Clubs, leagues and licenses

Licensing is the franchise's moat, and it was assembled piece by piece: national teams first in 1993, every FIFA member nation in FIFA 98, then club leagues, kits, stadiums and player likenesses layered on over decades. The UEFA Champions League was the famous gap — Konami held it from 2008 until the deal expired, and EA integrated it across FIFA 19.

Crucially, most rights were always held directly with leagues, clubs, players' unions and UEFA rather than through FIFA itself, which is why the FC rebrand lost the name and World Cup branding but kept the game intact: EA launched FC 24 citing more than 19,000 licensed players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues, including exclusive partnerships with the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A and MLS. FC 27-era reporting puts the count above 21,000 players and 800+ clubs.