Decentralised Identity for Mega-Events: A New Model for World Cup Trust

The FIFA World Cup is more than a sporting competition. It is a temporary global economy built around identity, mobility, payments, access and trust.

The 2026 tournament makes that economy more complex than ever: 48 teams, 104 matches and 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States. For organisers, that creates an extraordinary operational challenge. Millions of people need to buy tickets, cross borders, book accommodation, enter venues, make payments and access services securely.

Every one of those moments asks the same question: can this person be trusted?

Today, the answer usually depends on centralised accounts, QR codes, passwords, document uploads and repeated identity checks. Digital ticketing has improved distribution, but it has not removed the structural weaknesses around fraud, resale abuse, phishing, synthetic accounts and fragmented verification. FIFA already provides official ticket transfer and resale mechanisms, but the wider secondary market shows how hard it is to maintain control once ownership becomes difficult to prove.

The solution is not to collect more personal data.

It is to ask for better proof.

From digital tickets to verifiable ownership

A more effective model starts with a reusable digital identity wallet controlled by the fan. Before purchasing a ticket, a supporter could present cryptographic proof that they are a genuine, unique and eligible buyer, without handing over every detail of their identity.

The ticket itself could then be issued as a verifiable credential containing the match, seat, current holder and permitted transfer rules. W3C’s Verifiable Credentials standard defines a model for tamper-evident digital claims exchanged between issuers, holders and verifiers.

This changes what a ticket is. Not just a QR code. Not just an entry token. A verified proof of ownership.

If the ticket is transferred through an authorised marketplace, the previous credential can be revoked and a new one issued to the buyer. That gives the organiser stronger ticketing control, fans greater confidence, and fraudsters fewer gaps to exploit.

One wallet. Every moment of the journey.

The same trust layer can extend across the full fan journey.

A traveller could use their wallet to present a travel authorisation at the border, a booking credential at a hotel and a hospitality pass with an official event partner. Each organisation gets what it needs to verify the interaction. Nothing more.

That is the power of selective disclosure. A fan can prove they are over a required age without sharing their date of birth. They can prove they have the right to travel without exposing their passport number. They can gain access to an exclusive fanzone without providing their full details.

For the host organisation, this creates a cleaner, safer model. Less duplicated data. Fewer manual checks. Less exposure when systems are attacked. Greater confidence in who is entering, transferring tickets, accessing benefits and participating in official experiences.

This is also where global identity standards matter. Frameworks such as verifiable credentials, digital identity wallets and the emerging European Digital Identity Wallet are helping to normalise a world where people can prove eligibility, entitlement and ownership without repeatedly surrendering personal data.

But the real opportunity is not regulatory alignment.

It is operational clarity.

Trust should continue after the gate opens

Checks should not end when a ticket is bought, transferred or scanned.

A continuous trust model keeps assessing whether the credential, device and interaction remain trustworthy. Is the ticket still valid? Has ownership changed? Is the device compromised? Is the transaction unusual? Does the person still have the right level of access?

That matters in a stadium environment where trust changes quickly. A valid fan ticket is not the same as a media credential. A hospitality pass is not the same as a restricted-zone accreditation. A payment interaction is not the same as a stadium entry check.

Each moment needs the right proof.

For organisers, this means faster entry, stronger restricted-area control, reduced fraud and better visibility across the event ecosystem. It also reduces reliance on central systems at the exact moments when pressure is highest: peak arrivals, half-time, transport surges and emergency response.

And then there is the opportunity after the final whistle.

A host organisation can issue attendance credentials, digital memorabilia, loyalty privileges or priority access to future events directly into the fan’s wallet. The ticket stops being a disposable access token. It becomes the beginning of a verified relationship.

That changes the commercial model. Fans can prove they attended a match, earned a benefit, joined an official community or qualified for a future experience. Sponsors and partners can engage through permission-based offers. The organiser can build long-term fan value without building unnecessary stores of personal data.

This is what decentralised identity makes possible for mega-events.

Not more surveillance.

Not more forms.

Better proof, stronger privacy-first assurance and a fan relationship that lasts beyond the tournament.