What Happens to the World Cup in EA FC 26 Without the FIFA License?

We are just a few weeks away from the world’s attention being sucked into the month-long smorgasbord of international football that is the World Cup. As the most-watched sporting event in the world, it’s an undeniably huge event every four years, and that means gamers are always going to be eager to have their crack at it in their favorite soccer video games.

Unfortunately for EA FC 26 players, that enthusiasm has been tempered by the series failing to secure rights to the tournament, meaning EA will not be able to faithfully reproduce it.

Here’s what that means for gamers.

EA’s History With the World Cup License

In prior World Cup years, EA FC (or FIFA as it was then known) games have benefited from access to the official license and branding, and to the developers’ credit, they have done some outstanding things with it through the years.

My obsession with international football, tracking qualification from every region in the world, traces directly back to FIFA Road to World Cup 98 , and many other fans can say the same. That game saw players given the opportunity to take on any of the 172 nations through true-to-life qualification for every confederation, a feat that was repeated in 2010, now with 199 national sides. This phenomenal use of the license has made the game hold an enduring place in the pantheon of sports video games.

What To Expect From EA Without An Official License For World Cup 2026

Unfortunately, with no official license in hand, a similarly expansive option is not on the table for EA with EA FC 26 ahead of this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Instead, here is what to expect from the game’s approach to responding to the biggest tournament in the world this summer:

The Official Branding is Absent

The most immediately apparent change is that the game will not be able to replicate the World Cup’s real-world presentation. This includes the naming and official trophy, as well as officially recreating the real-world groups. Additionally, this means that the on-screen presentation will not match the real on-screen graphics viewers will see this summer, in the way that Football Manager 26 will be able to include them.

This is far from unprecedented for the series, however. An area where gamers will be more familiar with a faux tournament is in the UEFA Champions League. For much of the game’s series, it lacked UEFA licensing and instead replaced the major European club tournaments with generic versions.

Some Teams Will Have Updates

A major concern when anticipating a World Cup mode without an official license is what it means for the available teams. Unfortunately, many of the teams that qualified for the World Cup this summer have not been included in the game, leaving fans thinking that, even with generic branding, things would still be far from true to life in other,even more important ways.

The good news is that some of these teams will be getting added to the game. This is beneficial even for gamers with no interest in jumping right into World Cup play, as it will also mean more international teams to use in other modes.

An Incomplete World Cup Experience

Unfortunately, not every team will be represented, even with the added nations inbound. What this means is that you will only be able to replicate the real-world tournament so closely, even if you’re willing to forgive it having generic branding. If you’re looking to make your own version of the World Cup in-game, you will unfortunately have to settle for finding your choice for the best alternative squads to fill in those spots where the real nation is not available.

Will A Fake World Cup Still Be Fun?

Screenshot: Operation Sports

This ultimately boils down to personal preference to an extent, as the amount of enjoyment lost to the negative aspects of losing the license will carry different levels of importance for different gamers. No matter how much branding matters to you, it’s hard to deny that a lack of team accuracy is a blow to the mode’s enjoyment.

That said, if you’re willing to put up with some inconsistencies, the mode will still offer plenty of fun for internationally inclined gamers. While there will be an absence felt from missing clubs, and the effort required to get a set of groups and corresponding knockout fixtures that align with reality will be higher, you’ll still have the opportunity to lead a nation through an extensive tournament mode. For gamers who are okay with accepting the downsides as acceptable hassles, there will still be plenty of fun to be had, guiding a team through the groups and then into an expanded five-round knockout tournament, with all the drama and tension that brings.

How do you feel about the upcoming World Cup experience in EA FC 26? Are you excited to get your hands on it despite the lack of official licensing and the headaches that come with it, or is there simply too much off for you to be in high anticipation?