Manchester City’s Haaland Will Feature on First EA Sports FC Cover

Erling Haaland of Manchester City will be the first cover star of EA Sports FC following the conclusion of the three-decade partnership between FIFA and the widely popular football game.

Sam Kerr of Chelsea and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain, who were both featured on the FIFA 23 cover the previous year, have been replaced as the game’s faces by Haaland, 22.

The Norwegian international wins the award after helping City win a treble of Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup titles during his historic first season with the club.

In just 35 appearances, he scored 36 goals for City, setting a Premier League record for a single season since the division’s inception in 1992. Of his 52 goals for City, 36 came in the Premier League.

Standing in front of a giant screen displaying him on the cover at the launch event in Amsterdam, he said in typically understated fashion: “It’s nice; it’s a dream. … It’s incredibly nice to be on the cover.”

After failing to reach a new licensing agreement, Electronic Arts announced last year that it would stop producing its football simulation game bearing the FIFA name. This marked the end of one of soccer’s most fruitful and successful partnerships.

Instead, in September, the California-based business will introduce EA Sports FC.

Despite not being able to include FIFA content, such as the World Cup, EA Sports FC will continue to hold licensing agreements with premier leagues like the Premier League, La Liga, and Bundesliga, as well as the men’s and women’s UEFA Champions Leagues.

Reference: www.espn.com