FIFA Infinity The Absolute FIFA Site
FIFA—oh, sorry, it’s called EAFC now. It’s the soccer video game every gamer has played at least once or twice. Even with the US having its own sports culture, the global soccer phenomenon has woven its way into the stateside narrative of sports gaming culture.
One of the keys to the growth of soccer in the US comes through the soccer betting sites – much like the WNBA, if there’s a way to gamble on the game easily then it does attract more viewers. With this in mind, how popular is EAFC 25 expected to be in the US in the upcoming cycle, especially when there’s two American Football releases to contend with Madden and College Football.
The Sales Figures Don’t Lie
While the numbers for EAFC 25 aren’t out just yet, the data for EAFC 24 still makes for pleasing reading for the American marketing team at EA Sports. EAFC 24 was the second highest-grossing game in the US.
While this overarching comment doesn’t illustrate the entire picture, it indicates two possible realities:
- A: The game has a huge player population in the United States.
- B: The game has an incredibly passionate pool of players who spend a lot of money on it, within its various pay-to-play means.
Why is the Game Gaining Traction in the US?
Do you know what has always been popular and successful? The United States Women’s National Soccer Team. However, FIFA (now EAFC) players have only been to play as their favorite USWNT players in the last few releases. Now that American players can fully immerse themselves in the USWNT team and the NWSL (the local league for women in the US), there is a massive market for those who wish to play the game.
Of course, that should be held in tandem with the men’s game. Major League Soccer has been steadily growing over the last decade and, of course, has had a significant spike in interest with the investment of Inter Miami, owned by David Beckham, who has attracted Lionel Messi and a superstar entourage to the club.
Overall, the US team has also been performing much better recently – having qualified for five of the last six World Cups and made it past the group stage in four. This is an emerging team with a better showing on the global stage and lots of national players in top European teams, like Weston McKennie at Juventus, Brendan Aaronson with Leeds United, and Kevin Paredes on the VfL Wolfsburg roster – that fans want to play with on their video games.
Comparison to NFL and American Football Video Games
To some Americans, the only variation of football is played with helmets and excessive advertisements. Of course, this is the doldrums of the NFL product. Unfortunately for the fans of this sport, this year, two releases for the very same sport, both made by EA Sports, have been presented.
Madden NFL 25 is the conventional release that gamers already anticipate, where players recreate their favorite NFL fixtures and players with the top teams. There’s even a distinguished e-sports league for it!
For those who never stopped believing…
🔗: https://t.co/XThgmoRGBc pic.twitter.com/itADCk482F
— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) July 15, 2024
However, this year, gamers are also getting the release of…EA Sports College Football 25. Now, players can play as amateur college teams, and the stars of the youth setups can compete in their respective divisions. Does anyone need or want this outside of the United States? It seems illogical that two distinct games exist for the same sport, especially considering that the same company has made them.
For comparison, EAFC offers a better immersion as players can start with an academy player at a chosen team, climb the ranks, and become world-beaters in the best teams. All without the need to swap software packages.
E-Sports Popularity…Proves It
If you used to be good at games in the 1990s and early 2000s, it was that you’d spend countless hours as a bit of recluse in your basement playing these games by yourself. However, with the advent of online gaming, that’s no longer the case – this progression has seen games go online and develop into E-Sports. An interesting development has also seen the best soccer betting sites in the USA branching out into E-sports, and more specifically, EAFC/FIFA.
Esports News UK is a decent authority on the topic and, in August 2024, published a list of the most popular e-sports games. EAFC ranked fourth, only below Dota, League of Legends, and Fortnite—impressively above Counter-Strike, Valorant, and any American Football release. Given that the US is listed as the largest country for e-sports participation, there are undoubtedly more than a few of them playing EAFC 24 and now EAFC 25.
While many of the top EAFC e-sports players are typically from European countries, like Anders Vejrgang, Jonas Wirth, and Emre Yilmaz, who are considered to be among the best players, there are considerable US talents like Ehsan Zakeri, Christopher Holly, and Dylan Russo, who all rank within the top 200 players.
