The soaring success of metaverse mania across industries led the football arena’s OG, and Fifa takes the next world cup to the metaverse. According to its latest crypto trademark application, Fifa has applied for trademarks including — digital + cryptocurrency exchanges, virtual clothing + sports gear, virtual stock trading, and digital + cryptocurrency processing services for the 2026 world cup.
While the world cup 2026 trademark application was filed earlier this month, in April, Fifa also filed trademark applications for the World Cup mascot La’eeb for:
- digital + cryptocurrency exchanges
- virtual clothing, sports equipment, and toys
- digital, virtual, and cryptocurrency processing services
Sports Industry Leads Metaverse Mania
Last year, after driving the NFT frenzy, now the sports sector is diving in head first to grab the best of the metaverse mania. Last September, the leading Spanish soccer top league, LaLiga announced the NFT launch for all its individual players. These NFTs were released as digital cards, which further facilitated trading and acted as in-game currency to play with other members’ tokens.
This year, the sports industry is stepping up from the NFT frenzy, into the metaverse, with industry leaders joining the trend. These brands include — Skechers, which recently leased 5,000-square-feet space equivalent in the blockchain-based virtual world, Decentraland, on the Fashion Street Estate. In light of this, Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers noted that,
“Decentraland agreement is an investment in our future”, further adding that the company looks forward to “embarking on this virtual era, and exploring creative ways to engage with new customers and audiences”.
Even Nike filed seven metaverse trademarks for its Nikeland virtual retail experience. According to CNBC, the brand filed for a trademark of — “Nike”, the famous slogan “Just Do It”, the swoosh logo, along with logos for the “Air Jordan” and “Jumpman”. Additionally, brands like Adidas, Underarmour, Puma, and New Balance have also begun setting up shop in the metaverse.