Now that the World Cup has wrapped up, EA’s begun sharing details for EA Sports FC 27, starting with its Ultimate Edition cover star.
EA has finally announced EA Sports FC 27 and it’s gearing up for a proper reveal this week, with a gameplay trailer to debut on Thursday, July 23 at 5pm BST.
There was a recent leak about the game’s release date and platforms (with news that it is allegedly still coming to last gen consoles), but for now EA has officially revealed who the cover star is for the Ultimate Edition.
Despite rumours claiming it would be Portuguese player and Fatal Fury: City Of The Wolves star Cristiano Ronaldo, EA has actually picked Kylian Mbappé, forward for Real Madrid and captain of France’s national team.
While EA boasts that this marks Mbappé’s EA Sports FC cover debut, that’s only on a technicality, as he appeared on the covers of no less than three of EA’s football games, from before the publisher ended its partnership with FIFA, which lead to the EA Sports FC rebranding.
Still, Mbappé sounds thrilled about it: ‘To be featured on the cover of an EA Sports FC title for the first time is a very special moment for me. It’s an honour to continue my long-term relationship with the franchise in its latest chapter, alongside the players who have shaped its history. I can’t wait for everyone to experience FC 27.’
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
‘Kylian’s achievements for both club and country have established him as one of the defining players of his generation,’ adds EA Sports FC’s vice president of franchise strategy and marketing, Jeff Sharma.
‘He embodies the ambition, creativity and global appeal that defines EA Sports FC today, and we’re proud to continue our partnership with him as he returns to lead EA Sports FC 27.’
Mbappé’s a smart pick given his performance during the recent World Cup. While France came fourth, losing to England in the semifinals, Mbappé was the top scorer of the whole tournament, claiming 10 goals and earning himself a second Golden Boot award, making him the first player to ever receive it twice.
As a reminder, Spain ultimately won the World Cup, which EA successfully predicted by running simulation matches in EA Sports FC 26. This is the fifth time in a row EA has used its football games to guess a World Cup winner correctly.
The cover star of EA Sports FC 27’s standard edition remains a mystery. EA Sports FC leaker DetectiveFUT, who was the source that claimed Ronaldo would be the Ultimate Edition cover star, has said that there are two possible choices.
They claim the standard edition will either feature England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham, alongside French footballer Ousmane Dembélé, or a different Real Madrid player and someone from the Barcelona team.
Given Bellingham’s performance in the World Cup, he does seem the obvious choice at the moment.
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.