Why Netflix's new FIFA World Cup game with daily real-world updates is a massive deal for football fans

Netflix is entering the football gaming space in a way nobody quite expected. On June 11, the same day the FIFA Men's World Cup kicks off, the streaming platform will release "FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition" -- a phone-controlled, TV-playable football game built by Delphi Interactive, the studio behind "007 First Light."

All 48 teams, 16 stadiums, and 1,248 players from the tournament are included, free for any Netflix subscriber, with no in-app purchases.

What exactly is the Netflix FIFA Game and how does it work?

This is not a traditional football simulation. Netflix is positioning the game as an accessible, pick-up-and-play experience-- your phone becomes the controller, no console required. Scan a QR code, and you're in. Up to four players can join locally. The game will also update daily throughout the tournament, adding challenges and features that mirror real-world results.

The in-game economy runs on coins earned through gameplay and daily challenges, which can be used to upgrade players. There are no microtransactions, which is a deliberate departure from how most mobile sports games operate. At launch, Netflix plans to push the game to every subscriber's home screen globally.A limited test begins in Brazil on Thursday, with a full rollout on June 11 across 20+ markets including the US, UK, France, Germany, Australia, and South Africa.

Why did FIFA move away from EA Sports?

FIFA's split with EA Sports in 2023 was a reset, not a retreat. Since then, FIFA has signed partnerships with Roblox, Epic Games, Konami, SEGA/Sports Interactive, and now Netflix. The Roblox collaboration alone generated 20 million gameplay sessions during the Club World Cup launch event last year, with over 10 million monthly active users on FIFA Super Soccer as of December.The strategy is deliberate. FIFA's own research identifies ages 8 to 12 as the window when sports fandom tends to form.

Getting children onto platforms they already use - Roblox, Netflix, mobile -- is the entire point. Gaming, alongside parental influence and live football, ranks among the top reasons kids become football fans. FIFA knows this, and it's acting on it.Through its Konami partnership, FIFA has also maintained a presence in esports, which was formally written into the FIFA Statutes in 2024 — a signal of how seriously the organisation takes competitive gaming as part of its long-term structure.

Can the New FIFA Game compete with EA FC?

EA FC is not the target, at least not directly. EA FC Mobile has operated since 2016 and launched its own World Cup game mode, "The World's Game," last weekend. Competing head-to-head on that front would be a losing battle in the short term, and FIFA seems to understand that.The wider ambition is a "broader digital football ecosystem" -- one that spans genres, platforms, and age groups. FIFA already has FIFA Rivals and FIFA Heroes on mobile app stores.

A manager mode integration with the Netflix title is in development, along with additional non-simulation titles. A high-budget console release is not off the table, but there are no immediate plans.The real benchmark for FIFA isn't market share against EA FC. It's brand relevance with the next generation of fans — many of whom live in markets where a PlayStation or Xbox is simply out of reach. With Netflix available in over 190 countries, a free, phone-based football game is one of the more logical ways to get there.