Matchday, a Web3 gaming startup focused on soccer, has raised $21 million in seed funding to develop a suite of games. The funding round was backed by Lionel Messi’s venture capital firm, Play Time, along with Courtside Ventures, Greylock, HackVC, Capricorn Investment Group, and Horizons Ventures.
Matchday’s founding global ambassador is Spanish soccer star Alexia Putellas. The startup plans to create a range of games that will allow soccer fans to engage with the sport in new and innovative ways.
Lionel Messi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and recently led Argentina’s national team to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has already made a number of moves in the NFT world. He is a brand ambassador for prominent NFT fantasy soccer game Sorare, as well as fan token platform Socios. Messi invested in Sorare and signed a $20 million endorsement deal with Socios.
Matchday’s funding round is the latest example of the growing interest in Web3 gaming and NFTs. As more athletes and celebrities get involved in the space, it’s likely that we’ll see even more innovation and investment in the coming months and years.
