The FIFAe Finals will take place in Saudi Arabia in 2025 and 2026. While titles will be contested in Rocket League and eFootball, there will be no World Cup in Football Manager, at least not in 2025.
From December 10 to 19, 2025, FIFA will be looking for three new world champions. Titles will be contested in the console and mobile versions of eFootball, as well as in Rocket League. Once again, the FIFAe Finals will be held in Riyadh. This venue is also likely to be confirmed for 2026 as part of a partnership with the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF).
“The feedback from fans after last year’s event was incredible and confirmed our vision of providing football eSports with a home for a range of different communities,” said Christian Volk, Director of eFootball and Gaming at FIFA. The extension of the SEF partnership “underlines the shared ambitions of all involved and enables us to continue developing the competition structure in a sustainable manner to offer fans and players the best possible experience.”
Premiere titles go to Asia
The event debuted in its current form at the end of 2024. At that time, the eFootball titles went to Malaysia and Indonesia. In Rocket League, the Saudi Arabian host prevailed in impressive fashion. The German Rocket League selection had to throw in the towel in the group stage. No German participants were allowed in eFootball.
In 2025, FIFA and Konami want to make the entry requirements less restrictive. All FIFA members will be able to take part in the competitions and send official representatives to the tournament. However, the road to the final event in Riyadh is long. Only three console and two mobile players from Europe will make it to Saudi Arabia. Konami has already provided some initial details.
Football Manager must take a break
Football Manager fans, on the other hand, are left completely empty-handed. FM is not part of the FIFAe Finals – and is unlikely to see any World Cup action this year. In 2024, the game from Sports Interactive made its big eSports debut as part of FIFAe Next Gen in Liverpool. Germany finished as runners-up.
The fact that there will be no sequel in 2025 is primarily due to the cancellation of FM 25. A World Cup would either have to take place again in Football Manager 24 or after the release of FM 26, which has not yet been scheduled. Since the management simulation is likely to be released in November, as usual, it would be difficult to hold qualifiers by mid-December.
To make matters worse, the upcoming spin-off of the series will bring with it a technical revolution. The switch to the Unity Engine, already announced for 2023, is likely to challenge not only developer Sports Interactive. From the players’ perspective, too, a lot is set to change. Accordingly, a phase of familiarization would make sense before a serious eSports competition. FIFAe events in FM are therefore not expected to return until 2026.
