KONAMI and FIFA sign esports collaboration agreement

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. (KONAMI) and FIFA announced a collaboration to continue their worldwide commitment to the advancement of esports. As part of this initiative, two FIFAe World Cup™ featuring eFootball™ are scheduled to take place later this year on mobile and console.

The objective of this collaboration is to further boost the joy of the global football community through esports. By allowing players to represent their nations through dedicated competitions, this initiative will take the connection with the community to a new level.

The FIFAe World Cup™ will begin qualifying around the world on Thursday, October 10. To engage with the entire community, two competitions will be held - one on console and one on mobile - each crowning a FIFAe World Champion. More information is available on FIFA.GG and on the Konami website.

In the inaugural year of this collaboration, 18 nations have been invited to be represented at the final events. Nations are selected based on different factors such as player base and previous performances of competitors from the respective countries. Everyone who plays eFootball™ is welcome to engage, so please update to the latest version of the game and challenge the world to an exciting global match.

The participating member associations of the inaugural FIFAe World Cup™ featuring eFootball™ on mobile and console are:

Argentina

Brazil
Costa Rica

England
France
India
Indonesia
Japan
Korea Republic
Malaysia
Morocco
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Thailand
Türkiye

Koji Kobayashi, Senior Executive Officer, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.　

“At KONAMI, we have continued to take on challenges in the development of football simulation and esports. We are very pleased to be able to contribute to the promotion of eFootball™ in a new dimension through this collaboration with FIFAe. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to FIFA for providing us with this opportunity. We can't wait for the FIFAe World Cup™ to begin. We look forward to sharing the enthusiasm, excitement, and joy of our players around the world through the FIFAe World Cup™”.

Romy Gai, Chief Business Officer at FIFA

“We are incredibly excited to join forces with KONAMI. This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to promote football globally and to provide a platform for players to showcase their skills. We truly believe in an inclusive ecosystem which allows different communities to be part of the FIFAe competitions”.

Comment from the representative of Japan Football Association

“eFootball™ has been loved by people all over the world for many years, and it has also gained a firm following in Japan, establishing itself as an essential platform for the football family. The newly launched "FIFAe World Cup™" featuring "eFootball™" will become the pinnacle of the e-football players' dreams, The JFA will hold a selection tournament to determine the Japanese players who will compete in the "FIFAe World Cup™" and will support the e-football Japan national team players so that they aim to reach the top of the world, just like the other Japanese national teams”.

Miyamoto Tsuneyasu, President, Japan Football Association

Comment from the representative of Argentine Football Association

“eFootball™ celebrating the 30th anniversary is a very popular game in our country and has become one of the best communication tools for soccer fans. Participating in the new FIFAe World Cup™ featuring eFootball™ will be the ultimate goal for all eFootball™ players in our country. We will do our utmost to support this FIFAe World Cup™ in order to produce a FIFAe World Champion from our country”.

Leandro Petersen, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer, Asociación del Fútbol Argentino

Comment from the representative of French Football Federation

We are proud to announce France's participation in the FIFAe World Cup™ featuring eFootball™. This unique competition, held on both console and mobile, will allow us to promote the FFF and the French national team in a rapidly growing esports environment. In this regard, the FFF is pleased with the momentum initiated by KONAMI and FIFAe to develop international competitions on eFootball™”.

Francois Vasseur, Marketing Director, Fédération Française de Football

Comment from the representative of Turkish Football Federation

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of eFootball™, a game that has captured the hearts of football fans across our nation, we recognize its powerful role in uniting players and supporters alike. The upcoming FIFAe World Cup™ featuring eFootball™, offers an unparalleled opportunity for collaboration among countries and a chance to strengthen our global connections. This tournament represents more than just competition; it’s a platform for fostering international friendships and mutual respect through the love of the game. We are fully committed to supporting this event and striving to see our nation crowned as the FIFAe World Champions.

The support and recognition that FIFAe provides to eFootball™ players are invaluable, and we are excited to be a part of this journey”.

Sema Tuğçe Dikici, Marketing Director, Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu

KONAMI has been providing football games to the world since 1995, with cumulative sales and downloads now totaling more than 800 million units. Since the 1990s, we have also held various tournaments to expand the football community. In recent years, we have expanded our efforts to combine eSports and real sports by holding the “eFootball™ Championship 2024 Club Event” with our European club partners and jointly hosting the “eJLeague eFootball™” with the Japan Professional Football League (Ｊ.League).

"eFootball", "e-Football" and eFootball logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Japan and other countries or regions.