Manchester United has recently launched “Fantasy United,” the Premier League’s first Web3 fantasy football game, which is built on the Tezos blockchain. This groundbreaking project combines digital collectibles with an interactive fantasy football experience, allowing fans to collect “Player Trading Cards” and build fantasy squads, thereby enhancing fan engagement and modernizing football fandom. The club’s initiative follows a series of successful digital ventures aimed at deepening fan interaction and bringing football fandom into the digital age.
For the 2024/25 season, Manchester United has introduced Player Trading Cards featuring all first-team players from the men’s squad, including new signings Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro. These cards are available in Classic, Rare, and Ultra-Rare editions, featuring hand-drawn artwork and real-time stats updates. 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 strategies employed by United legends and fantasy football experts.
Early access to Player Trading Cards was granted to Devil-holders, owners of the club’s original digital collection, with all other fans now able to begin collecting. Through their digital initiatives, Manchester United has built a community of nearly 100,000 members on their Discord channel, where fans can interact, learn about new drops, and participate in live town halls and Q&As with the club. The partnership between Manchester United and the Tezos Blockchain has significantly increased fan interaction and engagement, setting a new standard for modern football fandom.
The collaboration between Manchester United and the Tezos Blockchain 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. Due to high demand, these digital collectibles sold out within a few days. Sunil Singhvi, Head of Culture at Trilitech, Tezos R&D Hub, highlighted that this initiative allows fans to have a deeper connection with their favorite club by dynamically updating collectibles as the season progresses. Manchester United’s foray into the Web3 space with Fantasy United is part of a larger trend in which football clubs are embracing blockchain technology to connect with fans. For example, Manchester City recently partnered with Quidd to launch Manchester City-themed NFT trading cards, offering fans unique digital memorabilia with special benefits.
This collaboration is part of Manchester City’s broader strategy to engage with the NFT and Web3 spaces, building on previous successful ventures. Last year, fans at men’s and women’s home games could claim free hand-drawn digital collectibles, resulting in over 750,000 claims. Quidd’s partnership with Manchester City is its second with a professional football team, following a similar deal with Newcastle United. Finally, as stated on their website, the Fantasy United game will kick off with Manchester United’s Premier League opener against Fulham on August 16, demonstrating the club’s commitment to leveraging blockchain technology to enhance fan engagement and interaction.
