SL Benfica and Sorare sign partnership

Sport Lisboa e Benfica and Sorare announce, on January 12,a multi-year partnership that sees the fantasy sports game leveraging non-fungible tokens become the Club’s Official NFT Partner, joining SL Benfica roster of Official Partners.

The long-term deal will see Sorare become a global, exclusive partner of SL Benfica, with the pair collaborating on multimedia fan content and releasing new unique experiences for SL Benfica fans and Sorare’s managers.

Fans, collectors and players from across the globe will now be able to collect, play and win with digital cards from SL Benfica, home to iconic clubs and star players who will be available as digital cards on the Sorare game from the 2022/23 season.

The partnership will also provide enhanced opportunities for Sport Lisboa e Benfica - the club with the most titles in the domestic league - to engage new fans across the globe through Sorare, which has users in 180 countries, and benefit from novel revenue streams granted through new licensing categories.

Sorare combines a free-to-play fantasy game with digital collectibles - underpinned by non-fungible technology to create digital scarcity for each card - to bring fans closer to the game they love. Sports collectibles have long helped fans celebrate their love of football, and with Sorare they can now experience a new world of online fandom where they can own and manage cards of their favorite players and hone their passion for the game.

Miguel Bento, CMO of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, said: "It’s a great honor to sign this partnership with Sorare, a distinctive value brand in the sports entertaining global arena and be able to come even closer to our fans around the world. We have been successfully working with Sorare since 2019, and we are very proud of the vision we have shared ever since, when we were the first club to join forces with Sorare and, together, pioneer new ways of getting nearby our fans. This long-term deal will enhance our commitment with innovation and new technology routes that Benfica, as one of the most historical clubs in the world, is proud to offer to his millions of supporters and football fans worldwide through high quality NFT experiences."

The partnership is the latest in a series of major milestones for Sorare as it experiences phenomenal global growth and demand for its unique sports entertainment offering, which now has over 3 million users worldwide and 300 partnering sports organizations - including LaLiga, the Bundesliga and Serie A - as well as partnerships with world-class athletes such as Kylian Mbappé and Serena Willams.

Michael Meltzer, Head of Business Development of Sorare, said: "SL Benfica is one of the world’s most iconic and prestigious clubs; a footballing juggernaut with unparalleled history and one of the largest and most passionate fan bases in the sport. We’re beyond excited to expand our partnership with such a historic club that is just as committed to innovating to bring authentic experiences to their fans as we are. Thanks to this exclusive deal, fans from across the globe will be able to use Sorare to get even closer to the team they love and players such as Otamendi, João Mário and Enzo Fernández."