Sports Blockchain Projects Shift Focus Beyond NFTs to Practical Applications
Sports blockchain projects are evolving beyond NFTs and fan tokens to focus on practical applications such as fan engagement, ticketing, digital collectibles, tokenized assets, fitness rewards, and SportFi infrastructure. Five key players in this space are Chiliz, Atleta Network, FIFA Blockchain/FIFA Collect, Sorare, and STEPN.
Chiliz has established itself as a leader in fan tokens and SportFi with over 70 official partners and more than 2 million users on its platform. Its expansion into regulated tokenized equity offerings is also noteworthy. However, it faces risks related to fan-token demand, partner participation, regulation, and speculative trading.
Atleta Network is building a multi-layer blockchain infrastructure for sports applications, with an EVM-compatible mainnet launched in beta in August 2025. Its focus on sports development grants and staking mechanisms holds promise, but early-stage execution risks are high.