Manchester United launch Web 3.0 fantasy football game

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Image credit: mooinblack / Shutterstock.com

Manchester United has introduced its unique take on fantasy football with the combined launch of Fantasy United and Player Trading Cards, in collaboration with their partner and blockchain network, Tezos.

The new fantasy football game works by users purchasing packs that cost £3 (AUD $6) with seven Playing Trading Cards. This allows Fantasy United players to own the Manchester United squad as digital collectibles, where they can build a five-man squad to earn points.

The Player Trading Cards will collect points across all competitions and will be based on the real-life performances of the selected players such as goals, assists, tackles and saves.

Some of the rewards for winning United’s newest fantasy football game include:

  • A once-in-a-lifetime VIP experience
  • Physical 24/25 Player Trading Cards
  • Merchandise signed by Manchester United players

Director of Digital Innovation at Manchester United, Ronan Joyce, said about the launch of the club’s new fantasy football game:

“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,” Joyce said in a media release on the club’s website.

“It’s a club-first, it means you can compete against your mates all year long, and it adds even more drama and excitement to watching the Reds at Old Trafford and on the road this season.”

Head of Culture at Trilitech, Tezos R&D Hub, Sunil Singhvi added about the new Web3 fantasy football game:

“Player Trading Cards and Fantasy United is an innovative use of blockchain technology to enable United fans to have a deeper connection with their favourite club. Through dynamically updating collectibles, supporters will be able to cheer on their heroes and watch how the season develops,” Singhvi said in a media release on the club’s website.

“Meanwhile, they will be able to showcase their managerial prowess by selecting their squad in Fantasy United. Developed by our in-house team, it’s a fun and interactive way for fans to get closer to the game and the players of Manchester United.”

The Tezos Ecosystem and Manchester United have launched previously launched campaigns such as ‘The Devils’, the club’s original digital collection released in 2022 featuring a magnitude of unique characters inspired by the club’s history.

With Web 3.0 technology making some waves around Australia despite its controversies, a new fantasy football game involving this type of technology could potentially prove to be an interesting way to entice Australian Football fans as it’s never been done before.

However, it remains to be seen whether United fans are genuinely interested in spending money to build a competitive virtual squad. But by the season’s end, it will show whether other teams and sporting organisations, like the A-Leagues, will venture into something like Fantasy United and utilise Web 3.0 technology.

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SBS confirms exclusive Australian rights to 2030 FIFA World Cup

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Editorial credit: kovop

SBS has officially secured the exclusive Australian broadcast rights to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, meaning Australians will again be able to watch all 104 matches of the tournament live and free. The network will carry the tournament across television, video and radio and, as with 2026, all games will be streamed via SBS On Demand. 

The agreement was confirmed on 1 September, and will see the long-running partnership between the broadcaster and FIFA extend to 44 years. SBS first broadcast the World Cup 1986, when Argentina won the tournament in Mexico.

SBS Managing Director Jane Palfreyman said the World Cup remained central to the broadcaster’s role in Australian football, bringing Australians together across cultures, languages and communities.

The new deal follows a strong 2026 edition. More than 18 million Australians watched the coverage, while SBS also recorded more than 209 million hours of consumption across its World Cup content. Approximately 55 per cent of this consumption came via digital platforms. SBS offered full matches alongside shorter ‘mini match’ recaps through SBS On Demand.

First reporting that SBS and FIFA had extended their partnership emerged in July, although had remained unconfirmed until this point.

The latest announcement confirms that reporting. The earlier report also highlighted the importance of the deal for Australian football fans. SBS would retain a free-to-air pathway to every World Cup match. The deal also gives certainty around one of the biggest sporting properties in the world. This is particularly relevant as FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino come under increased pressure.

The 2022 edition saw FIFA increase its valuation over broadcast rights, with key markets such as China having a price tag of $349 million ($250 million USD) from the governing body. For Australian football, the significance goes beyond the tournament itself.

The World Cup remains one of the sport’s biggest drivers of mainstream attention. Keeping every match live and free gives Australian fans continued access to the competition without a subscription barrier.

