Soccer Franchise FC Barcelona Scores World of Women for Upcoming NFT Release

European football franchise FC Barcelona is teaming up with non-fungible token (NFT) collection World of Women to release the second digital collectible in its ten-piece “Masterpiece” collection.

According to a press release, the NFT, titled “Empowerment” is a one-of-one token created by World of Women artist Rhi Madeline. It will be available to purchase via auction on marketplace OpenSea from June 26 to June 28.

The artwork is inspired by Spanish soccer player Alexia Putellas, who helped Barcelona win the semi-final match of the Women’s Champion League game against German team Wolfsburg in April 2022. With almost 92,000 viewers watching the game, the NFT pays tribute to the historic victory for the Spanish football team.

"I’m proud to be part of a club like FC Barcelona, our soccer team and to continue to making history, with this new Masterpiece I have the privilege of being part of and that represents everyone, while also explaining what Barça represents so well,” said Putellas in a press release.

Diana-Luk Ye, Web3 Partnerships and Marketing Manager at World of Women, told CoinDesk that its participation in the Masterpiece collection emphasizes its mission to empower women and non-binary people across the Web3 space and beyond.

“Representation is still an issue that we're trying to fix, and knowing that there's Masterpiece number two, honoring Alexia, there’s all the strength, the resilience, the ambition, all that mindset work that goes into being successful,” said Ye. “It was just a nice extension for us to further support this mission.”

The owner of the Empowerment NFT will also receive a list of FC Barcelona benefits, including an opportunity to meet Putellas and a pair of signed soccer cleats. They’ll also receive a physical chair from Barcelona Stadium Spotify Camp Nou, with a signed portrait of Putellas by artist Oscar Tusquets.

"We need to empower girls and women in both the world of sports and technology," director of research at FC Barcelona Jordi Mompart told CoinDesk. "World of Women and FC Barcelona are the perfect combination to achieve this goal."

In 2022, FC Barcelona announced its first NFT in the Masterpiece collection, “In a Way, Immortal,” inspired by the late football player Johann Cruyff to honor the club’s history and pay tribute to its many players and fans. Auction house Sotheby’s purchased the NFT for nearly $700,000 following its release.