Recommended Video
Hard to imagine that this is the first World Cup that’s not being accompanied by the sports video game behemoth.
The 2026 World Cup is in full swing and we bet that a number of footy fans are waiting for the special World Cup edition of EA Sports FIFA. Well, you’ll be waiting in vain as EA Sports and FIFA haven’t been together since 2022. But the fact that many still associate EA Sports’ FIFA as the king of football video games speaks volumes about its influence.
EA and FIFA had been working together since 1993, back when FIFA International Soccer released on the Mega Drive console. That was actually one of its selling points as it had the approval of the world governing body of football.
The series was still too new to even consider having a tie in for the 1994 World Cup. But once the ball started rolling, when gamers and football fans alike started recognizing EA Sports FIFA as the football game, that’s when the World Cup found a home in the video games space.
EA Sports’ FIFA World Cup Games: From PlayStation to DLC
In 1997, EA Sports obtained the license from FIFA to publish official World Cup video games. They then produced World Cup 98 the following year for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and PC. This was the first World Cup game to be played in 3D and therefore endeavored for accuracy when it came to national team kits, logos, merchandising, etc.
The PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube era had the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup games. 2002 FIFA World Cup served as a stepping stone to the modern EA Sports FIFA gameplay that we know off today while 2006 introduced online support. This allowed players to play ranked and unranked games, and even challenge themselves by playing through 40 historical World Cup scenarios and seeing how they stack up in a global online leaderboard.
The next generation of consoles had 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa and 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. This generation incorporates the more robust campaign modes of previous FIFA games with slight tweaks. 2010 allowed you to import your personal Virtual Pro character and bring them to the World Cup stage. 2014 had you actually starting from the qualifications until eventually playing through the World Cup. More immersive elements also started appearing here, such as coaches and spectator reactions.
2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar are the only World Cup games to not have a standalone release. They were added as DLC expansion packs to their respective EA Sports FIFA game of that year. A noticeable downgrade from all the previous World Cup games, and probably an indication of the increasing strain in EA and FIFA’s partnership which eventually led to them going their separate ways.
FIFA World Cup 2026: A New Gaming Landscape
Today, EA is still releasing the same, familiar football game but under a different title. Now known as EA Sports FC, it’s a FIFA game without the actual branding on it. Yet it still dominates the market, cresting over 12 million units sold last year. It just goes to show how big EA Sports’ football games were that they can still command such a presence even without FIFA’s partnership.
As for FIFA itself, the organization has explored numerous avenues when it comes to video games. They’re looking beyond just football-sim games, the area that EA dominates, although they’re stepping back into that arena thanks to the 2026 World Cup.
In December 2025, Netflix announced that it’s developing a new football-sim game in partnership with FIFA and the World Cup. Titled FIFA World Cup – Launch Edition, it released on June 11 in time with the first match of the 2026 World Cup.
Meanwhile, EA Sports FC 26 released an unlicensed World Cup mode titled The World’s Game. A rather basic addition which includes licensed and nonlicensed teams as well as new World Cup stadiums.
Unfortunately, neither game really carries the same prestige as the old World Cup games did. But who knows, the World Cup is a special occasion and maybe in another four or more years a football game will come around that’ll be able to capture that energy and magic.
Banner image from EA Sports FC 26 on Steam.
Frequently Asked Questions
The first official FIFA World Cup video game was World Cup 98, released in 1998 for PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and PC. It was the first World Cup title published under EA Sports’ FIFA license, secured in 1997, and the first in the series rendered in 3D.
EA Sports and FIFA ended their partnership after the 2022 World Cup. The final World Cup titles — 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar — were released as DLC expansions rather than standalone games, signaling the growing strain in their relationship before the split.
EA Sports rebranded its football game series as EA Sports FC following the end of its FIFA partnership. The game retains the same gameplay framework and developer team. EA Sports FC 26 sold over 12 million units, demonstrating that the series maintained its market dominance without FIFA’s official branding.
Yes. In December 2025, Netflix announced FIFA World Cup – Launch Edition, developed in partnership with FIFA, which released on June 11, 2026. EA Sports FC 26 also added an unlicensed World Cup mode called The World’s Game, featuring licensed and non-licensed national teams and new World Cup stadiums.
The 2006 FIFA World Cup game introduced online support for the first time in the series. Players could compete in ranked and unranked matches and access 40 historical World Cup scenarios, with results tracked on a global online leaderboard — a significant leap from the offline-only titles that preceded it.
Related Stories:
