By Matej PrÅ¡a– Blockchain & Web3 Writer
We are eight years in, but we are just getting started. This is the official deep dive companion to the Chiliz 2030 roadmap. Here, we bridge the gap between the proof of concept era, where we delivered over $700M in revenue to partners and the incoming SportFi revolution. We are moving from engagement to infrastructure, building the rails for a trillion-dollar asset class.
Introduction: The Alpha Was Always in Plain Sight
In 2018, the crypto landscape was a Wild West of ICOs, vaporware, and whitepapers that promised the moon but delivered dust. Amidst that noise, we proposed a thesis that many traditionalists found radical, and many crypto purists found confusing. Fans deserve more than passive consumption.
We bet on the idea that blockchain could bridge the gap between elite sporting organizations and their global communities. We argued that a new digital asset class could bring utility, provenance, and belonging to holders, while simultaneously and let’s not shy away from the economics here, monetizing global fan bases by providing a high velocity revenue stream for clubs.
Fast forward eight years. The thesis isn’t just proven, it’s the standard.
Despite the faltering macro conditions of the broader crypto market, the crypto winter of 2022, and the absence of a perennial altseason, the results of the Chiliz ecosystem speak for themselves. We have delivered over $700M in new income to our sports partners. We saw the Fan Token market cap surge past $1B in 2025. We witnessed daily trading volumes hit $800M. We have over 70 global sporting giants trusting us, from the pitches of Europe to the octagons of the UFC.
But if you think we’re here to pat ourselves on the back for the last eight years, you’re looking at the wrong chart. The Engagement Era was just the warm-up. We are now standing at the precipice of a much larger shift. We are moving from being a fan engagement platform to becoming the financial infrastructure layer for global sports.
Welcome to Chiliz 2030. Welcome to the era of SportFi.
Part I: The Journey (2018–2024)
To understand where we are going, you have to respect the grind it took to get here. In the early days, monetization was a dirty word in sports. Clubs were hesitant. They viewed their IP as sacred, locked in legacy contracts and broadcast deals. They didn’t understand why a fan in Tokyo would want a digital asset connected to a team in Turin.
Phase One of Chiliz (2019–2024) was about shattering that ceiling. It was the Engagement & Scale Phase.
Internally, we called this the “getting the largest teams in the world to trust us” phase. And we did. But beyond the partnerships, we proved a fundamental economic truth which is that emotional connection drives liquidity.
The first Fan Tokens launched in 2019 established that there was genuine, insatiable demand for digital assets related to sports teams. This wasn’t just about governance votes or picking a kit design (though those 6,000+ polls mattered). It was about market sentiment.
What distinguishes Fan Tokens from the altcoin pack is a fundamental shift in market psychology, a phenomenon we call uncorrelated sentiment. While Bitcoin and Ethereum dance to the tune of the Federal Reserve and macro-economic data, Fan Tokens often move to the rhythm of the match whistle. A Champions League final, a major transfer signing, a sudden winning streak, these real-world events create on-chain velocity that is distinct from the broader crypto index.
We built a user base. We built the wallet infrastructure with Socios.com. We built the proof of concept. But as we approach Chiliz’s 8th birthday, we recognize that the engagement narrative is no longer enough to capture the sheer scale of the opportunity in front of us.
The playground is open. It’s time to build the stadium.
Part II: The Shift (2025–2027)
We have officially entered the second stage of our roadmap, focusing exclusively on building out SportFi Infrastructure
What changed? Everything. Regulatory clarity has emerged in key markets (MiCA in Europe, shifts in Brazil and the UK). Institutional capital is no longer just dipping a toe in, they are looking for yield and tokenized real-world assets (RWA).
The debate in our community has often centered on Utility vs. Price Action. We believe this is a false dichotomy. In the traditional equities market, value is derived from utility (dividends, voting rights) and speculation (future growth). Fan Tokens are no different. They are commodities of passion.
In this new phase, our mandate shifts. We are no longer just an app developer, we are a Layer-1 protocol provider for an entire industry. We are building the financial plumbing, the DeFi tools, the lending protocols, the derivatives markets, that will allow sports assets to function like mature financial instruments.
This isn’t just about buying a token to get a discount on a jersey. It’s about:
- Traders using Fan Tokens to hedge against broader market volatility.
- Institutions managing baskets of sports assets based on seasonal performance.
- Degens leveraging prediction markets rooted in on-chain verification.
The goal for 2025-2027 is to solidify the Chiliz Chain as the undisputed global ledger for sports. If it happens in sports, it settles on Chiliz.
Part III: The Three Pillars of Chiliz 2030
To execute this vision, our strategy is built on three massive pillars. Each one addresses a specific bottleneck in the current ecosystem and unlocks a specific tranche of liquidity.
Pillar 1: Fan Tokens – The Next Evolution (Omni-Chain & Gamification)
Fan Tokens are the OG asset class of SportFi. But they need an upgrade to survive the high-velocity world of 2030. We are introducing three major changes to the Fan Token meta.
a) Going Omni-Chain
Liquidity fragmentation is the enemy of price discovery. For too long, Fan Tokens have been somewhat siloed. In Q1 2026, we are tearing down the walls. Through integrations with protocols like LayerZero, Fan Tokens will become omni-chain assets.
