FIFA and Konami team on World Cup esports tournaments
Image via Konami and FIFA.
FIFA has deemed Konami its new partner for the popular soccer franchise’s esports scene.
Both companies are teaming on a new tournament for consoles and mobile that begins today, October 10, and runs through the rest of the year. This collaboration, according to the press release, aims to “further boost the joy of the global football community through esports.”
Under the deal, the FIFAe World Cup features players from 18 participating countries, including Brazil, Argentina, England, Japan, and Morocco. The full list of countries can be seen here.
Big league soccer collaborationsDespite this partnership, it does not seem Konami is tasked with making new FIFA games. In 2022, the soccer league and EA ended their decades-long partnership, resulting in the latter rebranding to the EA Sports FC series.
That pivot, which began in earnest last year, was a “profound” winner for EA. Meanwhile, Konami’s own soccer series, eFootball, succeeded its original Pro Evolution Soccer franchise starting in 2021.
Several international Football Federations noted eFootball’s popularity in the press release, and expressed their excitement at participating in the tournament.
Qualifiers for the FIFAe Cup will run until Sunday, October 20. The nomination phase begins the following week from Monday, October 28 to Sunday, November 3. The tournament’s last round will be conducted offline and its schedule will be determined at a later date.
“This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to promote football globally and to provide a platform for players to showcase their skills,” wrote FIFA’s chief business officer Romy Gai.
More information about the 2024 FIFAe World Cup can be read here.
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Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don’t ask him about how much gum he’s had, because the answer will be more than he’s willing to admit.
