The soccer/football mega-company, FIFA, partnered with Konami to start FIFAe World Cup eSports competition after splitting from EA following the 2022 release.
Following the separation from Electronic Arts after they released the 2022 entry in their premiere football franchise (and nearly 30 years of football video games), the soccer juggernaut has finally announced their return to video games, but this time it’s at an eSports capacity. On Thursday, the former competitors become partners when Konami—in collaboration with the Federation Internationale de Football Association—announced the World Cup eSports competition, featuring the Konami-branded eFootball title. A launch trailer for the collab can be seen below.
Konami and FIFA released a joint statement that said “The objective of this collaboration is to further boost the joy of the global football community through esports,” continuing with Senior Executive Officer at Konami, Koji Kobayashi saying, “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.”
The Federation agrees with Konami, and FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai said “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.” This is also after the Federation President, Gianni Infantino, said “We are developing new partners and a new game which, obviously as everything we do, will be the best. So get ready for the new FIFA game” after being re-elected as President and dissolving the partnership EA and the company have had since 1993 back in May.
The eSports World Cup 2024 starts its first round today, and 18 countries (none of which are North American) will participate on the global stage. The tournament will be held offline, where fans will compete for World Cup glory on the eSports stage, “FIFAe World Cup 2024™” is an official eSports competition organized by FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), which is planned to be held offline in 2024.” While Round 1 starts today and runs until October 17, fans can check out the entire competition details on the Konami website.
