Visa and Crypto.com fuse football, art, and NFTs for fan experience ahead of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Visa (V: NYSE), the exclusive payment services partner of FIFA, today unveiled Visa Masters of Movement, a first-of its-kind hybrid experience featuring a pre-event NFT auction and immersive activation for fans at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The Visa Masters of Movement auction features digital art inspired by iconic goals from five legendary footballers that have been minted into unique NFTs, available now on Crypto.com. Later this month, the Visa Masters of Movement experience will come to life on an interactive pitch at the FIFA Fan Festival in Doha, Qatar and will allow fans to create digital art inspired by their own signature movements.  Eligible fans will have the option to mint this digital art into their own NFT in partnership with Crypto.com, the official cryptocurrency trading platform sponsor of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

“Visa Masters of Movement is a unique recreation of the experience of seeing iconic movements in digital art form. What we want to show is that the Visa network enables fluid and seamless movement of money around the world, just as the best football players move across the pitch,” said Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Visa’s Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for the GCC at Visa. “As the world comes together to celebrate FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Visa is proud to partner with Crypto.com to uplift the local communities by supporting Street Child United. We believe that when everyone is included, everyone wins.”

Akshay Chopra, Vice President and Head of Innovation & Design at Visa Central Europe, Middle East and Africa, added: “Now at the center of payments conversations globally, NFTs have given new impetus for the creator economy, particularly in art and sports. As the region that minted Visa’s first NFT globally, we are delighted that the Masters of Movement NFTs are being launched at our CEMEA Innovation Center, and excited to be able to share this amazing experience with everyone, everywhere.”

Bid Now on Crypto.com

Starting today (12:00pm GMT) through November 8 (9:00pm GMT), football fans can bid on the Visa Masters of Movement NFTs on Crypto.com. The auction brings together five unique works of art inspired by iconic FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup goals from legendary footballers: Jared Borgetti, Tim Cahill, Carli Lloyd, Michael Owen and Maxi Rodriguez minted into NFTs. The digital artwork was designed using an algorithm by award-winning XK Studios which transformed the iconic movements into dynamic works of art.

A unique collector’s item, fans with the highest bid for each NFT at the close of the auction will receive the NFT in their Crypto.com wallet along with a high-quality printable art file and signed memorabilia from the legendary player featured in the NFT. Visa will grant all auction proceeds to Street Child United, a charitable organization incorporated and operating in the United Kingdom, whose mission is to tackle the widespread stigma that street-connected children face globally.

“We are thrilled to partner with Visa to give fans a new way to engage with and experience the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 while benefiting Street Child United,” said Stuart Isted, General Manager, Middle East and Africa at Crypto.com. “it’s an honor to partner with such iconic global brands and football legends to bring the game to life through art.”

Legendary Australian footballer Tim Cahill said: “In Visa Masters of Movement, the players are artists, and the playing field is their canvas. It’s amazing to see the way that one of my most memorable goals has been transformed into digital art and then minted into an NFT. I think that the community focus of the auction is even more impressive, with all proceeds benefitting Street Child United. I could not be prouder to be a part of this and to work with brands like Visa and Crypto.com that create such unique opportunities to give back to the community.”

Fans Become Artists at FIFA Fan Festival

At the centre of the FIFA Fan Festival in Doha (November 19-December 18), Visa invites thousands of fans to create their own legendary moves in the free-standing Visa Masters of Movement space. Fans step onto a digital LED pitch outfitted with tracking technology to capture and transform their iconic movements into digital art.  Beyond taking a shot at a goal or showing off their skills while playing with other fans to create the personalised dynamic artwork, fans will choose the colour scheme based on favourite national colours. Digital art will be emailed as a souvenir and eligible fans can also choose to receive the digital art minted as a one-of-a-kind NFT.

Throughout the immersive Visa Masters of Movement experience, fans can learn about new ways Visa is enabling the movement of money across the world, including emerging technologies like crypto, and other digital solutions that provide more people with access to the global economy.

Visa has been FIFA’s Official Payment Service Partner since 2007. As a global supporter of both men’s and women’s football around the world, Visa aims to offer experiences that bring people closer to the action, whether they are among the 1 million people anticipated in Qatar or the 5 billion viewers expected worldwide for this year’s tournament. Always anticipating the next move in payments, Visa provides the latest in payments innovations at official FIFA venues and seeks ways to further its commitment to uplift lives through the power of sport through programs such as Financial Football, a video game that combines entertainment and education in an action-packed virtual football tournament.

For more information, please visit  Visa Masters of Movement and watch for additional FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 news and activities on Visa.com.