Imagine trading a PSG or BAR token on Arbitrum, Solana, or Base, with a settlement anchored on the Chiliz Chain. This exposes Fan Tokens to the massive liquidity pools of the broader DeFi ecosystem, not just those already within the Chiliz orbit. More chains = more distribution = more holders.
b) The US Market Re-Entry
We’ve been quiet in the US for a reason. Regulatory ambiguity made it a minefield. But the winds have shifted. With greater clarity on the horizon and an increasing appetite for digital assets among American sports franchises, 2026 marks our aggressive re-entry into the United States.
The US sports market is the largest in the world. The NFL, NBA, and MLB represent trillions in value. We are preparing to announce the first US Fan Tokens in Q1. This isn’t just a new market, it’s a new paradigm of volume.
Keep your eyes on the horizon this summer. The locker room campaign reaches maturity, triggering the official launch of National Team Fan Tokens on Socios.com. We are timing this liquidity event to capture the massive influx of retail attention during the global tournament. This is a strategic user-acquisition play designed to funnel the next wave of mainstream users on-chain. And given that the action is happening on North American soil… maybe this is the year we finally have to call it soccer.
c) Gamified Tokenomics: The Burn-to-Win Mechanic
This is the alpha you’ve been waiting for. We are linking the tokenomics directly to the pitch.
Until now, token supply was relatively static or governed by standard emission schedules. We are introducing Performance-Linked Supply Mechanics.
- Team Wins? Tokens are burned (supply shock = value accrual).
- Team Loses? Tokens are minted (inflationary pressure).
This gamifies the market itself. It makes the Fan Token a living, breathing derivative of the team’s performance. It creates a perfect synergy with prediction markets, allowing users to take long-horizon positions across multiple teams. It turns every match into a liquidity event.
Pillar 2: Chiliz Chain – The Settlement Layer & The Flywheel
General-purpose chains (L1s like Ethereum or Solana) compete on throughput and generic volume. They are the Internet. Chiliz Chain competes on purpose. We are the Intranet for sports, a specialized, compliance-ready environment optimized for IP rights and high-frequency asset trading.
But a chain is only as valuable as its native token. Enter the $CHZ Flywheel.
The 10% Buyback Protocol
To anchor this new economy, we are overhauling the value accrual system for $CHZ. We are introducing a mechanism where 10% of all Fan Token revenues generated ecosystem-wide are earmarked for perpetual $CHZ buy-backs.
Let’s break down that flywheel:
- Clubs issue tokens/assets or fans trade on-chain.
- Platform fees and revenues are generated.
- 10% of that revenue buys $CHZ off the open market.
- This creates constant buying pressure and scarcity.
- A higher $CHZ price secures the network and attracts more liquidity.
Native DeFi with Kayen
We aren’t building this alone. Kayen is our community-led DeFi infrastructure provider. Kayen is building the DEXs, the lending protocols, and the liquidity tools purpose-built for sports assets. With the $PEPPER token positioned as the governance token for Kayen, we are ensuring that the community has a literal stake in the protocol’s fee structures and development. This is true decentralization.
Pillar 3: The RWA Revolution, Unlocking the $1 Trillion Chest
If Fan Tokens are the liquid layer, Real World Assets (RWA) are the equity layer. This is the endgame.
The global sports industry is heading toward a $1 trillion valuation. However, sports organizations suffer from a unique paradox: they are asset-rich but cash-poor.
- Real Madrid isn’t just a team, it’s a global brand with stadium equity, media rights, and IP.
- Yet, this value is illiquid. It sits locked in balance sheets, inaccessible to fans and investors alike.
Blockchain solves this. By tokenizing these assets, we can fractionalize ownership and make it tradable.
The Holy Grail: The RWA Fan Token
Our long-term ambition (2027–2030) is to merge the two worlds. We are developing a new asset class that bridges Utility and Equity.
Imagine a Fan Token that offers:
- Utility: VIP access, voting rights, merch discounts (the current model).
- Equity Exposure: A minority stake in the club’s specific revenue streams (e.g., streaming rights, transfer fees), where a share of that revenue is used to buy back and burn the token.
This is the evolution from Fan to Owner. We are already testing this in Brazil with tokenized streaming revenues. By 2030, we expect institutional capital to flow into team treasuries via Chiliz Chain, creating a symbiotic relationship between Wall Street liquidity and the Curva Sud.
Conclusion: Choose Your Player
In 2018, we asked you to take a leap of faith on a whitepaper. In 2026, we are asking you to look at the scoreboard.
The convergence of sports, finance, and blockchain is inevitable. The ownership economy holds $500 billion in locked equity alone. The RWA sector is projected to hit $16 trillion by 2030. Sports is the next frontier for this capital, and Chiliz Chain is the only purpose built vessel capable of carrying it.
We are dismantling the barriers that have historically separated passion from profit. We are giving clubs the tools to unlock their balance sheets and giving fans the power to own a piece of the history they help create.
The infrastructure is being laid. The tokenomics are being hardened. The flywheel is being greased.
This is no longer just about engagement. This is SportFi. This is Chiliz 2030.
You can come with us, or you can watch from the sidelines. But make no mistake, the game has changed forever.
