KYLIAN Mbappé and Sam Kerr were the cover stars for FIFA 23, and are two of the game’s greatest players.
However, the two have never played together, even in the world of fantasy football.
While rumours have been swirling about a women’s ultimate team being introduced in upcoming series EA Sports FC there has been no official announcement.
We sat down with Chelsea manager Emma Hayes to talk about her dreams for EA Sports FC.
Women’s teams were first added to the FIFA games in FIFA 16, though women have been playing for FIFA long before the series began.
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Hayes says: “[For kids] seeing [women in FIFA] plays a massive part, and it was not something I had.”
However, while women’s teams are available for friendlies, they are absent from FIFA’s most popular mode FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT).
But the tides are turning. Mixed teams are available in another EA Sports series, EA’s NHL 23.
On the inclusion of women in FUT, Hays says: “I like the idea of it - I think it's about choice,
“Why should we restrict who our children piece together?
“I think you don't always have to have very traditional views on role models, and it's nice to think that we can put together teams much in the way that we want to.”
Women’s representation in games like FIFA has encouraged more people to turn up at the real-life matches.
Hayes explains that she recognises the impact these games have within her own family.
She says: “You always have to start at home.
“When I spend Christmas Day with all the kids in my family being Chelsea Women, whether they're [playing as] me, whether they're using some of my players, you really realise the reach and the impact it's having.
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“We're normalising football for girls at home much in the same way that it has been for boys.
“We now need to take a gaming experience and bring that [to the pitch]. We’re already seeing that with an upturn in attendances.”
If women were to be introduced into FUT, what would Hayes think and a Kerr / Mbappé partnership.
She says: “We should just talk about the qualities that each player can bring!
“Because I'm sure they would make a fabulous strike partnership.”
Speaking with David Jackson, VP of Brand Marketing at EA Sports, he wasn’t giving anything away on whether we’ll be able to do this in EA Sports FC.
He says: “We will talk a lot more about product innovation and feature updates in July.
“What I can tell you is women's football is immensely important to us.
“Wherever women's football shows up it will show up at the highest quality in the context of our platform.
“We have what we believe to be a responsibility to ensure that women's football is held in exactly the same esteem as men's.”
Written by Alex Bugg and Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.