The American journalist Jeff Grubb had it right: EA announced today that from 2023 it will bid farewell to the FIFA license, which for 30 years has accompanied the football titles of the Californian house, consequently adopting a new name for the sports franchise: EA Sports FC.

EA also reassures fans, explaining that this will not result in the loss of teams, leagues, championships and stadiums that have so far enriched the series, which will return more substantial than ever starting next year. Here is the official statement:

---

Today, Electronic Arts Inc. has announced that in 2023 its world-famous football games will continue under a new brand: EA SPORTS FCâ„¢. This move will allow EA to offer the world's largest interactive sports experience for its growing community in partnership with more than 300 partners in the world of football.

EA SPORTS FC™ will be EA's platform to innovate, create and create new experiences. The platform will usher in more areas of the sport to life, and harness the collective strength of more than 150 million players engaged in EA SPORTS' global soccer games today – as well as reach hundreds of millions of new fans in the years to come.

"Our vision for EA SPORTS FC™ is to create the largest and most impactful soccer club in the world, at the epicenter of football fandom," said Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts. "For nearly 30 years, we have built the world's largest football community – with hundreds of millions of players, thousands of athlete partners and hundreds of leagues, federations and teams. EA SPORTS FC™ will be the club for each of them, and for football fans around the world."

EA SPORTS FCâ„¢ brings the strength of over 300 individually licensed partners, giving players access to more than 19,000 athletes across 700 teams, in 100 stadiums and over 30 leagues around the world. Through EA SPORTS FCâ„¢, EA will further increase the reach and power of its football licensing portfolio by maintaining and expanding licensed football content, scaling new experiences, and increasing access across multiple platforms. EA will be built on a principle of inclusiveness and innovate new areas related to women's football and grassroots football for the global community.

The introduction of EA SPORTS FCâ„¢ will have no impact on current EA SPORTS global soccer games, and EA and FIFA are excited to offer the largest and most expansive EA SPORTSâ„¢ FIFA ever in the fall. Our FIFA final product will also include more game modes, features, teams, leagues, players and competitions than any previous edition. Fans will be able to experience these innovations across the EA SPORTS FIFAâ„¢ ecosystem, including FIFA Mobile, FIFA Online 4, and eSports.

Wilson added: "We are grateful for our many years of great collaboration with FIFA. The future of global football is very bright, and fandom around the world has never been stronger. We have an incredible opportunity to put EA SPORTS FCâ„¢ at the heart of the sport and to bring even more innovative and authentic experiences to the wider football audience."

EA has developed the largest and most comprehensive network of partnerships and licenses in sports – all with the aim of delivering a truly immersive experience to fans around the world. EA SPORTS FC™ will be the only place where fans can play in the iconic UEFA Champions League, UEFAEuropa League, CONMEBOL Libertadores, Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A and MLS and many more. The breadth and depth of EA's licensed content ecosystem will allow us to deliver unparalleled authenticity in EA SPORTS football games, now and for many years to come.

More information about EA SPORTS FCâ„¢ will be available in the summer of 2023.