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EA Sports unveiled sweeping plans to invest in the future of women’s football, both in-game and on the pitch. The UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) and EA Sports teamed up to provide greater opportunities and representation in the best-selling franchise.
The UWCL and EA Sports announced that multi-year collaboration. Teams and players from the best women’s football league in Europe will be available in-game in early 2023. These include Juventus Women, Real Madrid Femenino, Chelsea Women, Manchester City Women, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, Paris Saint-Germain Féminine and more.
At launch, FIFA featured 23 teams from England and France’s top women’s football leagues as playable clubs. EA Sports kept their promise that more sororities would be added over time. In a press release, Nadine Kessler, UEFA’s head of women’s football, said: “It feels like a natural fit for the world’s best women’s club competition to be part of the world’s leading football simulation game.”
EA Sports will also support the UWCL with its marketing budget. The developer has signed a multi-year agreement with DAZN to become the UWCL’s global broadcast partner. The partnership will kick off in March for the UWCL quarterfinals. The UWCL clubs will launch simultaneously in FIFA 23.
To further commit to the future of the women’s game, EA Sports will contribute $11 million to the Starting XI Fund. This capital will go into investment in games, leagues, clubs and athletes that will elevate women in football. In addition, EA Sports funds a women’s internship program with each new and existing partner in the women’s league. The aim of these internships is to inspire young women from different backgrounds and provide opportunities to get involved in football.
Recently, Electronic Arts and FIFA broke up. It’s unclear whether this split – and the future rebranding of the franchises to EA Sports FC – paved the way for UWCL’s inclusion in the series. In any case, EA Sports can see this deal as a sound investment as the franchise moves into uncertain territory.
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