Sorare

Sorare was founded in Paris in 2018 by Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort as a fantasy football game on Ethereum, where players build teams using NFT cards and score points based on real player performances.

In September 2021, Sorare completed a $680 million Series B round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, valuing it at $4.3 billion, one of the largest funding rounds in Europe at the time, with participation from several star footballers.

That same year, to address gas fees, Sorare migrated from Ethereum mainnet to StarkNet layer-2, improving transaction speed and sustainability, laying the groundwork for large-scale user growth.

In 2023, Sorare signed a four-year exclusive licensing deal with the English Premier League, reportedly worth £30 million per year, granting rights to sell digital cards for all 20 clubs, strengthening its position in football IP.

In September 2024, the UK Gambling Commission charged Sorare with providing unlicensed gambling facilities, violating the Gambling Act 2005, with a court hearing scheduled for October. Sorare denied the charges, stating its platform does not constitute gambling. This case marks the first regulatory action by UK authorities against a blockchain platform, carrying significant implications for NFT fantasy sports compliance.

In January 2026, the UK National Crime Agency obtained an order from Westminster Magistrates' Court freezing £10 million (about $13.5 million) in Sorare's corporate accounts while investigating whether its business model constitutes unlicensed gambling; in June the FCA wrote to Premier League clubs warning about sponsorships with firms operating without UK authorisation. Sorare's four-year, $162 million Premier League deal ended after last season.

During the 2026 World Cup, Sorare saw trading in player cards such as Haaland's pick up, with a single card selling for up to about $750,000. The platform moved cards to compressed NFTs on Solana at the end of 2025 and shifted payment balances to Base, and on August 4, 2026 extended its crafting system to the Scottish Premiership, Austrian Bundesliga and Croatian HNL.

Future strategy and roadmap: Sorare will advance the NBA 27 season through October 2026: early-bird cards open October 6, the reveal lands October 19, and the season kicks off October 20, while Stars replace the old Point Caps tier system. Arcade gameplay launches late October to broaden interaction beyond cards. The platform also links the Essence economy with Premier League, Scottish, Austrian, and Croatian league crafting systems to widen licensed categories. Facing probes by the UK NCA and FCA over gambling classification, the company must clarify its model before the June 7, 2027 trial and targets profitability by end of 2027.

Nicolas Julia, CEO and Co-founder, with consulting and entrepreneurial background and former VP of Operations at Stratumn, co-founded Sorare in Paris in 2018 with Adrien. Adrien Montfort, CTO and Co-founder, formerly VP of Engineering at Stratumn, leads Sorare's technical architecture and digital card infrastructure. Gabrielle Dorais, Chief Business and Legal Officer, owns compliance, partnerships and legal affairs, supporting regulatory matters across jurisdictions. Thibaut Predhomme, Chief of Staff, owns internal coordination and execution, supporting management decisions and organizational operations. Julien Fontan, Head of Marketing, owns brand and user growth. The executive team is led by the founders, with dedicated owners for technology, legal, operations and marketing, and core members largely from Stratumn and prior venture networks.