The FIFA World Cup 26 license dilemma: Why no major football game has secured it yet

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For a long time, getting the license for FIFA and the World Cup 2026 was the biggest achievement for football video game developers. It meant players would get a truly authentic experience – official graphics, real stadium details, accurate tournament presentation, and all the licensed teams and branding that made the World Cup feel genuine within the game.

Although one game really stood out, I remember World Cup content feeling special during the EA Sports FIFA years. It happened every four years and always felt like the peak of the game, with the trophy and related events being the highlights. I still particularly enjoy the Prime Icon cards from the World Cup 22 update – the Bergkamp card is a great example.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup rapidly approaching, things feel surprisingly different – and honestly, a little unsettling.

The end of EA and FIFA changed everything

Okay, so I just heard the news and it’s kinda wild. Apparently, none of the big football games we’re all playing – like EA Sports FC, eFootball, Dream League Soccer, and even the new UFL Mobile that just started rolling out – have the official license for the 2026 World Cup. It’s surprising, honestly, because you’d expect at least one of them to have it!

It’s no surprise that many games are planning to include a World Cup mode. This will likely be a knockout tournament where players choose their favorite national team and compete for the trophy, earning rewards along the way. While knockout events are always exciting, players really appreciate a sense of realism and authenticity.

After considering everything, I’m left wondering: is it still beneficial for major game developers to pursue an official FIFA World Cup license? Do the potential benefits outweigh the effort?

Okay, so here’s the deal. Back in 2022, EA Sports and FIFA officially split up after being partners for almost 30 years – they’d been working together since 1993! It was a big deal because FIFA games were always these massive, over-the-top experiences. Then, the next game, instead of being called FIFA 23, became EA FC 24, marking a complete rebranding. It was pretty wild to see the name change after all that time.

EA secured the majority of club and player licenses with new agreements, unexpectedly leaving FIFA without its primary gaming collaborator. As a result, FIFA needed to find a new partner to maintain the official FIFA name and World Cup branding in video games.

Why the FIFA World Cup license is no longer a “simple” deal

Initially, speculation centered on Take-Two Interactive, the creators of the NBA 2K series. Around the beginning of 2024, many people believed a new FIFA console game – possibly called FIFA 2K25 – could be released later that year. This generated a lot of excitement among fans, as a detailed and authentic FIFA game with the official license seemed like a strong competitor to EA Sports FC.

Okay, so all that talk about EA getting the FIFA license back? Take-Two’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, basically said it’s not happening easily. He explained it’s way more complicated than their deals with the NFL or NBA. Apparently, just having the ‘FIFA’ name doesn’t automatically get you the players, teams, or leagues – it’s not a simple fix like some people thought.

Negotiating the necessary rights with various sports organizations – including national federations, player unions, and clubs – is a complex, step-by-step process. According to Zelnick, his company is satisfied with their existing sports games and doesn’t feel pressured to tackle such a complicated undertaking. As a result, the possibility of a 2K-branded FIFA game has largely been dismissed as just a rumor.

The search for FIFA’s next big partner

By the end of 2025, KONAMI emerged as the leading candidate to secure the FIFA license. Rumors suggested a potential long-term agreement, going beyond just a single tournament. This seemed likely, as KONAMI had already established a strong working relationship with FIFA’s esports branch starting in 2024.

eFootball was the official home of the FIFAe World Cup, and Konami had a deal to host it through 2026. They also organized competitive events like the Challenger Series and special in-game promotions. For a time, it seemed like Konami was poised to fully integrate official World Cup branding into one of their major games.

It’s now early May 2026, and we still haven’t heard any news about major updates to eFootball. It seems likely they’re only working on standard World Cup features. Most people expected an announcement by now if a significant licensing deal had been made, considering the extensive planning and promotion that usually goes into World Cup content in games.

Even though it’s now called EA Sports FC instead of FIFA, the game still features a huge number of officially licensed players and teams. I recently learned that EA has licenses for 30 men’s national teams, but only 19 of those are in the current World Cup. That means not all 48 teams in the tournament are fully represented, though reports suggest more licenses are on the way.

With everything happening, do players even care about the FIFA branding? It seems like KONAMI will actually benefit the most from FIFA losing its branding, especially since they’re currently missing out on a lot of official licenses and still have to use placeholder team names in their game – that’s really the only weak point right now.

The key to KONAMI’s success still lies in securing licenses. Officially featuring the FIFA World Cup 2026 badge would immediately enhance the game’s reputation in a way that promotional items simply can’t. This applies to games like Dream League Soccer and UFL Mobile as well. If they want to compete with the leading soccer titles, obtaining these licenses would be a significant advantage.

The FIFA collaborations have yet to see the bright advantage

So, everyone’s wondering who’s going to get the FIFA license now, but it looks like FIFA itself is doing things differently this time around. Instead of giving everything to just one major game company, they’ve been licensing the FIFA name to a bunch of smaller games over the last couple of years. It’s a pretty big change from how they used to do things.

As a fan, I’m really excited about what’s happening with FIFA on mobile! We already have FIFA Rivals with all the official teams and players, and soon we’re getting FIFA Heroes, which sounds like a super fun, fast-paced 5-a-side game – it’s coming out this month, I heard! Plus, there’s a new FIFA game in development with Netflix Games, being made by Delphi Interactive, which is awesome. And it looks like Roblox is getting in on the action too, with Gamefam rebranding their football experience. It’s a great time to be a FIFA fan!

As a gamer, it feels like FIFA is being cautious, making a bunch of smaller deals instead of going all-in with one big partner like they did with EA for ages. Honestly, it’s a bit of a bummer though – we’re not getting that fully authentic feel in this year’s World Cup game, and that’s a little disappointing.

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2026-05-08 06:43