FIFAe Finals Confirmed for 2025 and 2026 in Riyadh with Multi-Title Esports Showdown

Image Credit: the FIFAe Finals

FIFAe has officially confirmed the return of its flagship esports event—the FIFAe Finals—for both 2025 and 2026.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will once again be the event’s host city from December 10 to 19, 2025, underscoring the Kingdom’s growing role as a major esports hub.

The FIFAe Finals 2025 will feature three distinct global competitions: the FIFAe World Cup™ featuring Rocket League, and the FIFAe World Cups for eFootball™ on mobile and console.

These tournaments will crown three world champions, each representing a different format of digital football on a global stage.

This continuation comes after two years of successful collaboration between FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF). Building on their strong partnership, both organizations aim to further expand the FIFAe ecosystem by offering a recurring platform for competition, fan engagement, and development of football esports.

Christian Volk, Director of eFootball & Gaming at FIFA, shared that incorporating free-to-play titles and locking in multi-year plans helps lower barriers to entry and create a broader competitive landscape.

Meshal Alqabbani, Products Executive Director at SEF, emphasized that hosting the finals through 2026 is more than just a commitment—it’s a statement of intent. “We want to build exceptional experiences for players and fans alike,” he said, noting how this milestone reinforces Saudi Arabia’s position as a global esports leader under Vision 2030.

The decision to continue the FIFAe Finals follows the strong success of the 2024 edition, which drew the highest peak viewership for a sports simulation event last year. That event was also the first to feature multiple game titles, marking a major shift in FIFA’s esports strategy following its split from EA Sports in 2022.

Previously, FIFA and EA collaborated for nearly two decades on esports events tied exclusively to EA’s FIFA game. But after the licensing agreement ended in 2022, FIFA launched the FIFAe World Cup as part of a broader pivot. Rather than rely on one title, the governing body diversified by incorporating games like Rocket League and Konami’s eFootball, across both mobile and console platforms.

This shift also gave FIFA full ownership of its tournament structure, branding, sponsorships, and broadcast rights, allowing it to independently grow the FIFAe Finals as a premier esports festival.

Last year’s winners included Saudi Arabia for Rocket League, Indonesia for console eFootball, and Malaysia for mobile eFootball.

To widen access further, the 2025 FIFAe Finals will include an extended open qualification period featuring localized and regional events, with more FIFA Member Associations invited to participate.

Qualification details, along with registration info, are available at FIFA.GG. The 2025 event will host 16 national teams in Rocket League, and 12 teams each in the mobile and console eFootball competitions.

FIFA says more details, including ticketing and venue information, will be revealed later this year.