In a landmark move, FIFA has announced a brand-new football video game to launch exclusively on Netflix Games next summer. The news came on Wednesday as FIFA – the global governing body of soccer – revealed it is teaming up with Netflix to deliver a “reimagined” football simulation title in time for the 2026 World Cup. This marks FIFA’s first major gaming project since its high-profile split with EA Sports, the publisher of the long-running FIFA video game series (now rebranded as EA Sports FC). Fans have been anticipating FIFA’s next move in gaming, and the answer has arrived in the form of an unexpected streaming partnership.
The upcoming game (yet to be officially titled) is set to coincide with the World Cup festivities in June 2026. According to the announcement, it will be free to play for all Netflix subscribers, integrating directly into the Netflix app as part of the platform’s expanding gaming lineup. This means that instead of buying a standalone game, anyone with a Netflix account can jump in and play. FIFA President Gianni Infantino hailed the collaboration with Netflix as a “major milestone” in reaching fans through new technology. The aim, he said, is to usher in a “new era for soccer video games” by leveraging Netflix’s global platform. For Netflix, which has been steadily growing its interactive entertainment offerings, securing the FIFA license is a significant step into the world of sports gaming.
What to Expect: World Cup Experience for All
Accessible Gameplay: The new FIFA game is being designed with accessibility and broad appeal in mind. Players will not need expensive consoles or high-end PCs – all you need is a Netflix subscription and a smartphone. Netflix plans to make the game playable on mobile devices and even on TV screens via the Netflix app (using your phone as a controller). The goal is to lower the barrier to entry for a soccer video game. “We want to bring football back to its roots with something everyone can play with just the touch of a button,” explained Alain Tascan, Netflix’s Vice President of Games, underscoring that ease-of-play is a core focus.
Gameplay and Features: While specific gameplay footage or screenshots haven’t been revealed yet, the title is described as a football simulation game that captures the “emotion and drama” of the World Cup. Netflix and FIFA promise it will be “fast to learn, thrilling to master, and built for anyone to jump in.” This suggests an emphasis on pick-up-and-play fun rather than an ultra-detailed simulator, making it inviting for newcomers and casual gamers. The game will support both solo play and online multiplayer, so fans can either take on the AI or compete with friends. Given its World Cup theme, players can likely expect to see the official tournament content – all 48 qualified national teams, authentic kits, and the real World Cup 2026 stadiums across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Though these details haven’t been formally confirmed, it would follow the tradition of past World Cup video games to include official teams and venues for authenticity.
Development Team: FIFA has entrusted this project to Delphi Interactive, a relatively new studio that will develop and publish the game. Delphi Interactive might not be a household name yet, but it comes with some noteworthy credentials. The studio’s founders – CEO Casper Daugaard and President Andy Kleinman – are industry veterans who describe themselves as lifelong FIFA fans. In fact, Delphi has been involved in the development of the upcoming James Bond game “Project 007,” indicating experience with high-profile franchises. In a joint statement, Delphi’s leadership said their mission is to create the most “fun, approachable, and global football game ever created,” signaling that they intend to rethink the classic FIFA formula from the ground up. For players, this could mean a fresh take on how a soccer video game looks and feels, possibly with streamlined controls and a more intuitive design to welcome everyone.
Timing: The launch is strategically timed for summer 2026, when World Cup fever will be at its peak. The tournament kicks off on June 11, 2026, and Netflix has indicated the game will debut “next summer” in step with the event. More details and previews are expected in the coming months as the World Cup approaches. Notably, Netflix’s entry into gaming means this FIFA title won’t be sold in stores or played on traditional gaming hardware; instead, it will be found alongside movies and TV shows in Netflix’s catalog. Initially, the game will be available on select smart TVs and devices in certain countries (as Netflix rolls out its gaming service to televisions), with plans to expand availability over time. This is part of Netflix’s broader push to make games a seamless part of its streaming experience.
A New Challenger or a Different Game Altogether?
Ever since FIFA parted ways with EA Sports in 2022 over licensing disagreements, there has been speculation about if and how FIFA would attempt to rival EA’s football franchise. EA’s EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) remains a juggernaut in the sports gaming world, known for its realistic gameplay, cutting-edge graphics, and deep modes like Ultimate Team. So, is the new Netflix-backed FIFA game positioned as a direct competitor to EA Sports FC 25/26, or is it charting a different course?
All signs suggest that FIFA’s Netflix game is not trying to replicate or dethrone EA’s flagship simulation on its own turf, but rather to offer an alternative football gaming experience. The very nature of the platform and design philosophy indicates a different target audience. By prioritizing accessibility over granular simulation detail, the Netflix title seems aimed at casual players and a broader audience – including many who might never buy a console or dedicate hours to mastering a complex sports game. In practical terms, this won’t be a title where you build an ultimate fantasy team over months or micromanage tactics in a career mode. Instead, it’s being pitched as a game you can instantly jump into and enjoy, whether you’re a die-hard football fan or just someone caught up in World Cup excitement.
That doesn’t mean it lacks ambition. FIFA and Netflix are framing this collaboration as “the beginning of a new era of digital football”. With Netflix’s enormous user base (over 238 million subscribers worldwide) and FIFA’s globally recognized brand, the game has the potential to reach players well beyond the traditional gaming community. FIFA clearly sees the value in meeting fans where they are – which, for many people, is on streaming platforms and mobile devices. This strategy mirrors a broader trend of interactive entertainment merging with mainstream media platforms. It’s a big experiment: if successful, it could redefine how major sporting IPs approach video games, focusing on accessibility and mass engagement rather than competing head-to-head with console titles.
Industry analysts note that the timeline is tight and the scope is different. EA Sports famously pours years of development and massive budgets into each annual installment of its football series. By contrast, Delphi Interactive has a matter of months to deliver a polished game by summer 2026, though presumably development has been underway behind the scenes. The expectation is that this Netflix game will be smaller in scale and more limited in graphical realism compared to EA Sports FC. It might look and play more like a streamlined, perhaps slightly stylized soccer experience, optimized for streaming and quick play sessions. In short, FIFA’s new project is not on the same ambitious scale as an AAA console title – at least not in this inaugural outing.
FIFA’s Gaming Future: Beyond the Netflix Title
The Netflix collaboration is not the only venture FIFA has in the pipeline as it reboots its gaming presence. Earlier in the year, FIFA announced “FIFA Heroes,” a separate video game project that takes a very different approach to virtual football. FIFA Heroes is described as a 5-on-5 arcade-style soccer game featuring a mix of real players, famous mascots (including those from World Cup 2026), and even fictional characters. With over-the-top super abilities and cartoonish special moves, it’s a far cry from the traditional simulation – and indeed far more “arcadey” than EA’s offerings. Developed by a New York-based studio called Enver, FIFA Heroes is slated for release in 2026 on consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch) and mobile devices.
The existence of two distinct games – the Netflix simulation and the Heroes arcade title – shows that FIFA is casting a wide net and experimenting with different genres instead of directly mirroring EA’s classic formula. One is a broadly accessible streaming game tied to the World Cup, and the other is a whimsical cross-platform arcade game. Neither is a straight-up replacement for the old FIFA series, but together they indicate FIFA’s strategy: to engage fans through multiple channels and styles. It appears FIFA is less interested in an immediate head-to-head showdown with EA and more interested in finding new angles in the football gaming space that had been dominated by a single franchise.
