Crypto sponsorship for sports at risk after $13.5M Sorare payment freeze

Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has halted approximately $13.5 million (£10 million) that Sorare made to the Premier League, raising new questions regarding crypto companies cashing in on the global sporting event.

These funds were transferred by Sorare as a part of its four-year-long licensing agreement with the League and fall under civil-recovery investigation targeting “alleged third-party criminality.”

Sponsoring teams in football allows crypto businesses to connect with millions, but the freeze has proven the point that such payments may attract regulators’ attention as well.

Why one frozen payment rattles the whole sponsorship model

An order to freeze the accounts mentioned in the ICLG report was issued by the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in January of 2025 but has only been made public by The Sun this week. The money involved is in the amount of £10,024,041.33 and is deposited in a Barclays bank account that belongs to The Football Association Premier League Limited.

The NCA stated that the aim of the order is “to prevent dissipation of the funds while the NCA investigates any potential links between those funds and alleged third-party criminality.” The Premier League has not been accused of any wrongdoing and has requested the court to change this order, which is valid until September 14.

According to ICLG, this was the initial payment for a huge 2023 licensing arrangement which is estimated to be worth about £120 million over a period of four years. This agreement permitted Sorare to create digital cards highlighting all 20 Premier League teams’ players. Sorare state that the deal will end in 2025-26 season.

A company built crypto-first, valued at £3.21 billion

Sorare is important to the cryptocurrency ecosystem because it has transformed from a business built on blockchain foundations into one of the most renowned brands in football overall. Starting in 2018 with the creation of a marketplace built on Ethereum, in 2023 it introduced fiat payments through its Cash Wallet, and in late 2025 moved its digital cards to Solana, adding payments via SOL cryptocurrency.

The company’s investors and ambassadors include global football stars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Zinedine Zidane, and Rio Ferdinand as well as tennis superwoman Serena Williams. According to The Sun, Sorare has been valued at £3.21 billion.

“Account freezing orders are made by magistrates on application and, importantly, the proceedings are civil rather than criminal in nature.” — Nick Brett, partner at Brett Wilson

Brett warned that the funds may point towards transactions made through Sorare or be of “an entirely separate origin,” which means that the order itself should not be taken as an indication of any wrongdoing.

Regulators are watching where gambling meets digital assets

Sorare’s difficulties with UK regulation do not end with the NCA freeze. The Gambling Commission accused the company of conducting gaming activity in the UK without the required license under the Gambling Act 2005. According to the latest update from the Gambling Commission dated May 18, the trial of Sorare will take place on June 7, 2027, at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court. The company pleads not guilty, claiming that the nature of the game is skill-based rather than dependent on luck.

Authorities “will be particularly vigilant where gambling and digital assets meet, regardless of the profile of the company involved.” — Chris Roberts, head of white-collar crime at Grosvenor Law

According to Roberts, greater amounts of money increase the chances that authorities will issue freezing orders in order to secure assets for restitution.

The FCA has already put clubs on notice

The case is part of a larger initiative in the UK to scrutinize sponsorships in football. On June 3, 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) alerted various clubs about the dangers of working with unauthorized financial and cryptocurrency firms and recommended that appropriate caution be adopted in such instances. Cryptopolitan reported the warning at the time.

A later FCA freedom-of-information release showed it wrote to 21 clubs and identified 18 sponsorship arrangements involving 13 clubs and firms it had not authorised. The FCA stressed that lack of authorisation does not itself prove unlawful conduct.

FCA consumer-investments director Lucy Castledine said clubs should not allow unauthorised firms to exploit supporters’ loyalty by promoting potentially questionable products to millions of fans.

“A logo on a shirt means one thing: that firm paid for it.” — Lucy Castledine

The warning comes as digital-asset brands continue buying high-visibility football inventory, including Circle at Chelsea, OKX at Manchester City and Kraken at Tottenham.

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