AFA Partners with Upland to Expand the Realm of Fandom of Argentina’s First Division to the Metaverse

[PRESS RELEASE – Buenos Aires, Argentina, 22nd December 2022]

• The strategic partnership will allow AFA to engage fans with a better understanding of how the metaverse works, how to contribute and benefit, while also expanding fan engagement and connecting fans to the teams and players they admire.
• The partnership represents the first Argentinian football presence in the metaverse and the first time for Upland to offer exclusive in-game video footage ownership to fans.
• The Argentine Football Association (AFA), FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ World Champions, and Uplandme, Inc. the leading metaverse platform in mapping the real world that already has more than 3 million registered accounts, today announced the signing of an official license agreement to bring the First Division Argentina (Professional Football League or short “LPF”) to the Upland metaverse.

This strategic partnership will allow AFA and LPF to engage Argentinian fans with the metaverse, contributing to the digital community while benefiting from the extensive participation of the global Argentinian football community, connecting users with their teams and favorite players.

Not only does Upland connect fans, collectors, and players from around the world in a single virtual network, but the open metaverse platform also has various gamified opportunities for users to interact with a complete set of iconic Argentine football digital collectibles including teams, Clubs, Players, Tickets, Gameplay Footage, Historical Moments, Platform Exclusive Moments, and the Official Upland Market.

This agreement is a further expression of the internationalization of the Argentine Football Association and the reach of the Argentine Professional Football League brand, attracting new fan audiences: global gamers, web3 enthusiasts, and collectors of digital assets in virtual markets.

This deal represents the first presence of Argentine soccer in the metaverse and the first time Upland has offered exclusive ownership of in-game video to its fans. During the next four years, a new source of income will be created for the Argentine Professional Football League, through the acquisition by the user of multiple assets of virtual goods licenses.

Through this strategic partnership, Argentine soccer fans will gain a unique experience within the metaverse, benefiting from a community environment focused on first-division football.

Unique to Upland, fans can start virtual businesses to resell LPF virtual goods and other digital collectibles in player-owned and operated shops located on their virtual properties – including the 22 cities that are already open in Upland. Upland’s agreement with the Argentine Football Association also expands its involvement with global and European football following the recently launched partnership with FIFA, where fans are able to get access to the highlights of the FIFA World CupTM, including the goals of the final as digital collectibles.

Claudio Fabian Tapia, President of AFA, said: “We are very happy to present this new commercial strategic agreement with Upland. The Argentine Professional League has long-awaited opportunities to take advantage of emerging technologies to enhance our League’s fan experience. This agreement allows us to partner with the best creators of technology and new digital products and thus generate a new source of income for all participating clubs. We welcome Upland as a new commercial partner of our Argentine Football Association and the Argentine Professional Football League.”

Dirk Lueth, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Upland, said: “We are thrilled with the completely loaded licensing agreement and partnership with the AFA to continue to expand Upland’s footprint and community around the world. With AFA, we are able to offer more opportunities than ever before to Argentinian fans new and old, empowering them with the true meaning of web3, which is community-focused and entrepreneurial, allowing fans to contribute ideas and creations to showcase their team pride in engaging new ways.”

Leandro Petersen, Chief Commercial Marketing Officer of AFA, said: “Upland is at the forefront of a new category of virtual NFT memorabilia. The platform uniquely combines digital collectibles uniting all global NFT markets into their own Metaverse. In this way, our Professional League will be able to get closer to football fans from all over the world and to the players who hope to be closer to the stars of our Argentine football teams every day. We are excited about the potential of this association and it is very important for us to continue generating new sources of income for AFA and the LPF. We continue with the expansion process started and develop digital products that increase the presence of Argentine Soccer in the world. With this agreement with Upland, we are achieving a great goal for the Argentine Professional Football League.

ABOUT UPLANDME, INC.

Upland is an open web3 platform for the metaverse mapped to the real world. The company’s mission is to build one of the leading and most dynamic maker communities through a strong entrepreneur economy that allows players, creators, developers, and brands to manufacture goods and experiences, monetize assets, and provide utility and fun to other players. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with hubs in Las Vegas, Ukraine, and Brazil, Upland was named among Fast Company’s “Next Big Things in Tech” in 2021 and one of “22 San Francisco Startups To Watch in 2022” by Built In SF. Upland is committed to becoming carbon negative and is a proud partner of Carbonfuture. For more information about our sustainability commitment visit https://www.upland.me/sustainability. Upland is available on iOS, Android and the Web, and can be played from anywhere in the world.