Chiliz is the blockchain infrastructure for sports and entertainment fan engagement, powering fan tokens for over 150 sports teams including FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Juventus. Founded by Alexandre Dreyfus and launched in 2018, Chiliz created the concept of the ‘Fan Token’ — a branded, club-specific token that gives holders voting rights on club decisions, exclusive rewards, and access to experiences. For example, FC Barcelona’s BAR token lets holders vote on kit design elements, access VIP experiences, and participate in club polls. CHZ is the exchange currency on the Chiliz ecosystem: fans buy CHZ, then use it to purchase team-specific Fan Tokens on the Socios.com platform (Chiliz’s consumer-facing app). The Chiliz Chain (CHZ-powered Layer 2 on Ethereum) powers the tokenisation infrastructure. Chiliz has expanded into sports NFTs, digital collectibles, and a sports-focused DeFi layer. Fan tokens peaked during Euro 2020 and 2022 World Cup periods as sports engagement drove demand. Criticism centres on fan tokens being used as speculative instruments rather than genuine fan engagement tools — UK regulators have scrutinised their marketing to retail investors. Chiliz competes with Sorare (fantasy football NFTs) in the sports blockchain space. The company secured partnerships across football, F1, MMA, basketball, and e-sports.
Example: PSG launches a poll for BAR Fan Token holders: ‘Should the club’s away kit next season be all-white or blue and gold?’ 50,000 token holders vote, with all-white winning. The club follows through. Token holders experience genuine club participation for the first time, creating loyalty among crypto-native fans while giving PSG data on engaged fans willing to spend on digital experiences.
Learn more: Chiliz
