FIFA has signed a new partnership with Konami’s eFootball to release a title for the FIFAe World Cup, a sign that it is doubling down on esports. This comes after FIFA severed its partnership with EA Sports, which saw EA’s football franchise renamed EA Sports FC.
After a break in which FIFA was left without a major partner in the world of esports after the licensing issues with EA Sports over the EA Sports long-standing FIFA franchise, the world governing body has teamed up with Konami Digital Entertainment Co.
According to this deal, two editions of the FIFAe World Cup will be held on Konami’s platform, which is for mobile and consoles.
According to Konami, “The objective of this collaboration is to further boost the joy of the global football community through esports. By allowing players to represent their nations through dedicated competitions, this initiative will take the connection with the community to a new level.”
Romy Gai, FIFA’s Chief Business Officer said, “We are incredibly excited to join forces with Konami. This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to promote football globally and to provide a platform for players to showcase their skills. We truly believe in an inclusive ecosystem which allows different communities to be part of the FIFAe competitions.”
In the first year of the tournament, 18 nations have been invited and the players have been chosen based on the number of players in the country and the previous performances of competitors from the countries.
Koji Kobayashi, Konami’s Senior Executive Officer, said, “At Konami we have continued to take on challenges in the development of football simulation and esports. We are very pleased to be able to contribute to the promotion of eFootball in a new dimension through this collaboration with FIFAe.”
Komani does have more recent prior experience in this environment having organized eFootball tournaments including the Championship 2024 Club Event this year with European clubs and eJLeague with JLeague.
Since the split with EA Sports, FIFA intended to make a larger and superior game, sure of the FIFA brand overshadowing other competitors such as EA FC and Konami. However, EA Sports FC has grown well on its own, meaning that in esports, the actual gameplay is more valuable than the FIFA name.
FIFA wanted more money than the $100 million annually that EA had been paying for the licensing rights. EA, who felt that the FIFA brand was too expensive, decided to sever their ties and go without it.
FIFA has now returned to esports with Konami and FIFA eFootball World Cup but they do not have a stand-alone title to compete with EA FC and are unlikely to achieve the previous payment scale of EA.
