FIFA, Konami Push Partnership Button Esports World Cups

After a gap in which FIFA was left without a major partner in the esports arena following the licensing fallout with EA Sports over the EA Sports long-running FIFA series, the world governing body has agreed a collaboration with Konami Digital Entertainment Co.

Two editions of the FIFAe World Cup will be played on the Konami platform, utilising both mobile and gaming consoles.

EA Sports and its rebranded EA FC game runs its own global championships.

“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,” said Romy Gai, FIFA Chief Business Officer.

Qualifying for the FIFAe World Cup began yesterday. In the first year of the tournament, 18 nations have been invited with the participants selected on factors such as their player base and the previous performances of competitors from the respective countries.

Komani, senior executive officer Koji Kobayashi 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 recent previous experience in this environment having hosted eFootball tournaments, most notably the Championship 2024 Club Event this year with European clubs, as well as the eJLeague in collaboration with the JLeague.

No value was given for the two-World Cup deal and Konami isn’t licensing the FIFA brand name for its game.

Since FIFA’s fallout with EA Sports (in 2020, $158.9 million of the governing body’s $266.5 million in total revenue for the year came from licensing rights, $100 million reckoned to be from EA Sports), FIFA has promised that it would be creating its own bigger and better video game with the belief that use of its FIFA name would blow allcomers – like EA FC and Konami – out the water.

It hasn’t so far and EA Sports and its new EA FC game have gone from strength to strength, proving that actually in the esports world, FIFA’s name doesn’t have a huge value, it is actually all about the game.

FIFA had wanted a significant increase on the reported $100 million a year EA was paying them for use of their name. EA took the view that they were overvaluing their license and FIFA brand name – it was their game and their ball and they took it away.

FIFA is now back in the esports game with a significant video gamemaker in Konami and with a branded FIFA efootball World Cup. But not yet with a branded efootball game that can compete with the efootball gold standard of EA FC, and unlikely anywhere near the $100 million per year they were receiving from EA.