NFT REVIEW Fantasy United: Man United’s Web3 Game Powered by Tezos

Manchester United is the first to launch player trading cards and the Fantasy United game for the 2024/25 season on Tezos Blockchain. Fans can collect cards featuring first-team players, build squads and compete in a Web3 fantasy football game.

New Player Trading Cards

‘Fantasy United’ contains cards of all first-team players from the men’s squad, available in Classic, Rare, and Ultra-Rare editions. Each card is uniquely hand-drawn and updates with real-time stats throughout the season. These are available for purchase in packs of seven for £3 each.

This includes an opportunity to collect all members of Erik ten Hag’s senior squad, including new summer signings Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro.

Not only can fans collect these cards, but by housing Player Trading Cards, they will bring to life a five-man squad within the Fantasy United game. It will be the first-ever web3 fantasy football game developed for a Premier League club using Tezos.

In Fantasy United, fans will be able to compete with friends through mini-leagues. Finally, points shall be accrued for real-life performances of Manchester United players: goals, assists, tackles, and saves.

It all kicks off on the same day as Manchester United’s Premier League opener against Fulham on 16 August. Throughout the season it will bring tips on the most selected players and strategies put into action by United legends and fantasy football experts. The fans could also have the chance to compete directly against former Manchester United players in the Legends leagues.

Early Access and Community Engagement

Devil-holders—an allowance for owners of the club’s original digital collection—can access Player Trading Cards, which started on Monday. From 31 July, all fans will be able to collect the cards. Earlier, Manchester United and the Tezos Ecosystem joined forces to launch ‘The Devils’, a collection in 2022 that sold out in record time.

Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, it has provided free, uniquely designed digital collectibles to fans attending men’s and women’s home matches – with over 750,000 claimed. The activations have built a community of nearly 100,000 members inside the club’s Discord channel, where fans are able to interact with one another, receive notifications of new drops and participate in live town halls and Q&As with the club.

Ronan Joyce, director of digital innovation at Manchester United, commented, “Player Trading Cards allow United fans to collect the whole men’s first team squad, see those collectibles evolve throughout the season, and play those cards in an exciting fantasy football game. Joyce added, “It’s a club-first that adds drama and excitement to watching the Reds at Old Trafford and on the road.”

Finally, the announcement states that Manchester United’s officially licensed Digital Collectibles are a type of cryptoasset for use as collectible items rather than investments.

Editor’s note: Written with the assistance of AI – Edited and fact-checked by Jason Newey.