Is there a FIFA World Cup video game in 2022? History of official tournament game on PlayStation and Xbox

The final countdown to the 2022 FIFA World Cup is on — and for those of us who can’t see their team win the real thing, attention turns to the virtual field. 

EA Sports, of course, publishes the world’s biggest football game annually, with the FIFA series, but also has a long tradition of making bespoke titles for major tournaments. 

Those tournaments usually take place at a perfect time for some fresh gaming impetus, late in the lifespan of an average FIFA entry. 

But with the Qatar World Cup commencing in November, questions have been raised over whether EA Sports will have the capacity (or, indeed, customers will have the appetite) for a secondary title releasing within just two months of the mainstream FIFA 23. 

MORE: FIFA 23: Standard vs. Ultimate edition? Explaining the differences

Will the World Cup be in FIFA 23? 

EA Sports have confirmed they will include the World Cup as a game mode within the FIFA 23 release, rather than release a standalone title timed around the Qatar tournament. 

FIFA 23 will include the men’s 2022 World Cup, in addition to the women’s 2023 World Cup, which takes place in Australia and New Zealand next year. 

Experience the pinnacle of international football with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ as post-launch content updates at no additional cost. Stay tuned for more details in the build-up to each tournament 

— FIFA 23 official website

The Vatreni have their eyes on the prize 🏆 🇭🇷🔥

Take @hns_cff to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and beyond in #FIFA23. Get a guaranteed, untradeable Ones to Watch Special Player Item in #FUT by Pre-Ordering 👉 https://t.co/th0YW48H0q pic.twitter.com/oWuejDwX27

— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) August 23, 2022

When is the World Cup mode coming to FIFA 23?

EA Sports have confirmed their World Cup update will be delivered on November 9 – well in advance of the actual tournament beginning. 

This update will be free for all users and available of all platforms aside from the Nintendo Switch. 

FIFA 23’s World Cup mode will feature all 32 teams that have qualified for Qatar but also allows users to add in teams that didn’t make it.

Can I play the World Cup on FIFA 22? 

There is no branded World Cup mode within FIFA 22. 

In the past, it was possible to use your imagination to a certain extent and create your own World Cup via a custom offline tournament. However, even this is not possible now, due to a whole heap of missing national teams. 

Which World Cup teams are on FIFA 22? 

Due to licensing issues, only 13 of the 29 currently-qualified teams are fully available to use on FIFA 22. Notably, there are no African or Asian nations present. Meanwhile, Brazil are featured with their official crest and kits, but without the real-world players. 

What was the last FIFA World Cup video game? 

In 2018, EA Sports elected not to release a standalone game for the tournament in Russia, instead having a mode as DLC (downloadable content). 

The DLC was released a couple of weeks ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup kicking off, featuring all 32 teams and 12 stadiums in a free update. 

The last standalone World Cup game came in 2014. However, it failed to capture the imagination after releasing only on PS3 and Xbox 360 — despite its predecessor, FIFA 14, having been released with its next-generation visuals on PS4 and Xbox One. 

On the plus side, the game was certainly comprehensive. Its ‘Road to Rio’ mode featured a total of 203 national teams, rather than just those in the Brazil finals, allowing gamers to play through the entire qualification process. 

How many FIFA World Cup video games have there been? 

There have been a total of 11 official games based on a specific World Cup tournament (three of which were Japanese releases from Konami in 1998), while a further two games have been produced during the qualification period.