Junya Ito buried Japan’s third goal against Tunisia in the 69th minute, capping a 3-0 victory that also happened to be the FIFA World Cup 2026’s 1,000th match in tournament history. The finish itself was clinical: Ayase Ueda delivered the assist, Ito held off his marker one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and slotted it low to the near post.

The $ITO token and a reality check on player coins

Ito isn’t a stranger to the digital collectibles space. Back in 2022, he launched an NFT project called “#1409junya” through a platform called META ALL-STARS. The idea was straightforward: combine digital collectibles with real-world perks to build a global fan community around his personal brand.

There’s also an $ITO…