FIFA adopts multi-partner gaming strategy for World Cup 2026

FIFA has ended its single-partner exclusivity and published a long-term Digital Football Strategy that adopts multiple commercial and development partners across games and esports ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The federation named collaborators that include Roblox and developer Gamefam, Epic Games for Rocket League, Konami for eFootball, SEGA/Sports Interactive for Football Manager, Mythical Games, Solace Games, and a deal with Netflix and Delphi Interactive for an approachable football simulation experience. FIFA said the plan covers consoles, PC, mobile and non-simulation entertainment projects.

FIFA’s initial cross-platform release, FIFA World Cup – Launch Edition, is scheduled for a detailed reveal ahead of a June release and will underpin further platform releases. The organisation also announced FIFA Heroes for mobile and PC with a later console rollout, and it is continuing to develop non-simulation titles that combine football with wider entertainment and cultural content.

FIFA provided early usage figures from its multi-platform activity. On Roblox, the rebranded FIFA Super Soccer operated by Gamefam exceeded 10 million monthly active users and recorded over one billion plays. On mobile, FIFA Rivals passed 2.5 million downloads and includes endemic commercial partners such as adidas.

The governing body is changing its competitive gaming portfolio under the FIFAe brand by integrating multiple titles and infrastructures. The nation-based FIFAe circuit, now run across titles including eFootball and Rocket League, generated more than 1.1 billion broadcast views across global qualification events. For the 2026 competitive calendar, FIFA plans five FIFAe Continental Championships that will act as direct qualifiers for the FIFAe Finals 2026, and it plans to name the host city for an inaugural hybrid FIFAe Festival.

FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström described the ambition as: “By establishing a scalable foundation in gaming and esports, we’re creating new opportunities for our 211 Member Associations and our Commercial Partners to participate and collaborate. Our ambition is to build a sustainable and adaptable ecosystem that reflects how football is experienced today and how it’ll continue to evolve in the future.”

The Digital Football Strategy formalizes a transition that began after FIFA ended its multi-decade exclusivity agreement with EA Sports in 2022, allowing the organisation to pursue multiple licensing and partnership arrangements across different gaming formats and business models.

Global Esports Industry Week will return June 18–21, 2026, in Cologne, Germany, running alongside IEM Cologne, placing industry and esports activity in the same period as the next World Cup-focused releases.