Manchester United, one of the Premier League’s most historical teams, has recently unveiled a new web3 fantasy soccer game called Fantasy United. Alongside this game, the club has introduced a set of collectible NFTs for the upcoming 2024/25 season.
These NFT cards, featuring all first-team male players, are available in Classic, Rare, and Ultra-Rare editions. Throughout the season, they will update in real-time based on the players’ performance metrics, such as goals, assists, tackles, and saves.
In Fantasy United, players can use these cards to create five-man squads, earning points based on the players’ dynamic stats during mini-leagues that run throughout the season, commencing with the Premier League opener against Fulham on August 16th.
Powered by the Tezos blockchain, Fantasy United is an extension of Manchester United’s longstanding partnership with Tezos. The collaboration between the two entities began with the launch of The Devils, a collection of 7,777 NFTs in 2022. While Devils-holders were granted early access to the game, starting from 31st July, the game is open to everyone.
Player packs containing seven cards can be purchased for £3 ($4), or fans can acquire individual cards through Tezos’ secondary marketplace, Objkt.
Manchester United’s director of digital innovation, Ronan Joyce, expressed, “Player Trading Cards allows United fans to collect the whole men’s first team squad, to see those collectibles evolve throughout the season as games are played and goals are scored, and have the ability to play those cards in an exciting fantasy football game.”
Sunil Singhvi, Tezos head of culture at Trilitech, added, “Player Trading Cards and Fantasy United is an innovative use of blockchain technology to enable United fans to have a deeper connection with their favorite club. Through dynamically updating collectibles, supporters will be able to cheer on their heroes and watch how the season develops.”