eFootball: Konami retain MAJOR license, denting EA FC hopes

eFootball is stepping up, with a new season announced and a host of exciting updates arriving in the future.

We already know that Master League is set to drop in 2023, with Konami doing their best to spark some life into this game.

Now, with EA FC 24 just around the corner, the Japanese developer have made another move to spit EA, and this one is going to hurt big time.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the full details as Konami and Barcelona rekindle their partnership.

eFootball X Barcelona

Konami Digital Entertainment today announced the renewal of their partnership with FC Barcelona.

This will see the continuation of a partnership that began back in the 2016-17 season, and that sees KONAMI remain as the Official Football Video Game Partner of the Catalan club.

During the already seven-year strong partnership, FC Barcelona have enjoyed huge success, including 3 Spanish League titles and 5 domestic cup wins as well.

This renewal will see Konami retain multiple rights with FC Barcelona, including player access, media opportunities, and event exposure.

Naoki Morita, Konami Digital Entertainment B.V.’s European President, commented: 

‘It is very exciting to be announcing an extension to such a successful partnership. FC Barcelona are truly one of giants of world football, we are proud to have them as part of the eFootball series now and for the next few years thanks to this renewal.

To have secured a bright future that will include a multitude of commercial, image, and esports rights and activations is fantastic for KONAMI and for the eFootball™ series. We endeavour to keep evolving our product to bring the best user experience possible’.

Juli Guiu, FC Barcelona Vice President for Marketing, added: “We are very pleased to renew our agreement with KONAMI, a company that over the years has always demonstrated its commitment to FC Barcelona. KONAMI is a benchmark in the video game sector and will help us to forge new synergies with young audiences and to continue to explore possibilities in the realm of digital entertainment, a key sector for the expansion of our brand in the coming years.” 

Fans of FC Barcelona can still grace the historic turf of the Spotify Camp Nou exclusively in eFootball.

EA FC disaster

This news will come as a shock to EA FC 24 players, many of whom were hoping to see the Camp Nou return in EA's latest release.

After EA announced its sponsorship of the Spanish top flight, many were expecting the home of the Catalan giants to return, but this latest news from Konami confirms that this will not be the case.

As EA boasts its license portfolio in EA FC 24, Barcelona's renewal with Konami will no doubt come as a major blow.

Once again, EA's biggest sports title will be missing the fully licensed version of one of Europe's biggest clubs.