FIFA has announced a fresh partnership with Konami Group ADR (OTC:KONMY), marking the return of the FIFAe World Cup tournament.

This collaboration signals a significant shift, as the tournament will now feature Konami's free-to-play title eFootball, following the conclusion of FIFA's 29-year partnership with Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ:EA) in 2022.

Later this year, eFootball will host two FIFAe World Cup events, one on mobile and another on console. Qualifying matches start today, and they will crown champions at the end of each tournament.

An Inclusive Global Competition

This year's tournament invites 18 nations to compete in the finals. These include Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, England, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea Republic, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand, and Türkiye.

"We are very pleased to be able to contribute to the promotion of eFootball in a new dimension through this collaboration with FIFAe. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to FIFA for providing us with this opportunity," said Koji Kobayashi, senior executive officer at Konami.

Konami's Ambitions In Esports

EFootball is the successor to Konami's long-running Pro Evolution Soccer series, which concluded after nearly three decades.

Since its pivot to a free-to-play model in 2019, eFootball has grown substantially, surpassing 700 million downloads worldwide.

FIFA's Chief Business Officer Romy Gai stated: "We are incredibly excited to join forces with Konami. This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to promote football globally and to provide a platform for players to showcase their skills. We truly believe in an inclusive ecosystem which allows different communities to be part of the FIFAe competitions."

FIFA's exploration of esports partnerships has been on the rise. Earlier this year, the organization also announced a FIFAe World Cup tournament for Rocket League.

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