Digital assets are increasingly becoming a mainstream part of global football, with crypto sponsorship spending in the sport reaching $565 million in the 2024/25 season, according to a recent report by B2Binpay.
That figure represents a 20% year-on-year increase and mirrors the broader adoption of decentralized finance (DeFi) and digital assets, with DeFi’s total value locked (TVL) rising to $164 billion today from $61 billion in January 2024. Meanwhile, sports tokens – many of which are linked to football clubs – boast a collective market capitalization of $1.42 billion, according to CoinGecko.
“Since the 2020–2021 hype cycle, crypto’s role in sports has been slowly shifting from short-term buzz to long-term, practical partnerships that focus on blockchain technology’s real benefits,” Andrea Morando, Director of Partnerships at Chiliz, a sports-focused blockchain, said in comments shared with The Defiant.
The report highlights several factors driving the link between sports and crypto, including faster payments for player transfers and salaries, fan tokens, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and blockchain-based games that let fans participate in club governance, earn rewards, and access VIP experiences.
“Both crypto and football are deeply community-driven: crypto’s philosophy is built on decentralization, democratization, and active participation, much like the strong roots culture and global fanbases seen in football,” the report reads. “This intersection makes crypto a natural fit in the football sphere, offering new ways for clubs and fans to engage.”
Growing Adoption
B2Binpay’s findings noted that since 2018, clubs have increasingly integrated crypto into operations. Turkish club Harunustaspor partially paid a player transfer in cryptocurrency, Spanish player David Barral was fully transferred using crypto in 2021, and São Paulo FC completed a $6 million transfer via Circle’s stablecoin, USDC, in 2022.
Bitpanda, a Europe-based cryptoasset platform, recently unveiled a new partnership with Arsenal FC to become the club’s official crypto trading partner. Meanwhile, football’s global governing body FIFA is currently exploring blockchain-based football games and also building its own blockchain – in May, the sports organization revealed it had teamed up with Avalanche to create a Layer 1.
The Defiant also reported in October 2024 that the Association of Football of Argentina (AFA) signed an agreement with Win Investments to help clubs tokenize players’ training rights.
B2Binpay predicts that as crypto becomes more integrated into global finance, its role in sports will continue to expand.
“From early experiments with crypto payments and fan tokens to future trends like blockchain-based games and fan-owned clubs, this partnership is only getting stronger,” the report reads. “Far from being a passing thing, crypto is fast becoming a permanent, exciting part of the future — changing how the sport is played, supported, and experienced around the world.”