Is 'FIFA' on its way out? EA Sports plot renaming their FIFA football video games in a split from the sport's governing body - and their £73.6m-per-year contact... a week on from release of the '22 edition which has amassed 9m players

  • FIFA 22 was released last week and 460 million matches have been played 
  • EA have produced annual editions of the FIFA series every year since 1993
  • The deal is FIFA's biggest commercial contract worth more than £73.6m a year 
  • But now the company could follow Konami and rename their leading brand 
  • Konami renamed their Pro Evolution Soccer games as eFootball back in 2019 

EA Sports are toying with the idea of renaming their iconic FIFA football video games, the company has revealed. 

EA's latest edition, FIFA 22, was released last week and has already amassed 9.1 million players, with 460 million matches played and 7.6 million Ultimate Team squads created. 

Yet in a lengthy statement, group general manager Cam Weber announced that EA Sports are exploring the idea of a rebrand of the FIFA series, as they 'review their naming rights arrangement' with world football's governing body. 

EA Sports are toying with the idea of renaming their iconic FIFA football video games
EA's latest edition, FIFA 22, was released last week and has already amassed 9.1 million players

EA Sports are toying with the idea of renaming their iconic FIFA football video games

EA have produced annual editions of their popular FIFA series every year since 1993

EA have produced annual editions of their popular FIFA series every year since 1993

Mbappe will act as solo lead of the popular franchise

FIFA 22  is out now, with the game available on Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia and PC 

Any split with EA Sports would be financially detrimental for FIFA, with the deal its biggest commercial contract worth more than £73.6m ($100m) a year.  


A statement said: 'Through years of building our global franchise, we also know that authenticity is essential to the experience. 

'That’s why we focus so much energy on the collective strength of over 300 individual licensed partners that give us access to 17,000+ athletes across 700+ teams, in 100 stadiums and over 30 leagues around the world. 

'We continually invest in the partnerships and licenses that are most meaningful to players, and because of that, our game is the only place you can authentically play in the iconic UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, CONMEBOL Libertadores, Premier League, Bundesliga, and LaLiga Santander, among many others. 

'The breadth of our partnerships and our ecosystem of licensed content will enable us to continue to bring unrivalled authenticity in our EA SPORTS football games, now and for many years to come.

'As we look ahead, we’re also exploring the idea of renaming our global EA SPORTS football games. This means we’re reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA, which is separate from all our other official partnerships and licenses across the football world.

Group gm Cam Weber said that EA Sports are exploring the idea of a rebrand of the FIFA series

Group gm Cam Weber said that EA Sports are exploring the idea of a rebrand of the FIFA series

FIFA 22's new 'Hypermotion' technology takes the popular game series to new realism levels

FIFA 22's new 'Hypermotion' technology takes the popular game series to new realism levels

'The future of football is very big and very bright. Our priority is to ensure we have every opportunity to continue delivering the world’s greatest interactive football experiences.'  

EA have produced annual editions of the FIFA series every year since 1993, as well as spin-off versions for users on PlayStation, Xbox and other devices. 

FIFA could now follow a similar line of thinking to Konami, who renamed their Pro Evolution Soccer games as eFootball in 2019.

FIFA 22's top-ranked players sees Lionel Messi beat Robert Lewandowski to the summit

FIFA 22's top-ranked players sees Lionel Messi beat Robert Lewandowski to the summit