A commentator slipped up live: He indirectly announced the UEFA Champions and Europa League for FIFA 19. So what can fans expect for the new FIFA installment?
For a long time, it has been a wish of the community to finally be able to play with the real Champions League (CL) and Europa League (EL).
Even when we asked you what you most wanted for FIFA 19, the UEFA Champions League was highly sought after.
So far, EA has coped by calling their elite competition “Champions Cup”. But in FIFA 19, it will likely finally happen. According to a Dutch commentator, we are getting the two European tournaments with the release of the new FIFA installment.
FIFA is getting better, as it comes with the Champions and Europa League
The information is not yet official, but it is considered almost certain that the Champions League and Europa League are coming. There are two reasons for this:
- Konami’s collaboration with UEFA has ended. The FIFA competitor “Pro Evolution Soccer” previously held the rights to the two competitions. Now, the collaboration between the two parties has ended. PES 2019 will therefore come without CL and EL. As soon as this was made public, many assumed that EA would snatch up the licenses.
- A Dutch FIFA commentator slipped up: Live, during an eSport event, Evert ten Napel indirectly announced the CL and EL for FIFA 19. He said that 2019 would make FIFA even better because EA would add the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
In 2019 [FIFA] will get even better, because [EA has] added the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League
What CL and EL mean for players
With the new licenses, EA has many possibilities in different game modes.
Fully licensed: EA could bring all CL and EL stadiums, chants like the official anthem, or of course the real winner’s trophies for FIFA 19.
The Career Mode: In the classic manager career mode, you could finally lead your club to the Champions League and Europa League, instead of the Champions and Europa Cup. As a player, it would also be possible for you to run out to the Champions League anthem.
Custom Tournaments: With the full licenses, EA would not miss the chance to offer the competitions as their own tournament, which can be started outside of other game modes.
Ultimate Team: Whether the CL and EL would really have an impact on FUT is hard to say. With the Weekend League, there is already an internal “Champions League” mode. It is unlikely that it will be replaced. However, a return of FUT tournaments in the form of the Europa and Champions League might be possible.
This could also cater to another wish of the community: Many complain about the high number of elite players in the “Daily Knockout Tournament” during the TOTS period. If the DKT only qualified for the Weekend League, the good rewards could be distributed through a “FUT Champions League”.
