On June 14, 2024, over 191,000 people signed up for a football airdrop that wasn’t about fantasy leagues or digital jerseys-it was about owning a piece of a game that didn’t exist yet. TOPGOAL’s Footballcraft European Cup Airdrop promised 10,000 special NFT mystery boxes to participants who jumped through a series of nine complex steps. It wasn’t just another crypto giveaway. It was a high-stakes experiment to bring mainstream sports fans into Web3-and it exposed just how hard that really is.
What Was the Footballcraft European Cup Airdrop?
The Footballcraft European Cup Airdrop was a timed event tied to the UEFA European Championship 2024. It wasn’t a reward for holding tokens. It wasn’t even a reward for playing the game. It was a test: Could a blockchain-based football simulation game attract real fans who had never touched a crypto wallet before? TOPGOAL, the company behind it, claimed it wanted to bring the next 4 billion sports fans into Web3. That’s not a marketing slogan-it’s the entire premise. Footballcraft is an AI-powered 12x speed football simulator that runs on blockchain. Think of it like FIFA, but instead of just watching matches, you’re managing a team that evolves based on real-world stats, AI predictions, and on-chain ownership. The airdrop was meant to seed the game with its first users. The reward? 10,000 mystery boxes. Each one contained a unique NFT that could unlock in-game items, skins, or future utility within Footballcraft. No cash. No tokens. Just digital collectibles tied to a platform that was still in Early Access.How to Enter: The Nine-Step Gauntlet
Getting in wasn’t easy. If you’ve done a few crypto airdrops before, you thought you knew the drill. This one was different. You had to complete nine steps, each requiring a different platform, account, and action.- Visit CoinMarketCap and search for TOPGOAL.
- Add TOPGOAL to your watchlist.
- Follow both @TOPGOAL_io and @Footballcraft on Twitter.
- Retweet the official airdrop post and tag three friends.
- Join the TOPGOAL Telegram group.
- Join the Footballcraft Discord server.
- Download the Footballcraft app (iOS, Android, or web).
- Get a unique Partner Code from CoinMarketCap’s Diamond Store.
- Enter that code in the Footballcraft app under "Partner Code".
Why CoinMarketCap Was the Secret Weapon
What made this airdrop stand out wasn’t the prize. It was the platform. CoinMarketCap has over 100 million monthly users. Most airdrops rely on Twitter followers or crypto forums. This one tapped into a massive audience of people who track crypto prices but have never bought a single token. CoinMarketCap wasn’t just promoting it-they were hosting the Partner Code. That meant participants had to go through a trusted, mainstream site to get in. It gave the airdrop legitimacy. People trusted CoinMarketCap more than some random Telegram group. But that also meant the barrier to entry was higher. You couldn’t just copy-paste a link. You had to navigate a corporate site, find a hidden store, and get a code that only worked inside the Footballcraft app. Many users reported the code wouldn’t register. Some waited three days for support to fix it.
The Real Problem: The Game Wasn’t Ready
The airdrop worked. 191,499 people entered. 10,000 got the NFTs. But then what? The Footballcraft app was in Early Access. It had glitches. Reviews on Trustpilot averaged 2.8 out of 5. Common complaints? App crashes on startup, confusing menus, AI that didn’t feel smart, and no clear way to earn anything beyond the mystery box. People joined for the NFT. They stayed? Not many. Discord membership spiked 387% during the airdrop. Two weeks later, Daily Active Users dropped 63%. That’s not user retention. That’s a flash mob. The real test wasn’t whether people could complete nine steps. It was whether they’d open the app again after the free stuff was gone. Most didn’t.How It Compared to Other Web3 Sports Projects
There are other Web3 sports games out there. Sorare lets you collect digital player cards and build fantasy teams. Chiliz lets you buy fan tokens for real clubs like Barcelona and Juventus. Both have real licenses, real players, real teams. TOPGOAL had none of that. Footballcraft was a fictional game. No real teams. No real leagues. Just AI simulating matches based on real-world stats. That’s ambitious. But it’s also risky. Fans don’t care about AI-generated games unless they feel connected to something real. And then there’s the competition. Immutable’s $IMX airdrop required one click. TOPGOAL required nine. That’s not better. That’s just harder.
What Happened After the Airdrop?
As of October 2024, Footballcraft is still in Early Access. The official roadmap promised full game launch and real team partnerships in Q3 2024. None were announced. The $GOAL token, which powers the ecosystem, still trades on Binance, OKX, and Bitget. But trading volume has dropped since the airdrop. The mystery boxes? Still sitting in wallets. No one knows what they do yet. The project didn’t fail. It didn’t vanish. But it didn’t explode either. It’s stuck in limbo-between hype and reality.Was It Worth It?
