Celtic today joined Sorare, the global fantasy sports game, to launch online cards for its players within the Sorare platform.

The partnership means that fans, collectors and fantasy football players globally will now be able to collect, play and trade with digital cards of Celtic’s players on the Sorare platform, including captain Callum McGregor, striker Kyogo Furuhashi and current longest-serving player, James Forrest.

The exclusive, multi-year collaboration is Celtic’s first in the NFT space, and by partnering with Sorare, Celtic will be able to bolster its international brand and engage new audiences of fans and gamers across every continent, including fast-growing markets in Asia and the Americas.

Partnering with Sorare will also unlock new revenue streams via the game licensing of non-fungible tokens, and Celtic joins a growing list of European clubs who have already launched online cards of their players on the platform including Liverpool, PSG and Real Madrid.

Celtic Commercial Director, Adrian Filby, said: “Today’s partnership is a fantastic opportunity to enhance Celtic fans’ relationship with the club and help them feel closer to their favourite players by giving them a chance to own and play with their online cards in a fantasy game environment every week.#

“Celtic is also constantly identifying new and exciting opportunities to strengthen the club’s international brand and reach and engage Celtic fans from around the world, and we are delighted to be partnering with Sorare to achieve that with their global platform.”

Sorare’s combination of NFT technology with a global fantasy game is the leading next-gen offering within football, backed by stars such as Gerard Piqué, Antoine Griezmann and Rio Ferdinand.

Through NFTs, Sorare is designing a collective and global fantasy football game where you can manage your favourite players, use your favourite moments of the season and hone your passion to earn prizes.

Sorare counts over 1.5million registered users worldwide and has over 240 partnering clubs and 10 partnering leagues, including the SPFL, LaLiga, Bundesliga and Major League Soccer. It aims to onboard the top 20 football leagues globally as part of its ambitious goal to shape the new era of online football fandom and build true connections between fans and players like never before.

Nicolas Julia, CEO and co-founder of Sorare, said: “Sorare’s goal is to build the next sports entertainment powerhouse, and that means partnering with the most iconic and storied football clubs in the world.

“As one of the world’s most decorated and successful teams, Celtic are no exception to this, and we’re thrilled to partner with them and enable fans at home and abroad to collect, trade and play their favourite players from this truly special club.”

Celtic join global fantasy sports game Sorare to launch digital cards of Hoops stars