EA Sports marketing director James Salmon has promised âmore exciting updatesâ about womenâs football on FIFA 23.It was announced earlier this month that womenâs club teams would be added to FIFA for the first time ever.Gamers will be able to choose between teams from the Womenâs Super League in England and the Division 1 Féminine in France.Salmon told GiveMeSport Women that the response to the news had been âphenomenalâ.âIntegrating womenâs club football in-game provides so many more opportunities for fans to play as their favourite players including the likes of Sam Kerr, Catarina Macario and Chloe Kelly,â he said. âItâs been great to see this celebrated.ââThe reaction to the introduction of WSL and D1 Arkema has been fantastic, all I can say for now is that weâre looking forward to sharing more exciting updates over the next few months.âSalmon also discussed the impact he expected the inclusion of womenâs football on FIFA 23 to have on the sport in real life.
âWeâre committed to playing an active role in the growth of womenâs football and our hope is that the inclusion of womenâs clubâs sparks further interest in viewership, match attendance and participation in the grassroots game,â he said.
âThere are a number of amazing womenâs leagues and tournaments across the world for fans to experience â the WSL and D1F are prime examples.â
Gamers will have the opportunity to play as stars such as Arsenalâs Vivianne Miedema, Chelseaâs Kerr, Lyonâs Wendie Renard and Ada Hegerberg, and Paris Saint-Germainâs Marie-Antoinette Katoto.
The 2023 Womenâs World Cup, set to be held in Australia and New Zealand, will be another feature added to FIFA 23.
The announcement was made just days after Kerr was unveiled as the cover star for the game, alongside PSG star Kylian Mbappe.
It is the first time a womenâs football player has appeared on a global FIFA cover, although Steph Catley and Alex Morgan featured on the respective covers of the Australian and US editions in 2016.
Kerr has truly established herself as one of the best in womenâs football, earning her second successive Golden Boot in the Womenâs Super League last season.
In fact, she is the only player to win the Golden Boot in three different leagues â the NWSL, the W-League and the WSL.
âSam Kerr represents the next generation of footballers,â Salmon said.
âSheâs a legend on and off the pitch, doing amazing things to grow the sport and weâre thrilled to have her as an EA SPORTS ambassador and our first female global cover star.â