PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Upland, a platform for the metaverse mapped to the real world, and FC Porto, Portugal’s 2022 Primeira Liga Champions, announced today a strategic agreement to launch European football in Upland. As the first Portuguese football club to bring the roar of the stadium into the metaverse, FC Porto is pioneering fan engagement and empowering the communities of FC Porto and Upland to participate in new types of value creation and experiences. With this agreement, the two partners are joining forces to build the future of fandom in the metaverse.
The introduction of FC Porto to Upland includes opening the city of Porto with NFT properties mapped to their real world addresses that fans can purchase; the construction of FC Porto’s Estádio do Dragão (Dragon Stadium); and the launch of the first suite of NFTs of a European football club. Unique to Upland, fans can collect common and rare NFTs via fun and engaging game mechanics and offer their NFTs in player-owned and operated shops located on their virtual properties throughout the metaverse. The first phase of the FC Porto rollout in Upland will happen during the 2022/23 season.
"We’re thrilled to welcome FC Porto as the first European football club to join the Upland metaverse," said Dirk Lueth, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Upland. "European football is a way of life - it’s something you eat, sleep, and breathe - and for Portistas (FC Porto fans), being able to bring that passion with them to the metaverse is an unparalleled opportunity to deepen that fandom. With Upland, we are taking fans beyond transaction-centric NFT marketplaces into an activity-driven metaverse experience that engages them with the team and football players they love."
“Upland is designed to give football fans more to do with their NFTs. Because FC Porto thinks and executes so strongly around innovative products, we can fully realize the functionality and utility of Legits - what our community calls NFTs - and empower users to enjoy unique experiences that support and demonstrate their fandom in completely new ways,” said Idan Zuckerman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Upland. “Upland and FC Porto couldn’t be a better match. Porto is an incredibly innovative team and we’re excited to help them to engage with their fans in the metaverse.”
“To say this is just another way we’re engaging with fans is an understatement,” Tiago Gouveia, Marketing Director for FC Porto said. “Being the first soccer club in the world to establish itself with its city, stadium, players, and fans in the metaverse catapults our brand to the cutting edge in this arena. We’re always on the look out for new opportunities and we won’t let the metaverse pass us by. This partnership is proof of that.”
“FC Porto’s international growth is made on many levels - and to think of the metaverse of the future is a mistake. It’s knocking at our door and we want to be on the right side of history,” Pedro Albuquerque, Head of International at FC Porto added. “This new opportunity is exciting, especially as we’re the first in the entire soccer world, and I believe will bring our fans unique opportunities for interaction, literally creating a new world filled with Portismo!”
Upland is available to download for free on iOS, Android and the web, and can be played from anywhere in the world.
ABOUT UPLAND
Upland (https://upland.me/) is an open web3 platform mapped to the real world. The company’s mission is to build community through a strong entrepreneur economy that allows players, developers, and brands to manufacture goods and experiences, monetize assets, and build utility into NFTs through fun earn-based activities. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with hubs in Las Vegas, Ukraine, and Brazil, Upland was named among Fast Company’s “Next Big Things in Tech” in 2021 and one of “22 San Francisco Startups To Watch in 2022” by Built In SF. Upland is committed to becoming carbon negative and is a proud partner of Carbonfuture. For more information about our sustainability commitment visit https://www.upland.me/sustainability. Upland is available on iOS, Android and the Web, and can be played from anywhere in the world.
ABOUT FC PORTO
Founded on September 28th of 1893, FC Porto hasn’t stopped growing since. At its core is the practice of football, but today, the club is multidisciplinary. With 7 international titles, including two UEFA Champions League, FC Porto is the most internationally successful Portuguese club, with an impressive count of domestic titles: 30 national championships, 18 Portuguese Cups and 22 Supercups. The Estádio do Dragão, inaugurated in 2003, is the home of FC Porto and has a capacity of 50,000 fans. The club has been led by the most titled President in the world of football, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, since 1982.
