FIFA Partners with Konami as New Esports Partner, Replacing EA

In a significant development, FIFA has entered into a partnership with Japanese gaming giant Konami to host its FIFAe World Cup esports tournament. The event will utilize Konami's popular free-to-play game, eFootball. This collaboration marks a new chapter for FIFA's esports endeavors, following the conclusion of its 29-year partnership with Electronic Arts in 2022. The inaugural events under this new partnership will feature two FIFAe World Cup tournaments, one on mobile devices and the other on console platforms, with qualifying matches commencing immediately. The tournaments will culminate in the crowning of a champion. For the first year, 18 countries have been invited to participate in the final rounds, including notable nations such as Argentina, Brazil, England, France, and Spain. eFootball, which has surpassed 700 million downloads worldwide since adopting a free-to-play model in 2019, is the successor to Konami's esteemed Pro Evolution Soccer series. Koji Kobayashi, Senior Executive Officer at Konami, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, "We are thrilled to contribute to the growth of eFootball through this collaboration with FIFAe." Romy Gai, FIFA's Chief Business Officer, also welcomed the partnership, emphasizing its alignment with FIFA's mission to promote football globally and create an inclusive platform for players to showcase their skills. This move is part of FIFA's broader strategy to explore esports partnerships, as evident from its recent announcement of a FIFAe World Cup tournament for Rocket League.