When Electronic Arts made the enormous decision to rebrand its long-time FIFA football simulation series to EA Sports FC
Many people were worried, and understandably so, especially in regard to the 2026 World Cup. The World Cup is arguably the biggest event in all of soccer, and a large number of players want to enjoy the World Cup in EA Sports FC 26. However, since the World Cup is still under the FIFA umbrella, it presented a potential snag for the World Cup content in the newly branded FC 26. However, recent whispers have surfaced from the gaming world that suggest these worries may be lifted soon with some good news.
The rumor comes from "FGZ" on Twitter
Who has clearly established itself as a reputable source for EA Sports FC leaks over the last year. However, we should always take this sort of information with a grain of salt at this point, since it is still unverified speculation. As it stands now, EA has made no official announcement in regard to FC 26, so treat all information as a large grain of salt until verified.
The main focus of FGZ's claim is that
EA is in the process of acquiring the appropriate licensing for the 2026 World Cup. Given EA Sports' extensive experience in securing scheduled licensing for professional sports leagues and teams, it seems likely they can accomplish this. While the slightly awkward relationship between EA and FIFA may complicate discussions regarding financial terms, everybody believes FIFA is going to eventually agree to a licensing arrangement if they are getting compensated properly. FIFA is an international football organisation with a long history of monetising the world of football.
The more exciting part of FGZ's rumor relates to what EA will do with the World Cup in FC 26
If they are successful. The leaker mentions that EA plans to integrate the 2026 World Cup as a separate mode in FC 26. While this is not particularly surprising given how previous World Cups have been depicted in previous iterations of the game, assuming there is a licensing arrangement with FIFA, EA probably wants to represent the events as their own individual mode. It will most likely end up having a tournament mode that allows the EA player to take their favourite national teams through qualifying and the main World Cup event itself. Upon completing the mode, the player might unlock rewards that could be used in other modes of the game, so that would provide added incentives for players to continue playing.
The 2026 World Cup will take place in the summer of 2026
In the United States, meaning it will be closer to the end of the release cycle of EA Sports FC 26. The timing is important because EA will have the ability to assign important ratings to cards for players that will be connected to the World Cup, which leads to player hype and excitement. Now, assuming these high-rated cards will be something you get towards the end of the game cycle, and you can use them because they are easier to get onto your teams, this provides a new level of potential excitement for the EA Sports FC player base to be able to play with their favourite World Cup guys.
