Konami's popular F2P take on the beautiful game, eFootball, was updated yesterday to version 5.0.0 (also known as eFootball 2026) after a lengthy maintenance period, kicking off the new season on the platform, aligning with real-life football's 2025-26.
The update affected PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as the Android and iPhone mobile version, although the Steam PC version will have to wait a little longer. Also delayed was the new eFootball Connect service, a parallel livestream channel for communicating game news in different languages (imagine the Nintendo Direct/Nintendo Today! format, for example).
The update meant improvements to the already appreciated gameplay of the series, new features and some other additions (new animations when opening card packs) and tweaks. For example, stadium customisation (with colours, tifos, choreographies...) or the PES 30th Anniversary collaboration kit with Santanu Hazarika are introduced.
However, what players are appreciating the most are adjustments to the gameplay system such as the progressive speed and acceleration of the most recognisable players or improvements in defence. In addition, other new gameplay features are linked to new ambassadors, such as Portuguese coach José Mourinho, "The Special One", who brings with him a Link-Up Play team skill. Watch the video and see the requirements to put it into practice with your team:
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Similarly, another Portuguese coach, Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim, is also available.
The updates and new content also lead to new editions and ambassador packs, for those who want to spend on the game which, remember, is free-to-play at its core. Still, a large portion of fans, while appreciating the feel of the game, continue to ask for what they have been asking for three years: the return of the Master League mode. And speaking of requests, users who were predicting an eFootball announcement for Nintendo Switch 2 these days, coinciding with Gamescom and the start of the season, will also have to keep waiting, while the console gets EA Sports FC 26 very soon.