FIFA’s Post-EA Comeback: Netflix to Launch a Reimagined Football Game for the 2026 World Cup

FIFA ended its nearly 30-year partnership with EA in 2022, after which EA rebranded its football empire as EA Sports FC, while FIFA has yet to deliver a canonical football simulation to rival it. Now Netflix has announced that FIFA’s first football simulation in the “post-EA era” will be released exclusively under the Netflix Games banner, described as a reimagined football simulation developed by Delphi Interactive and slated for 2026 to align with the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Netflix describes the project as a simulation game, but details released so far suggest it may depart from the hardcore experiences of FIFA 23 or EA FC 24, notably in its touchscreen-centric control scheme that uses smartphones as controllers. According to Delphi Interactive CEO Caspar Daugaard, the aim is to “allow anyone, anywhere, to pick up the game easily and immediately feel the magic of football,” signalling a simplified, party-game sensibility.

Since parting with EA, FIFA has floated various partnerships, including rumours of 2K Games that never materialised, with recent licensing pathways veering toward smaller, arcade-like or blockchain-oriented titles such as FIFA Rivals and FIFA Heroes. Delphi’s task is to leverage the FIFA brand to deliver a low-barrier, highly interactive experience tailored for Netflix subscribers, with Netflix reorienting its games division after 2025 toward party-style titles and adaptations of film and television properties.