If you were one of the 10,000 winners? Maybe. You got a free NFT. If the game ever takes off, it could be worth something. If not? It’s just a digital trinket. If you spent 20 minutes trying to get in and got rejected? You lost time. That’s all. The bigger question is whether TOPGOAL can turn this into something real. Can they build a game people actually want to play? Or was this just a clever way to raise awareness with a $3 million budget? Right now, the answer is unclear. But one thing’s certain: Web3 sports gaming isn’t about giving away NFTs. It’s about building something people care about-long after the airdrop ends.Can You Still Join?
The airdrop ended on July 1, 2024. You can’t get the mystery boxes anymore. But Footballcraft is still available. You can download the app on iOS, Android, or play on the web. You can still create an account. You can still play. But there’s no free NFT waiting for you. If you’re curious, go ahead. But don’t expect magic. Expect a game that’s still being built.Did anyone actually win the Footballcraft European Cup Airdrop?
Yes. Exactly 10,000 participants won a special edition NFT mystery box. Winners were selected from the 191,499 people who completed all nine steps. CoinMarketCap verified entries before distribution. The NFTs were delivered directly to users’ Footballcraft accounts.
Do you need a crypto wallet to join the airdrop?
No. You didn’t need a wallet to enter the airdrop. The only requirement was creating a Footballcraft account and entering the Partner Code from CoinMarketCap. Wallets were only needed later if you wanted to trade or transfer the NFT outside the app-which wasn’t possible at the time.
What was the reward for the airdrop?
The reward was a Footballcraft Mystery Box NFT. Each box contained a random in-game item-like unique player skins, team badges, or power-ups. The exact contents were unknown until opened. These NFTs were not $GOAL tokens and had no cash value at the time of distribution.
Why did so many people have trouble with the Partner Code?
The Partner Code was generated on CoinMarketCap’s Diamond Store and had to be entered manually into the Footballcraft app. Many users reported the code wouldn’t validate, even when copied exactly. Support tickets increased sharply, and some users waited up to three days for resolution. The issue was likely due to syncing delays between CoinMarketCap’s system and Footballcraft’s backend.
Is Footballcraft still active today?
Yes. Footballcraft remains available in Early Access on iOS, Android, and web. The game is still playable, but no major updates or team partnerships have been announced since the airdrop. The $GOAL token continues to trade on major exchanges, but the game’s user base has declined significantly since July 2024.
What’s the difference between TOPGOAL and Sorare or Chiliz?
Sorare and Chiliz use real player licenses and real football clubs. TOPGOAL’s Footballcraft is a fictional AI-driven simulation with no official team partnerships. Sorare is a digital collectible game. Chiliz is about fan voting and tokens. Footballcraft is a real-time AI match simulator. They’re all Web3 sports projects, but they target different experiences.
Was the airdrop a scam?
No. The airdrop was real. 10,000 NFTs were distributed. CoinMarketCap verified entries. The $GOAL token is listed on Binance and OKX. However, the project’s long-term viability is uncertain. Many participants felt misled because they expected immediate rewards or cash value, which never materialized. It was more hype than substance.
Can you still get $GOAL tokens?
Yes. $GOAL tokens are available for purchase on Binance, OKX, Bitget, and other exchanges. However, the token’s value is not tied to the Footballcraft game’s success. It’s a utility token for the broader TOPGOAL ecosystem, which includes AI-powered simulations for football, basketball, and baseball.
Sybille Wernheim
December 18, 2025 AT 18:00Okay but imagine being one of those 191k people who spent 20 minutes doing all nine steps just to get a digital box that does nothing. I feel like I’ve been scammed by a Minecraft skin sale. 😅
Ellen Sales
December 19, 2025 AT 07:50so like… the game is basically a glorified football sim with ai that ‘predicts’ stuff but no real teams? lmao. i thought web3 was supposed to fix broken systems not make them more confusing. also why is coinmarketcap even involved?? they’re not a game studio 😭
Sheila Ayu
December 20, 2025 AT 18:50Wait-wait-wait. You mean to tell me people didn’t even need a wallet? So they thought they were getting free crypto? And now they’re mad because they got a digital trinket instead of cash? That’s not a Web3 failure-that’s a human failure. People need to stop treating blockchain like a lottery ticket. And also-why was the Partner Code so broken? Was it because the devs didn’t test it? Or because they didn’t care?!
