Football in the Metaverse: A Strategic Playbook for Navigating Emerging Technologies

Gerrit Heidemann () and Sascha L. Schmidt ()
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Gerrit Heidemann: WHU—Otto Beisheim School of Management, Center for Sports and Management
Sascha L. Schmidt: WHU—Otto Beisheim School of Management, Center for Sports and Management

A chapter in Diversify or Die, 2026, pp 115-133 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter examines how professional football clubs (PFCs) are leveraging metaverse technologies to drive business diversification, deepen fan engagement, and unlock new revenue streams. The authors identify four key clusters of metaverse initiatives: virtual stadiums, metaverse broadcasting, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and fan engagement ecosystems, and gaming. While most efforts remain anchored in football’s core business, the metaverse offers PFCs a platform for broader diversification beyond traditional operations. Drawing on expert survey data, the authors present a playbook guiding clubs through this evolving landscape. In the short term, they recommend reactive market orientation and exploitation-focused capabilities to seize existing opportunities. Looking ahead to 2030, they advocate for an ambidextrous approach that balances exploitation with exploration to stay competitive in a dynamic phygital economy. Potential future scenarios include ventures into virtual entertainment, wellness tech, education, virtual real estate, and corporate metaverse solutions. The chapter concludes that by cultivating ambidexterity, PFCs can position themselves at the forefront of metaverse innovation while expanding into adjacent and unrelated business domains.

Keywords: Professional football clubs; Diversification; Metaverse; New technologies; Dynamic capabilities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-08538-2_8

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