Two more standalone World Cup games came after that in 2010 and 2014, but for the last two tournaments, EA and FIFA have relied on DLC instead. Logistically that has made sense, but the landscape is about to change. EA is going it alone, leaving FIFA behind in 2023. FIFA;s president is adamant the footballing world;s governing body will continue to launch games in the future, but so far the only evidence of that has been instantly forgettable titles that utilize blockchain technology FIFA 23 coins.
via FIFA
With the Qatar World Cup still ongoing at the time of typing this, FIFA has more than three years to figure out what it is going to do next when it comes to a World Cup game. Without EA making its football games, there won;t be a DLC option once the next tournament begins in North America in 2026. Now would be the best time to bring back the standalone World Cup game. A game they can make better than any that has come before it if the planning is done right.
The first and most important thing to do is finding a studio that can actually make the game. Easier said than done with EA out of the picture and Konami continuing to focus on eFootball for some reason. If FIFA can find someone to make a 2026 World Cup game for them, then it could be something pretty special. Include every national team and its players, if possible, and launch the game a full year before the World Cup begins. Not only will that keep it far enough away from the launch of the latest version of EA Sports FC, but it allows FIFA to build to the tournament for a full year through its game.
via EA
Once the tournament begins, roll out free DLC that updates the squads, adds the stadiums in which the actual World Cup games will be played if they haven;t already been included, and add a new World Cup mode in which players have to choose one of the 48 qualified teams. Yes, there will be 48 teams at the next World Cup. In defense of that decision, the twists and the upsets in Qatar might well back up the decision to expand the number of teams that make it into the tournament proper cheap FUT 23 coins. It;ll also make sure Italy has something to do in four years time.