The video game publisher Electronic Arts has rolled out a timely feature in EA Sports FC 26: a new 48-team international tournament mode designed to coincide with the men’s World Cup atmosphere. Without a commercial agreement with FIFA, EA has framed the mode as the World’s Game international tournament, relying on national team licensing to assemble most participants and capturing the spirit of summer international football for console players.
This release illustrates how major game makers adapt to intellectual property constraints while still responding to consumer enthusiasm for marquee sporting events. EA has secured full national team licenses for 41 of the 48 countries that will be active during the tournament window, and it has included two additional nations with generic kits at launch. The result is a near-complete representation of global soccer talent inside the game even though the publisher does not hold FIFA’s tournament rights.
How the tournament mode mimics the World Cup without FIFA branding
EA’s new mode mirrors many structural elements fans recognize from the real-life event: a 48-team format, group and knockout phases, and national team rosters where licensing permits. By avoiding the use of the FIFA name and by branding the mode as the World’s Game international tournament, EA navigates the distinction between owning team identities and owning tournament branding. Licensing for countries is handled separately from tournament rights, which is why national kits and player permissions can be included even as FIFA retains control over official World Cup branding and related commercial deals.
Which teams are included and how EA handled limited licenses
Most teams that will be visible in the summer’s real-world competition are available in the game thanks to EA’s agreements. The publisher confirmed that Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Curaçao, Jordan and Qatar are not included in the EA Sports FC 26 roster at launch, while Congo DR and Bosnia and Herzegovina appear in the title but debut with generic kits. This kind of mixed inclusion reflects the patchwork nature of national licensing deals, where some federations permit full representation and others either withhold rights or negotiate separately.
Practical implications for players
For gamers, the practical effect is familiar: most countries look and feel authentic, with real player names and official crests where EA holds licenses, while a handful display placeholders or fictional kits. The company can update these elements over time if additional agreements are reached. In short, the mode delivers an experience close to an authentic international tournament without the official seal of FIFA, relying on the publisher’s portfolio of national licenses to fill in the majority of teams.
Context: EA’s break with FIFA and the wider licensing landscape
EA and FIFA ended their long-standing partnership in 2026 after negotiations over fees, leading EA to rebrand its flagship soccer franchise as EA Sports FC. Historically, EA released standalone World Cup titles or embedded World Cup modes in annual FIFA-branded games. Since the split, FIFA has pursued licensing deals with other partners — including Netflix Games, Roblox developers and collaborations like the recent connection with Rocket League — as it builds a broader digital football strategy.
Competitive and commercial dynamics
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has publicly stated an ambition to produce a soccer gaming product that surpasses EA’s offerings, while EA continues to assert that its games have played a major role in growing fandom and connecting players to clubs and athletes. On calls with investors, EA has highlighted surges in North American sales around World Cup cycles and has described international tournaments as important commercial catalysts even without FIFA’s tournament license.
Legal precedent and the industry’s approach to likeness rights
The tactics EA uses to represent teams and athletes reflect broader legal and commercial patterns in sports gaming. Publishers have long balanced consumer demand for realistic rosters with intellectual property constraints: past controversies over player likenesses, such as college athletes’ NIL rights or individual MLB players opting out of union licensing, forced developers to either negotiate new agreements or resort to fictionalized stand-ins. Those legal shifts have shaped how modern sports titles present teams, players and events.
What this means going forward
EA’s move to introduce a 48-team international tournament in EA Sports FC 26 shows how major publishers can craft compelling event-aligned content even without tournament-level licenses. Fans receive a playable approximation of global competition, while FIFA continues to expand its own digital partnerships. The space between national team licensing and official tournament branding will likely remain a battleground for fans, publishers and rights holders as the industry evolves.
