Electronic Arts (EA) Sports has announced the upcoming edition of the long-running football simulation, revealing that it will hit stores on September 30 with a wave of major innovations. For the first time, players will see women’s clubs from both the English and French leagues included, expanding the roster to 24 new teams and broadening the game’s international footprint. This inclusion marks a significant step for visibility and competition across women’s soccer within the franchise, appealing to fans across Canada and the United States who follow the sport closely.
The game will also feature rights to the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, granting players a broad set of authentic competitions to pursue. This approach strengthens the game’s connection to real-world events, giving players the chance to recreate and influence memorable moments from two consecutive global tournaments.
A centerpiece of the new release is an evolution of HyperMotion2 technology designed to enhance facial recognition and on-field realism. The developers describe the upgrade as a means to capture professional athletes in high-intensity matches, translating millions of data points into real-time, more lifelike animations and responsive player behaviors. This leap aims to deliver a more immersive experience for fans who value authentic movement, expressions, and on-pitch dynamics during matches, whether playing solo or with friends online from North America.
Representatives from EA Sports emphasize that the next installment will push the boundaries of interactivity. The company notes that the technology collects data from both men’s and women’s teams training and competing at elite levels, converting that information into smoother, more believable player interactions. For gamers in Canada and the United States, this could translate into more natural dribbling, passing, defending, and goal celebrations that reflect the broad spectrum of playing styles across leagues around the world.
Another notable feature is cross-game connectivity. The plan allows online play between consoles across different platforms and generations, enabling friends to squad up regardless of their hardware choice. In practical terms, that means a player on a newer console can team up with someone who owns a different generation of hardware, removing a common barrier to multiplayer cooperation and competition for households that may have made gradual upgrades over time. This cross-play capability is positioned as a key selling point for NA audiences who value social play and shared experiences with teammates and rivals alike.
In an enduring move toward a broader, more inclusive catalog, FIFA 23 marks the final FIFA edition bearing the well-known name. The announcement notes that EA Sports and FIFA signed an alliance that began nearly three decades ago will conclude after this release, signaling a transition period for fans as the franchise pivots to new branding strategies in the future. For fans who have tracked the series through the years, this departure underscores a turning point in how official licensing and on-field licensing will shape the soccer video game landscape in the coming era, including potential shifts in how leagues and teams are represented in subsequent titles.