EA Sports announced yesterday it was ending its two-decade long video game partnership with FIFA.
From 2023, its football video game series will continue under a new brand â EA Sports FC.
Alongside their 300 licence partners across the sport, EA says theyâre ready to take global football experiences to new heights, on behalf of all fans around the world.
This is good news for fans of womenâs football, who have often been left disappointed when wanting to play as a female star on FIFA.
Womenâs teams have featured in the popular franchise since FIFA 16, but only international sides up until this point.
Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, and the United States were the 12 teams initially included in the game.
FIFA has since expanded and added Belgium, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Scotland.
Gamers can currently play as women in FIFA 22âs Pro Clubs mode, and former Arsenal star Alex Scott became the first English-speaking female broadcaster on the game this year.
Earlier this year, Tom Henderson from Xfire reported that FIFA 23 will include a number of womenâs football leagues and the Womenâs World Cup.
This is still yet to be confirmed, but it seems as if womenâs football fans will soon be appeased by EA Sports FC anyway.
What does EA Sports FC mean for womenâs football?
All the signs point towards the inclusion of domestic womenâs football teams on EA Sports FC.
In the statement released by EA, it is suggested the game will âinnovate in new areasâ, such as womenâs football.
âEA SPORTS FC brings the strength of more than 300 individual licensed partners, giving players access to more than 19,000 athletes across 700 teams, in 100 stadiums and over 30 leagues around the world,â the statement reads.
âThrough EA SPORTS FC, EA will further grow the reach and power of its football licensing portfolio by retaining and expanding the licensed football content, scaling to new experiences, and increasing access through more platforms.
âEA will also build on a foundation of inclusivity and innovate in new areas around both womenâs and grassroots football for the global community.â
In addition, womenâs football teams have been used across the branding for EA Sports FC, including Lyon, PSG and Manchester City.
Tottenham Hotspur Women, a side in the Womenâs Super League, even posted about the new franchise. âJoin the club,â the Twitter post read. âLearn more July 23â.
As a result, womenâs football fans can likely be confident about increased representation on EA Sports FC.