Rumours and leaks are still circulating as football fans eagerly await EA Sports’ announcement of EA FC 26.
Now, there is talk that EA Sports is in talks with FIFA to secure the official World Cup 2026 license for their upcoming game.
It would be surprising considering EA’s strained relationship with FIFA, hence why we’re stuck with the ridiculous EA FC name.
The rumours are that EA FC 26 would feature a separate World Cup mode as well as the usual Ultimate Team content.
If true, this would likely mean Ultimate Team would receive new cards but not a separate international mode.
Instead, the World Cup mode would simply be a way to play through the tournament, both online and offline.
For now, there obviously hasn’t been any confirmation, but it’s safe to assume there will be World Cup content in the next game.
The developers are seemingly working towards it, with reports that EA Sports are in talks to bring Brazil back to FC 26.
EA will have a lot of work to do in securing licenses, considering next year’s World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams.
That is a massive 50% increase from the usual 32 participants.
Having the World Cup licence would, of course, mean the name and iconic trophy would appear in the game.
But more importantly, it would allow EA to make use of official kits and stadiums to add realism to the additional content.
Previous World Cup modes in FIFA and EA FC games
FIFA 23 was the last game to feature World Cup content due to the Qatar tournament’s unusual winter timing.
That was the first time EA didn’t make a separate World Cup version of Ultimate Team.
Instead, they released new Icons and Road to the FIFA World Cup promo cards.
Whereas FIFA 14 and 18 featured free updates, which brought World Cup Ultimate Team modes.
These versions of Ultimate Team had unique packs with cards of players from the 32 international teams.
The chemistry system then took into account the player’s nationality and governing federation, like UEFA.
But the best implementation of all was perhaps the separate World Cup games released in 2010 and 2014.
These individual games featured most, if not all, of the 204 teams that competed in qualifying.
And they also featured improved mechanics as a sort of stopgap between the yearly FIFA releases.
While waiting for next year’s World Cup, looking at esports betting sites might be a good way to pass the time.
In my seven years of esports writing, I’ve introuduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I’m most proud of the latter.