September 19 – It’s official: the UEFA Women‘s Champions League and Women’s Euros are staying on football’s most popular virtual stage. The news breaks in the wake of UEFA and Electronic Arts’ (EA) new multi-year licensing deal that will continue to see both competitions available to play in the latest edition of the hit football video game, EA SPORTS FC 26.
The new title will feature over 20,000 athletes across more than 750 clubs and national teams, 120+ stadiums and 35+ leagues, set to release later this month.
Early access is currently live for those who pre-ordered the Ultimate Edition of the game, set at a $135 price point – those who purchased the $95 standard edition will have to wait until September 26th.
UEFA say their partnership with EA reinforces a shared commitment to engaging and entertaining football fans worldwide, whilst also focusing on ‘celebrating the diversity and global passion of the sport’ through gaming.
Female players were first introduced in EA’s popular Ultimate Team game mode for its FC24 title, and have become increasingly involved in each game’s content cycle.
The change originally had a mixed reception, but has no doubt increased the exposure of the women’s game on a young audience first being introduced to football.
Thanks to the new licensing deal, young fans can now take to the virtual stage to compete in Europe’s greatest tournaments across both men’s and women’s football, with the UWCL and Women’s Euros completing the set.
Last year’s FC25 title sold over 20 million copies worldwide – giving a glimpse as of the exposure a partnership of this ilk can create.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA executive director of marketing, said: “Continuing our collaboration with EA is an exciting opportunity to keep driving the growth of women’s football after a very successful UEFA Women’s Champions League season and UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. We look forward to fans and gamers alike continuing to experience the thrill of these two flagship UEFA women’s competitions in one of the world’s most popular video games.”
James Taylor, Director of Football Partnerships at EA SPORTS, added: “We’re proud to continue our partnership with UEFA and to showcase the UEFA Women’s Champions League in FC 26. The UEFA Women’s Champions League is the pinnacle of women’s club football, and bringing it to life in-game reflects our commitment to celebrating and elevating the women’s game for fans everywhere.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]