When the World Cup was in full swing, with four games a day for multiple weeks, I purposely avoided much of the content. The podcasts, the livestreams and the game updates for Football Manager 26 and most notably, EA FC 26. The matches were coming so thick and fast that there just wasn’t time to game. So my idea was to wait until the later stages to start tinkering with them. I downloaded EA FC’s “The World’s Game” update with a burst of childhood excitement, only for it to be rapidly quashed. And that’s because I remember what came before.
The World Cup and European Championships features when EA FC was known as FIFA were legendary and immersive. There was an entire segment focused solely on the international tournament. The menus would have their own design, there was music specifically selected for the tournaments, and there was a genuine feeling of playing in the World Cup. The full squads were there, playing in the real stadiums, and there was a fantastic atmosphere within the game. But now, it is a flat, weak, and paltry excuse for an update.
After four years, the World Cup feels too lifeless in EA FC.
FIFA and EA are no longer connected. The partnership ended, and the world’s biggest football gaming franchise lost its licensing rights. It meant that the branding could no longer be used within the World Cup update, including the name itself. The most exciting thing about the update is that the squads are there. EA FC ensured that every national team included in the World Cup has a presence in the game. The kits and the squads are accurate, and that sense of initial immersion is great. But it fades when you realise you can’t do a lot with them.
When entering “The World’s Game,” you can start a tournament, pick a nation, and compete for glory. When you enter a match, there is an immediate deflation, however. The presentation is incredibly boring. If you went into a standard ‘Kick Off’ game, the presentation graphics are green. In an astonishingly creative shift, “The World’s Game” is purple.
That’s it. That’s the level of new, energetic graphics we get after four years. The commentary in the match isn’t too dissimilar from that of the main game either, except that the nations that weren’t in the base game have been added. The voices of Derek Rae and his co-commentators don’t really grab you, nor do they make you feel like you’re playing in a match of international importance.
Too many stadiums are missing from the update.
Then there are the stadiums. One of the selling points within the 2026 World Cup update is the triumvirate of nations hosting. There are stadiums in the USA, Canada, and Mexico that are filled with fans, 16 temporary homes for The Beautiful Game. There are eight MLS stadiums, two of which were added as part of the World’s Game update.
Gillette Stadium and BMO Field are included, as well as Central Maw, which serves as a recreation of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The stadiums are big, impressive, and detailed. But for a World Cup update, they’re soulless. There’s a lack of flags, and the festival atmosphere is only reserved for the World Cup.
There are also no Mexican stadiums at all. The Stadion Olympik is EA’s recreation of the Azteca, Mexico’s glorious national stadium, but it lacks the national identity when transformed. Texas and California are also barren. As a Brit, seeing these stadiums during the World Cup has been eye-opening. They are so huge, with tiers that seem to stretch into the heavens. And EA FC doesn’t capture that. These are NFL stadiums transformed for football, so it’s understandable that they aren’t present in the base game. But EA has had four years to get them scanned.
“The World’s Game” update just doesn’t let you do what you want to do.
The arguments have been made that these stadiums have already been scanned for Madden, and that’s a little too simplistic. Licensing doesn’t work that way, as there are different leagues, organisations and franchises involved. But there absolutely could have been conversations and licenses made outside of FIFA’s control.
The most infuriating part of the whole update is that I just couldn’t do what I wanted to do. Something I enjoy doing in these international tournament updates is recreating the matches themselves. Making the teams’ lineups accurate to game day and seeing how the game versions of the teams would interact. The “World’s Game” section of EA Sports FC 26 does not have a kick-off function, just the tournament.
You can change the groups, so in theory you could spectate those, but it isn’t the same. The national teams can be played in the normal kick-off section of the game, but then you lose the tournament feature and the whole presentation premise of the update.
FIFA used to be the home of the World Cup, but now what’s the best way to embrace the fever in video game form?
The World Cup national teams are in EA Sports FC 2026. That’s an exciting part of the update. They’re accurate, and the kits themselves look fantastic for each country. But that’s the only exciting element. The rest of the update is lazy, boring, and disappointing. There’s no energy or real enthusiasm. I played a single game and didn’t really feel the need to keep playing.
It leaves World Cup gamers somewhat homeless, too. FIFA used to be the home of the World Cup, but now lacks any real identity. Football Manager has the license, the kits, and the general presentation. But you’re not on the pitch with the players. FIFA’s official game over at Netflix is fun but basic and cheap. What is the best way to embrace the World Cup fever in video game form?