eFootball™ Announces Challenger Series on the Road to FIFAe World Cup 2026 featuring eFootball
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2026 4:40 pm
eFootball™ Announces Challenger Series on the Road to FIFAe World Cup 2026 featuring eFootball
A record-high over 110 FIFA member nations and regions will compete in this year’s tournament co-organized with FIFA, which will now include strategic 2v2 matches on mobile.
LOS ANGELES – February 12th, 2025 - Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. (KONAMI) announced details on the Challenger Series, an in-game competitive program on the road to the FIFAe World Cup 2026™ featuring eFootball™ co-organized with Fédération Internationale de Football Association officially begins today, February 12 (Thu).
Marking the third edition of this growing global competition, last year’s tournament saw approximately 16.51 million participants, establishing it as one of the largest international football esports activities in the world. This year welcomes new participating nations including Croatia, Kenya, and Tunisia, contributing to a record number of over 110 FIFA member nations and regions participating.
For the first time, the Mobile Division will adopt a 2v2 format, aligning with Console Division regulations and creating another strategic environment for players.
The Challenger Series consists of two competitive divisions: the Console Division and the Mobile Division.
National team candidate selection will be based on performance in AI matches, PvP matches, and ranking events. It should be noted that Challenger Series results do not guarantee national team selection, and final selections are made by each participating country’s football association, which may use Challenger Series outcomes as one factor among several.
Following the Challenger Series, international qualifying tournaments will determine which countries advance to tthe FIFAe World Cup 2026™ featuring eFootball™ on Mobile and Console taking place later this year.
FIFAe World Cup 2026™ featuring eFootball™ Challenger Series Overview
Round 1 – Round 2
Event Dates: Thursday 12th February – Thursday 19th February
Game Mode: Dream Team
Event Type: Challenge Event (AI matches / PvP)
Round 3
Event Dates: Thursday 19th February – Sunday 22nd February
Game Mode: Dream Team
Event Type: Ranking Event (PvP)
Key Highlights
Challenger Series results are considered by national football associations
A record-high over 110 FIFA member nations and regions are participating
Mobile Division introduces 2v2 format for the first time
eFootball fans and participants should visit the FIFA.GG Official Website for further updates:
https://www.fifa.gg/efootball/c/fifae-c ... eries-2026
Important Information:
Some countries/regions are not eligible for the “FIFAe World Cup 2026™ featuring eFootball™”.
The “Challenger Series” event will be a 1vs1 format.
The selection of national team players varies by participating country. Information on each country's selection criteria will be published on the FIFA.GG website in the future.
Challenger Series results may be considered by national football associations; final national team selections are independently determined and not guaranteed by event performance
For additional information:
https://www.konami.com/efootball/en-us/
https://x.com/play_eFootball
https://www.facebook.com/playeFootball
https://www.instagram.com/efootball/
www.youtube.com/officialpes
About “eFootball™”
“eFootball™” was the rebranding of KONAMI’s popular gaming series “PES”. The change marked a great leap forward as the branding changed alongside the addition of a new football game engine, advancements in gameplay, and the remodelling of the title as ‘free-to-play’ across all compatible devices.
“eFootball™” is an ever-evolving platform with over 950 million downloads worldwide to date.
“eFootball”, “e-Football” and “eFootball logo” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Japan and other countries or regions.
About Konami Group
KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION was established in 1973, starting as an amusement machine manufacturer for arcades. Over the years, the company has grown to include different business units across various markets. Currently, KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION includes the Digital Entertainment, Amusement, Gaming & Systems, and Sports Businesses. The company went public on the Osaka Securities Exchange in 1984, the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1988, and the London Stock Exchange in 1999. For more information, visit: www.konami.com/en.
About Konami Digital Entertainment
Konami Digital Entertainment, which is the core company of Konami Group, develops entertaining content for mobile, console and card games. The company is known for global franchises such as eFootball™, Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania, and Contra, as well as the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game series. www.konami.com/games/corporate/en/
A record-high over 110 FIFA member nations and regions will compete in this year’s tournament co-organized with FIFA, which will now include strategic 2v2 matches on mobile.
LOS ANGELES – February 12th, 2025 - Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. (KONAMI) announced details on the Challenger Series, an in-game competitive program on the road to the FIFAe World Cup 2026™ featuring eFootball™ co-organized with Fédération Internationale de Football Association officially begins today, February 12 (Thu).
Marking the third edition of this growing global competition, last year’s tournament saw approximately 16.51 million participants, establishing it as one of the largest international football esports activities in the world. This year welcomes new participating nations including Croatia, Kenya, and Tunisia, contributing to a record number of over 110 FIFA member nations and regions participating.
For the first time, the Mobile Division will adopt a 2v2 format, aligning with Console Division regulations and creating another strategic environment for players.
The Challenger Series consists of two competitive divisions: the Console Division and the Mobile Division.
National team candidate selection will be based on performance in AI matches, PvP matches, and ranking events. It should be noted that Challenger Series results do not guarantee national team selection, and final selections are made by each participating country’s football association, which may use Challenger Series outcomes as one factor among several.
Following the Challenger Series, international qualifying tournaments will determine which countries advance to tthe FIFAe World Cup 2026™ featuring eFootball™ on Mobile and Console taking place later this year.
FIFAe World Cup 2026™ featuring eFootball™ Challenger Series Overview
Round 1 – Round 2
Event Dates: Thursday 12th February – Thursday 19th February
Game Mode: Dream Team
Event Type: Challenge Event (AI matches / PvP)
Round 3
Event Dates: Thursday 19th February – Sunday 22nd February
Game Mode: Dream Team
Event Type: Ranking Event (PvP)
Key Highlights
Challenger Series results are considered by national football associations
A record-high over 110 FIFA member nations and regions are participating
Mobile Division introduces 2v2 format for the first time
eFootball fans and participants should visit the FIFA.GG Official Website for further updates:
https://www.fifa.gg/efootball/c/fifae-c ... eries-2026
Important Information:
Some countries/regions are not eligible for the “FIFAe World Cup 2026™ featuring eFootball™”.
The “Challenger Series” event will be a 1vs1 format.
The selection of national team players varies by participating country. Information on each country's selection criteria will be published on the FIFA.GG website in the future.
Challenger Series results may be considered by national football associations; final national team selections are independently determined and not guaranteed by event performance
For additional information:
https://www.konami.com/efootball/en-us/
https://x.com/play_eFootball
https://www.facebook.com/playeFootball
https://www.instagram.com/efootball/
www.youtube.com/officialpes
About “eFootball™”
“eFootball™” was the rebranding of KONAMI’s popular gaming series “PES”. The change marked a great leap forward as the branding changed alongside the addition of a new football game engine, advancements in gameplay, and the remodelling of the title as ‘free-to-play’ across all compatible devices.
“eFootball™” is an ever-evolving platform with over 950 million downloads worldwide to date.
“eFootball”, “e-Football” and “eFootball logo” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Japan and other countries or regions.
About Konami Group
KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION was established in 1973, starting as an amusement machine manufacturer for arcades. Over the years, the company has grown to include different business units across various markets. Currently, KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION includes the Digital Entertainment, Amusement, Gaming & Systems, and Sports Businesses. The company went public on the Osaka Securities Exchange in 1984, the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1988, and the London Stock Exchange in 1999. For more information, visit: www.konami.com/en.
About Konami Digital Entertainment
Konami Digital Entertainment, which is the core company of Konami Group, develops entertaining content for mobile, console and card games. The company is known for global franchises such as eFootball™, Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania, and Contra, as well as the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game series. www.konami.com/games/corporate/en/