Konami officially replaces EA as FIFA's esports competition partner

The famous Japanese gaming company, Konami, announced on its official website that it has signed a partnership agreement with FIFA to promote the ongoing development of global esports.



Konami's Official Announcement:
Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. (KONAMI) is pleased to announce that we have signed a partnership agreement with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to promote the continuous development of global esports. As part of this initiative, two editions of the FIFA eSports World Cup will be held in 2024, with *eFootball™* hosting the event.

KONAMI’s collaboration with FIFA aims to further enhance the global enjoyment of football through esports. With players representing their countries or regions, this move takes regional connections to a new level.

The qualifying rounds for the FIFA eSports World Cup are set to begin on Thursday, October 10. We will be hosting two editions of the FIFA eSports World Cup simultaneously: one on mobile devices and the other on home consoles, with two world champions to be crowned.

In the first year of the competition, representatives from 18 countries and regions will be selected based on player demographics, past performances, and other factors, and invited to participate in the FIFA eSports World Cup. By updating *eFootball™* to its latest version, anyone can take on the exciting challenge of this new world championship.

The countries and regions participating in the first *eFootball™*-hosted FIFA eSports World Cup include Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, England, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand, and Turkey. (End of announcement)



Comments from Konami:
To date, our company continues to take on the challenge of developing both football and esports. We are delighted to contribute to elevating football to a new level through the FIFA eSports World Cup initiative. I extend my sincere gratitude to everyone involved in the FIFA eSports World Cup for making this opportunity possible. We eagerly await the start of the eSports World Cup and sincerely hope to convey the passion, excitement, and joy of *eFootball™* players from around the world to as many fans as possible. (Senior Executive Director Koji Kobayashi)

Comments from FIFA:
We are thrilled to announce our partnership with KONAMI. The new FIFA eSports World Cup aligns perfectly with our mission to promote football worldwide and provide a platform for players to showcase their skills. We are confident the FIFA eSports World Cup will be a success and will be open to all fans. (Chief Business Officer, Romy Gai)

Comments from the Japan Football Association:
*eFootball™*, beloved by fans around the world for many years, has gained solid support in Japan and has become an indispensable platform in the football family. The FIFA eSports World Cup, held on the new *eFootball™* stage, will be the pinnacle event for electronic football players around the globe, just like the real-life World Cup. The Japan Football Association will host qualifying tournaments to determine the representatives for this edition of the FIFA eSports World Cup. Just as with other categories of Japanese national teams, we hope that Japanese e-football players will perform brilliantly and play an active role in competing for the world title. We will continue to support you. (Japan Football Association President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto)

Comments from the Argentine Football Association:
*eFootball™*, soon celebrating its 30th anniversary, is a very popular game in Argentina and has become one of the best tools for fan interaction. Participating in the new FIFA eSports World Cup through *eFootball™* will be the ultimate goal for fans around the world. We will fully support all *eFootball™* players in helping Argentina become FIFA eSports World Cup champions! (Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, Leandro Petersen)

Previously, FIFA maintained a long-standing partnership with EA, but this relationship ended in 2022, after 29 years (1993-2022) of collaboration. Konami’s *Pro Evolution Soccer* series competed with EA’s *FIFA* series for years, but eventually, Konami pivoted to the free-to-play *eFootball™* as it struggled to compete. Now, EA has largely monopolized the football game market, securing licenses for top leagues such as the Premier League and La Liga, while Konami has had to settle for fewer major licenses.

As the governing body of football associations worldwide, FIFA had demanded high licensing fees from EA (over $1 billion per World Cup cycle), prompting EA to drop the FIFA license in 2022. In 2023, EA rebranded the series as *EA Sports FC*, with relatively few changes. Since then, there have been rumors that 2K Games, under the Take-Two label, might acquire the FIFA license, but in August, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that any potential competitor to *EA Sports FC* would face significant challenges.

In May of this year, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that a new FIFA game was in development, saying: “We will develop a new video game, and this football simulation game will be called FIFA. For millions of children around the world, when they play a football simulation game, they are playing FIFA. It cannot be called by any other name.”