Europe Is Packing Out Stadiums – Is Australia Missing the Bigger Picture?

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Image credit: Maciej Rogowski

More than 60 million fans attended matches across Europe’s five major domestic leagues during the 2025/26 season, with average attendances rising 2.4 per cent to 34,402 spectators per game.

On the surface, the figures paint a picture of a healthy ecosystem. Stadiums are fuller than ever, supporters continue to attend in large numbers and live football remains one of the most compelling entertainment products in the world.

But headline crowd figures only tell part of the story.

The more revealing measure is stadium utilisation how much of a venue’s capacity is actually being filled and the structural factors influencing those numbers.

For clubs, higher attendances don’t simply mean more ticket sales. Every additional supporter creates revenue opportunities across hospitality, food and beverage, merchandise and memberships. Modern stadiums are increasingly designed to maximise revenue per visitor, making infrastructure investment as much a commercial decision as a football one.

Attendance growth needs context

In Germany, the Bundesliga reclaimed its position as Europe’s best-attended league, averaging more than 42,300 spectators per match following a 9.4 per cent increase on last year’s figures.

However, much of that growth was driven by the return of traditional powerhouses Hamburger SV and 1. FC Köln. Both clubs continued to attract crowds of more than 50,000 despite spending recent seasons in the second division.

Their promotion didn’t suddenly create new supporters.

It returned two of German football’s biggest fan bases to the top flight, demonstrating how promotion and relegation can significantly influence league-wide attendance trends.

Everton shows how new stadiums can unlock demand

While the Premier League recorded another increase in average attendance, much of that growth can be traced to Everton’s move into the new Hill Dickinson Stadium. The larger venue added almost 13,000 spectators per home match compared with Goodison Park, accounting for more than half of the league’s overall attendance growth during the season.

Rather than generating new demand, the project unlocked demand that already existed.

That distinction matters.

Attendance should be viewed alongside stadium utilisation because many clubs have effectively reached capacity.

A stadium averaging 98 per cent capacity tells a very different story to one averaging 60 per cent, even if the latter attracts more spectators overall.

High utilisation suggests strong demand, pricing power and a compelling matchday experience, while lower utilisation can indicate untapped potential or a venue unfit for its market.

Capacity is becoming a strategic issue

In competitions where grounds are regularly close to full, future growth will depend less on attracting new supporters and more on expanding or redeveloping stadiums.

Elsewhere, the opportunity lies in making better use of existing capacity.

Spain illustrates how infrastructure can also temporarily suppress attendances. Barcelona’s continued absence from the Spotify Camp Nou during its redevelopment has limited crowd numbers despite strong demand.

Real Madrid’s renovated Santiago Bernabéu, meanwhile, demonstrates how modern stadium investment can increase not only capacity but also commercial revenue through premium hospitality.

League structures also shape attendance trends

Ligue 1’s growth over recent seasons has coincided with its reduction from 20 clubs to 18, concentrating a greater number of well-supported clubs within the competition and lifting average attendances as a result.

Stadium investment, league composition, promotion and relegation, and long-term supporter culture all play a role.

Taken together, the figures suggest that attendance growth is rarely driven by a single factor.

The lesson for Australian football

Crowd figures are often viewed as the primary indicator of a league’s health, but European football demonstrates that context matters just as much as the headline number.

The recent Australia Cup fixture between South Melbourne and Preston Lions provides a good local example. While the official attendance was 6,673, the packed grandstands, active supporter groups and television presentation created an atmosphere that felt far larger than the raw figure suggested.

It was a reminder that fan engagement, venue utilisation and matchday experience can often say more about the health of a competition than attendance alone.

A sold-out 15,000-seat stadium may indicate stronger demand than a half-full 30,000-seat venue, while investment in infrastructure can unlock thousands of additional supporters without changing underlying interest in the game itself.

As clubs continue to invest in new stadiums and redevelop existing venues, attendance should increasingly be measured not simply by how many people are watching, but by how effectively football is meeting supporter demand.

The crowds may be rising, but the real story is why.

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