a replica of the team’s 2021-22 home shirt goes up for auction. The shirt will bear the signatures of the current members of the team.

The theme of this year’s NFT commemorates ten years since the opening of Juventus F.C.’s Allianz Stadium. In addition, the NFT honors the team’s best players.

Conclusion

Football clubs and leagues around the world are following suit with a metaverse presence as the metaverse’s popularity grows. It is, however, of the belief that many sports clubs will soon join the bandwagon to bring virtual reality to the home of all fans.