Infantino Brushes Off Criticism, Touts FIFA Crypto Empire
FIFA President Gianni Infantino dismissed criticism of the 2026 World Cup as 'consumed by hate' and 'false rumors', despite facing legitimate concerns from teams and the White House.
The tournament has been marred by issues, including visa restrictions for Iran's national team due to US-Iran tensions, and a controversy surrounding a red card given to US player Folarin Balogun.
In a recent appearance, Infantino touted FIFA-branded digital tokens as the future of sports entertainment. In February 2026, he pitched the idea at the World Liberty Forum, and a month later, he spoke about it at the White House Digital Assets Summit.
FIFA already operates an NFT platform called FIFA Collect on the Avalanche blockchain, which has generated over $25 million in sales. However, launching a token would come with significant compliance challenges due to the organization's global reach and the need to navigate dozens of jurisdictions.