EA Sports has had a long association with major international tournaments, producing officially licensed football video games for a number of World Cups and European Championships.
While there was a World Cup 2018 expansion download for FIFA 18, there will be no Euro 2020 download for FIFA 21 this summer, just as there was no Euro 2016 mode on FIFA 16.
So why is that the case? Goal brings you everything you need to know, including how to play the official UEFA game.
Why is Euro 2020 not on FIFA 21?
FIFA 21 will not feature the Euro 2020 tournament, which may come as a disappointment to loyal fans of the franchise.
The reason is because Konami - EA Sports' rival - secured an exclusive partnership with UEFA for eFootball PES 2020 to be the official European Championship video game. The postponement of the tournament to summer 2021 has meant this been added as a mode in eFootball PES 2021.
The partnership between Konami and UEFA was first announced August 2019 and the new eFootball PES 2021 season update included the Euro 2020 tournament from launch.
Rather than release a new version of the Pro Evolution Soccer, the 2021 edition was released as a Season Update to PES 2020, with Konami confirming the update would boast "the latest player and club data for the new season and include the exclusive Euro 2020 mode and content in advance of the rescheduled real-life tournament."
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Konami also had an official licensing deal with UEFA for Euro 2016, releasing a downloadable update as well as standalone physical and digital copies.
That game, which featured Gareth Bale as a cover star, had 15 officially licensed teams, with the remaining nine teams appearing as generic versions of themselves.
What will the eFootball PES 2021 Euro 2020 update have?
- Euro 2020 competition in Cup Mode.
- All 55 UEFA national teams
- Latest kits and squads
- Wembley Stadium
- Saint Petersburg Stadium
- Official Henri Delaunay trophy
- Official Euro 2020 matchday ball
The Euro 2020 version of eFootball PES 2021 will allow gamers to play their own version of UEFA's European Championship and they will be able to do so with any of the federation's 55 member teams.
All the latest kits and squads were to be made available in the official download, with additions such as Saint Petersburg Stadium and Wembley Stadium, the latter of which is due to host the semi-finals and final.
As part of the immersive experience, the game update will have the official matchday ball of Euro 2020, as well as a realistic representation of the tournament trophy - the Henry Delaunay cup.
It is expected that the update will be made available once all 24 participants have named their squads for the tournament, which will then be reflected in the in-game rosters in eFootball PES 2021.
Konami
How can I get the eFootball PES Euro 2020 game?
In order to play the Euro 2020 eFootball PES game, you can purchase eFootball PES 2021 as a standalone game or as a Season Update download for PES 2020.
As this year's edition of Pro Evolution Soccer is an update rather than a brand-new game, it is cheaper than usual, retailing at less than £20/$20.
Konami decided not to release a proper game this year as it will allow them to fully focus on developing the best game possible for next-gen consoles with the release of eFootball PES 2022.
When will Euro 2020 take place?
Euro 2020 will now begin on June 11, 2021 and conclude on July 11, 2021.
The tournament had originally been scheduled to take place in June and July 2020, but UEFA was forced to postpone due to the severity of the global coronavirus pandemic.
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