About six months since its release, EA Sports is bringing two more women’s football leagues to FIFA 23. Starting March 15, the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) will be accessible in the marquee football simulator. The leagues, their respective teams, and game modes will be available as a free update and will rely on the same Hypermotion2 technology driving realistic gameplay in FIFA 23. Going forward, the leagues will remain a part of the franchise, even as it rebrands to ‘EA Sports FC.’
At launch, FIFA 23 added two major women’s leagues to the mix — the Barclays Women’s Super League and the French Division 1 Féminine — which is now being expanded upon. “The NWSL’s integration into EA SPORTS FIFA 23 is a monumental milestone for the league, the players, and millions of football fans around the world as we continue pushing boundaries for the women’s game,” Jessica Berman, Commissioner, NWSL said in a prepared statement. Before the real-life NWSL kicks off on March 25, FIFA 23 players can test out the league via all 12 teams, which will be present within the Kick-Off, Tournament, Seasons (both Head-to-Head and Co-op), and Online Friendlies modes. Four new stadiums are promised as part of the free DLC update, alongside kits, trophies, and celebrations.
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No matter what mode you play in, as long as both teams are from the same league, FIFA 23 will present an authentic match broadcast experience, featuring tailored cutscenes. Meanwhile, the Tournament mode functions similarly to other leagues, wherein players can pick one team to start their NSWL campaign, direct them through the season to life the NSWL Shield, and eventually partake in the playoffs to emerge as champions.
Circling back to the Women’s Champions League (UWCL), in addition to the existing European football clubs, FIFA 23 will give you four additional options to choose from — Real Madrid C.F., Vfl Wolfsburg, Juventus, and Eintracht Frankfurt. Here, Kick-Off will let players start their journey from the semi-final stage or head directly into the grand finals stage. Whereas, the Tournament mode begins from the quarter-finals, from where you gradually progress your quest to become the champion. For now, there is no confirmation on whether the inclusion of these new leagues will bring more unlockable achievements or trophies to FIFA 23.
A report from last month suggested that EA Sports was close to signing a $588 million (about Rs. 4,825 crore) agreement for licensing rights to all 20 English Premier League clubs. The six-year-long agreement will see EA Sports as a key partner for the EPL and is reportedly worth over double the existing agreement between the publisher and the footballing league. As it turns out, EA was looking to part ways with FIFA, after the latter reportedly demanded $1 billion (about Rs. 8,208 crore) every four years to retain the title. Both parties failed to agree on the terms, leading to EA renaming its annual football simulator as ‘EA Sports FC,’ starting this year.
Both UWCL and NWSL will be available on FIFA 23 as a free update, starting March 15. The game is available to purchase on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.
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