Sega announces EA Sports FC and eFootball challenger

For the most part, the world of virtual football has been dominated by EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) and eFootball (formerly PES). There have always been more arcade alternatives too, like Mario Strikers and even the upcoming Rematch, but for simulated football, those two titans have been at the forefront for years. Now, Sega is looking to upset the established order.

The Japanese gaming titan has presented to the world Sega Football Club Champions, with this being a multiplatform football management simulator that's free-to-play. The game basically combines the action of EA FC and eFootball, with the more simulated nature of (the also Sega-owned) Football Manager, creating an experience that is less hands-on for the player, but still has ways for you to affect the proceedings of each match.

The idea of the game is to take a small club and build them up into a global powerhouse. This is possible in one of two modes, Career, which is exactly what you would expect, and Dream Team, which is the PvP offering that also includes "Event Matches, the Arena, Room Matches, and more".

Like EA FC, which has ties with many of the biggest leagues and competitions, be it Premier League, LaLiga, Champions League, and so forth, and eFootball, which has exclusive rights to Manchester United, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and more, Sega Football Club Champions has locked down the exclusive rights for a handful of teams and leagues. This includes the J.League from Japan, the K League in Korea, FIFPro, and also, most notably, Manchester City.

The actual release date for Sega Football Club Champions has not been mentioned, but there is a closed beta coming up soon, which will seemingly be available on all platforms that the game will launch on, including; PC, PS4, PS5, iOS, and Android. Check out the announcement trailer for the game below.