The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, FIFA, will reenter the world of video games thanks to a new collaboration with Netflix Games and developer and publisher Delphi Interactive.
Revealed by release on Dec. 17, the new FIFA football simulation game will be available exclusively on Netflix Games, giving players a chance to experience the FIFA World Cup 2026
After a three-year absence, the return of FIFA to the video game arena comes as no surprise, but its choice of publisher and developer has been surprising. Netflix Games is an online game platform tied to the Netflix subscription service.
Over the past few years, Netflix Games has published and republished several titles on its platform including Dead Cells, Football Manager 2024, Bloons TD 6, Red Dead Redeption, and Braid. But its’ pioneered its own tie ins including Squid Game: Unleashed, Stranger Things x Puzzled, and Stranger Things 3: The Game.
In a new partnership with Delphi Interactive, who states on their website to be “the architects behind 007 FIRST LIGHT with IO Interactive,” Netflix Games will now bring FIFA back to the screens of gamers for the first time in years.
Alain Tascan, president of games at Netflix, explained the significance:
“The FIFA World Cup is going to be the cultural event of 2026, and now fans will be able to celebrate their fandom by bringing the game right into their living rooms. We want to bring football back to its roots with something everyone can play with just the touch of a button.”
Gianni Infantino also celebrated the collaboration:
“FIFA is very excited to team up with Netflix Games and Delphi Interactive ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. This major collaboration is a key milestone in FIFA’s commitment to innovation in the football gaming space, which aspires to reach billions of football fans of all ages everywhere in the world and will be redefining the pure notion of simulation games.”
“Our reimagined game truly marks the beginning of a new era of digital football. It will be available for free to Netflix members and is a great historic step for FIFA.”
FIFA had arguably been the biggest name in sports video games for decades due to the title of the same name published by EA. However, in 2023, FIFA’s licence expired with neither side able to agree on pricing. In a May 2022 interview, EA’s then vice president Daniel Jackson explained that money was a factor, but also licensing restrictions. The alleged price for the FIFA licence at that time was $1 billion per four-year World Cup cycle.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will reportedly launch in 2026.
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Featured Image Credit: Netflix
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