Bear with me here. It’s been a while since I’ve played a soccer video game. Back in the old PlayStation 2 days, the choice was between Electronic Arts’ FIFA series and Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer. All the footy fans knew: FIFA was the better-looking game because of its licensing agreements with soccer’s main governing body, but PES was the one with the better gameplay. That made me a PES partisan, but the switch to PlayStation 4 resulted in PES being rebranded to eFootball and its gameplay becoming much worse for some reason.
So, we’re left with FIFA, which is now named EA FC. However, Konami’s blundering isn’t why I’m reviewing the competing series’ latest entry. No, I’m reviewing EA FC 25 because EA has installed a greatly expanded roster of women’s players and teams. In itself, that’s reason enough to buy up this video game for the holiday season.
Having women’s players is not exactly new for FIFA/EA FC — the 2020 version of the game included women’s teams but only national ones. The real catalyst came last year, when EA FC 24’s Ultimate Team Mode included women players from the past. That proved so popular that this year’s edition has not only current national teams but the entire top flights of women’s leagues in England, France, Germany, Spain, and America, plus a sprinkling of other countries’ clubs such as Ajax and Juventus. You can play whole seasons with the Houston Dash or pit them against the best teams in Europe. That, I hope, will make up for the fact that FC 25 contains only 14 national squads, with the likes of Japan, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Italy, and all of Africa omitted. Playing your own version of the Women’s World Cup will suffer because of that.
If you are new to a sport, playing a video game can be a great way to acquire knowledge of its players. (At least if you believe the stats. Most professional athletes will tell you that their video game statistics don’t do them justice.) I played as the Washington Spirit, an NWSL team that I was not familiar with, and I found Trinity Rodman repeatedly running free alongside my attackers and presenting herself for easy tap-in goals, something she did less easily when I was playing with her on the U.S. women’s team. Barcelona’s offense runs more smoothly than any national side’s, with their Spanish players augmented by striker Ewa Pajor (Poland), right winger Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway), left back Fridolina Rolfö (Sweden), and midfielder Keira Walsh (England).
Some of the game’s other new features I could do without, like the commentators throwing the audio to reporter Alex Scott for updates on games played elsewhere. It’s true that you will hear those while watching a broadcast of an IRL domestic league or Champions League match, but I really don’t need the distraction of hearing that Erling Haaland converted a penalty somewhere else while I’m trying to manufacture a late game-winner against my current opponent. Also, the instant replays from the players’ point of view do nothing for me, although it is cool when we see the referees’ POV as they lay down the white spray for free kicks and move players in the defensive wall back 10 meters away from the spot.
Some well-known coaches from men’s soccer show up in the game as well, and the avatar of Liverpool’s new head coach, Arne Slot, bears a spooky resemblance to the real-life bald Dutchman. Beat Fenerbahçe badly in a big match, and you might just see José Mourinho throwing a sideline tantrum. I’d find that sweeter than winning the World Cup.
The Ultimate Team mode has a new crop of great players (men’s and women’s) from the past, and I’ve always had a soft spot for this feature on soccer video games because they help me learn about the sport’s history through players who came before my time. You can sign up Julie Foudy, the midfield general of that 1999 USA team, or shore up your defense with France’s Laura Georges and Germany’s Nadine Angerer, who was legitimately badass. It’s all enough to make me consider treating myself to a PS5 for Christmas. I haven’t even tried the game’s mode where I create my own player. A whole new rabbit hole has opened up and is calling my name.