Radha Reddy
December 21, 2025 AT 14:13While the initiative was ambitious, the execution reveals a significant gap between technological potential and user readiness. Many participants, especially those unfamiliar with digital ecosystems, were not equipped to navigate such a complex onboarding process. The absence of clear, step-by-step guidance-combined with technical friction-undermined the very goal of mass adoption. A more gradual, educational approach might have yielded better long-term engagement.
Shubham Singh
December 23, 2025 AT 08:07191,000 entries. 10,000 winners. And not one of them has opened the app in 6 months. This isn’t Web3. This is a Ponzi of hope. You didn’t build a game-you built a bait-and-switch with a blockchain label. And you wonder why people don’t trust crypto anymore?
Charles Freitas
December 24, 2025 AT 01:48Let me get this straight. You spent 20 minutes of my life to give me a digital sticker that doesn’t do anything. And you think this is innovation? You didn’t onboard fans-you onboarded suckers. And now you’re pretending it’s a ‘learning experience.’ No. It’s a dumpster fire with a whitepaper.
Sarah Glaser
December 24, 2025 AT 16:33The fundamental challenge here isn’t technological-it’s psychological. People don’t engage with abstract systems unless they feel emotional connection. Footballcraft attempted to replace real-world identity-clubs, rivalries, legends-with algorithmic simulations. But fandom isn’t about data points. It’s about belonging. Without real teams, real histories, real stakes-the NFTs are just pixels in a void. The airdrop didn’t fail because it was too complex. It failed because it lacked soul.
roxanne nott
December 24, 2025 AT 18:36the partner code issue was a joke. i copied it 3x. it said invalid. support took 72hrs to reply. they said ‘try again’ like i’m dumb. and now the app crashes on startup. no updates. no roadmap. just silence. i got the nft. i deleted the app. this was a waste of time. and yes, i’m one of the 10k. and i regret it.
SHEFFIN ANTONY
December 26, 2025 AT 11:28YOU ALL ARE MISSING THE POINT. THIS WASN’T ABOUT THE GAME. IT WAS ABOUT THE TOKEN. THE NFT WAS A TRAP TO GET PEOPLE TO BUY $GOAL LATER. THEY KNEW 90% OF PEOPLE WOULDN’T STAY. THEY JUST NEEDED THE USER DATA, THE SOCIAL MEDIA HYPE, AND THE EXCHANGE LISTINGS. THIS WAS A MARKETING CAMPAIGN DISGUISED AS A PRODUCT LAUNCH. AND IT WORKED. THEY GOT THE EXCHANGE LISTINGS. THE TOKEN IS STILL TRADING. WHO’S THE REAL WINNER? NOT YOU. NOT ME. THEM.
Vyas Koduvayur
December 26, 2025 AT 16:31Let me break this down with precision. The 191,499 participants represent a statistically significant sample of the non-crypto-savvy sports fan demographic. Their behavior-high initial engagement, rapid disengagement-is consistent with what behavioral economists call the ‘novelty effect.’ The nine-step process acted as a cognitive tax, filtering out only the most motivated users. The fact that 10,000 completed it means the project successfully identified early adopters. However, the lack of post-airdrop utility, combined with poor UX, rendered the incentive structure unsustainable. The real failure wasn’t the airdrop-it was the absence of a retention architecture. Without daily rewards, social features, or live updates, the NFT became a static artifact. In Web3, utility isn’t optional-it’s existential. And Footballcraft? It’s still waiting for its existential moment.
Lloyd Yang
December 26, 2025 AT 19:09I’ve been in Web3 since 2017, and I’ve seen a hundred airdrops. This one? It’s the most honest failure I’ve ever seen. Nobody lied. They didn’t promise cash. They didn’t claim it was easy. They said: ‘Here’s a game we’re building. Join us.’ And people showed up-191k of them! That’s not a failure. That’s a miracle. The problem isn’t the project-it’s the expectation. We’ve been conditioned to expect instant returns. But real things take time. Look at how long it took for DeFi to get traction. Or NFTs. Footballcraft isn’t dead. It’s in the womb. The team needs patience, not rage. If you’re one of the 10k winners? Don’t sell your NFT. Don’t delete the app. Play the damn game. Give them feedback. Help them fix the crashes. Build the community. This isn’t a giveaway. It’s a startup. And startups need believers, not bystanders.
Jacob Lawrenson
December 27, 2025 AT 17:49bro i got the box and i still open the app once a week just to see if anything changed 😅 maybe one day it’ll be cool. until then, i’m just here for the vibes 🤝⚽️
Zavier McGuire
December 29, 2025 AT 14:37you spent 20 minutes for a digital sticker? you’re lucky you didn’t get a virus