FIFA 23 is fast approaching, with more and more information circulating day by day - now we have the most recent news that the Croatia Football national team are being added to the new title!
EA are looking to make FIFA 23 one of the best FIFA's ever, considering it'll be the last under that name anyway. The FIFA 23 official matchday experience deep dive trailer showcased us many new features such as skill moves, penalties, free-kicks, HyperMotion2 technology, and much more! It’s an exciting time to be a FIFA fan.
But one thing that has been more recently revealed for us is the long-awaited return of a certain national side who has not been involved in the franchise for a staggering 11 years.
Read More: FIFA 23: Closed beta, release date, pre-order, new features, cover and everything we know so far
Croatia will be in FIFA 23
Croatian Football Federation (HNS) reached an agreement with Electronic Arts, global leader in digital interactive entertainment, allowing players to select and play with Croatia's national team in EA SPORTS FIFA 23.
The confirmation of the agreement between the two was announced on Twitter on the 23rd of August 2022, with both parties tweeting out to confirm the details of the agreement.
And here's the Tweet from EA Sports FIFA themselves.
It really is good to see that Croatia are back into the franchise after their long stint away. They have some phenomenal players in world football such as Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic who will all be a joy to play with in Croatian colours in FIFA 23.
Why haven't Croatia been in previous FIFA titles?
KALININGRAD, RUSSIA - JUNE 16: Luka Modric of Croatia celebrates scoring from a penalty for his sides second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Croatia and Nigeria at Kaliningrad Stadium on June 16, 2018 in Kaliningrad, Russia. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
According to a report back in 2019 by Eurogamer, the reason for Croatia not featuring was thanks to a financial dispute between the two.
"The reason why Croatia is not in FIFA 19 is that Croatian Football Federation and EA could not come to an agreement that would satisfy both sides," Tomislav Pacak, spokesperson for the Croatian Football Federation told Eurogamer.
"Obviously, we value FIFA World Cup silver medallists and the world's best player in 2018 more than EA currently does with its offer, and we will continue protecting the value and image of the Croatian team and our players."
Now potentially with an ageing squad, they've lowered their evaluation, and the two have now come to an agreement.
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