EA SPORTS FC™ Mobile Partners With MLS and Apple TV & FIFA Selects Avalanche to Power Its FIFA Blockchain for Football’s Web3 Future
For the first time in EA SPORTS history, EA SPORTS FC Mobile went beyond play to feature match broadcasts live in-game on May 10 and 17
Our Take:
While sports leagues are chasing Gen Z on social media, MLS just walked into the “game” itself. Similar to NASCAR in Roblox, the NFL in Fortnite, and other similar collaborations, the MLS is featured in EA SPORTS FC. At first glance, this might seem like a limited-time content crossover.
But in a (not so) subtle manner, it is actually part of a much broader vision - one that potentially brings together gaming, broadcasting, and digital subscriptions in a way that speaks volumes about where fan engagement is headed.
For EA SPORTS, this move signals a shift in how they see their mobile platform as more than just a game, but as a high-frequency touchpoint where live content, product discovery, and brand interactions can all happen in a single environment. By embedding real-world MLS matches within the game, they’re turning FC Mobile into more than a place to simulate football. It’s becoming a channel to experience it live, and crucially, an avenue for audiences/fans to act on that experience. A clear example: users watching matches in-game will be prompted to sign up for the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV directly from the app. That kind of conversion pathway, from passive viewership to paid subscription, represents an innovative means to activate fans digitally.
For MLS, this is a natural extension of the league’s ongoing push to build a global presence across digital-first platforms. Having already partnered with Apple for its centralised global distribution, and experimenting with emerging technologies like multilingual dubbing (CAMB.AI) and entering into a global distribution agreement with One Football, this latest move reflects a consistent approach: meet fans where they already
EA Sports FC is the highest-selling sports video game franchise in history with 325 M+ copies sold. It has been a cultural touchstone for global sports fans for decades. The average age of traditional TV sports viewers is creeping upward (MLB: 57, NFL: 50,
The broader trend points to a growing convergence between media, products, and cross-promotion. This is a prime example of how sports properties, gaming platforms, and streamers are collaborating to blur the lines between content, commerce, and the platform itself. Watching a match, playing a game, and subscribing to a season pass are no longer separate actions; they’re becoming part of one unified, layered experience.
For what it’s worth, this move enforces the importance of building a thorough engagement infrastructure for rights holders. The focus is shifting away from chasing eyeballs toward designing fan journeys, journeys that are contextual, platform-native, measurable, and often terminate with concrete conversions. A key factor in this shift is the MLS’s global agreement with Apple, a deal that enables seamless international initiatives like these.
If MLS had pursued regional or territory-specific agreements instead, the logistics would have been far more complex and limiting. When done well, these collaborations don’t just boost visibility; they open up new models for how rights can be activated, how audiences can be converted, and how digital touchpoints can become part of the product ecosystem itself and, more importantly, part of the digital life.
FIFA Selects Avalanche to Power Its FIFA Blockchain for Football’s Web3 Future
The world football governing body is launching its own blockchain, powered by Avalanche
Our Take:
FIFA has announced the launch of its own proprietary blockchain, developed in partnership with Avalanche. This new network will serve as the foundation for FIFA's Web3 ambitions going forward, starting with the migration of its FIFA+ Collect digital collectables and laying the groundwork for what it calls “new product features, performance improvements, and long-term growth.”
Historically, FIFA’s commercial strategy has been built on partnerships with established blockchain platforms like Algorand and Polygon. Now, FIFA is taking infrastructure into its own hands. From a technical standpoint, the cost of launching enterprise-grade blockchains has decreased significantly in recent years, and other industries, including finance, gaming, and cryptocurrency, are increasingly developing their networks to better control data flows, fees, and interoperability.
But FIFA is not a crypto-native company. It is a federation that has built its business model primarily through licensing and sponsorship, leveraging the scale and scarcity of its World Cup cycle. And that’s where the tension lies. Because while building a blockchain is now relatively affordable, building an ecosystem that sustains and benefits from that blockchain is another challenge.
FIFA’s intent appears largely commercial. By owning the infrastructure, it can theoretically reduce fees and create new monetisation pathways. However, that only works if the platform attracts developers, partners, and users who actively participate in and conduct transactions on the network. This is where federations, unlike clubs or leagues with daily fan touchpoints, face a tougher path. FIFA isn’t a club or an athlete that people follow weekly; it’s a governing body that becomes culturally relevant only once every four years. That creates an uphill battle in terms of community engagement and platform stickiness, especially in a Web3 landscape where ecosystems thrive on high-frequency interaction.
Still, there’s a version of this that could work. The true opportunity for FIFA might lie in using blockchain as a modernisation layer rather than a monetisation one. There’s real potential in applying this technology to streamline governance, bring transparency to player transfers and agent representation, or create trusted on-chain credentials for clubs, scouts, and federations.
These use cases may not be flashy, but they’re deeply needed. FIFA’s own operations - from the Transfer Matching System to youth player validation - are complex, opaque, and at times outdated. Blockchain could bring speed, accountability, and reliability to those processes. But it requires a shift in mindset: from revenue driver to infrastructure enabler.
At LaSource, we often advise sports organisations to differentiate between tech adoption and tech ownership. Not every rights holder needs to run its own infrastructure. In many cases, partnering with the right players - whether it's platforms, marketplaces, or technology providers, can create more sustainable value with lower risk. And when ownership is the goal, it should serve a clear strategic function: to enhance governance, streamline operations, or build long-term data assets, not just to adopt a market trend.
FIFA’s blockchain move seems ambitious at the outset. The real opportunity here isn’t just about creating a new layer of digital rights, but about rethinking how football operates in a digital age. If FIFA can align this project with the real frictions and inefficiencies that plague global football operations and resist the urge to chase speculative gains, then this could be a meaningful step forward. If not, it risks becoming yet another Web3 initiative that looked good on a roadmap but lacked the traction to deliver real value.