After breaking up with EA Sports, FIFA reveals surprise team-up with Konami's eFootball game – Radio Times

Dragging up all those old FIFA vs PES arguments.
After years of endless FIFA vs PES arguments that dominated playground and work chats, FIFA has revealed it is teaming up with Konami’s eFootball – no, Konami isn’t developing the new FIFA game the footballing body has been teasing. This is an esports deal.
EA famously lost the FIFA licence back in 2022, and EA Sports FC 24 was launched in late 2023 without it.
Since then, speculation has been rife that FIFA will be back under a new developer/publisher. A new FIFA game is yet to materialise.
Now, in a shock twist, Konami’s eFootball (the current name for the legendary PES series) is teaming up with FIFA for an esports tournament.
You may well remember the glory days of the FIFA vs PES arguments. Year after year, following the release of each new game in both football franchises, people would argue strongly one way or another over which was better.
It’s funny to see FIFA teaming up with Konami now for eFootball after years of rivalry.
For the unaware, eFootball is a free-to-play esports-focused title.
Critics and PES fans alike weren’t too happy with the launch of the game originally. Slowly but surely, however, the game has improved, and it now has a following in esports – it is part of the International Esports Federation’s World Championship.
In a press release on 10th October 2024, it was revealed that: "Konami Digital Entertainment BV can today announce that their flagship football simulation title eFootball will be used in a new esports competition – FIFAe World Cup 2024 – with in-game qualifiers kicking off today!"
Yep, in-game qualifiers for the FIFAe World Cup 2024 are live right now in eFootball.
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The competition "is an official esports tournament by FIFA with eFootball… held across two categories: Console (PS4 and PS5) and Mobile".
"This year, 18 countries from around the world will be able to participate in the final tournament, the FIFAe World Cup 2024.
"Meanwhile, players who have nationalities other than those of the 18 countries can also participate until Round 3 of the in-game qualifiers in order to still receive the relevant in-game rewards."
The 18 countries included are Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Netherlands, Poland, England, Morocco, Costa Rica, Brazil and Argentina.
In-game rewards during the event include "up to 50 eFootball coins, 5,000 eFootball points, 30,000 Exp, [and] three skill training programmes".
The competition schedule is as follows:
Romy Gai, chief business officer at FIFA, said in a statement: "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."
Senior executive officer of Konami, Koji Kobayashi, added: "We would like to express our sincere gratitude to FIFA for providing us with this opportunity. We can't wait for the FIFAe World Cup to begin.
"We look forward to sharing the enthusiasm, excitement, and joy of our players around the world through the FIFAe World Cup."
For everything eFootball, FIFA and EA Sports FC, stay tuned to RadioTimes.com.
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