Two decades have gone by since FIFA launched its first esports events. The brand is known for organizing and sponsoring the FIFA World Cup which has taken place every four years since 1930.
The success of the FIFA World Cup is undeniable and based on the number of betting sites that exist it appears that both FIFA sports and esports events are extremely popular.
That’s right, betting on both sports and esports has become a global phenomenon with great bookmakers making betting more accessible to the general public via specialised online bookmaker sites.
But are FIFA esports really a success? How popular are they?
What are esports?
Esports is a term used to refer to electronic sports. Players who take part in electronic sports compete against each other in video games.
Individuals who compete in the Esports category are usually professional gamers. They compete by joining a team and playing a multiplayer video game against other gamers.
Esports are considered and called a ‘sport’ for several reasons.
The first reason is because of how physically intense and demanding these competitions can be for participants. They tend to last several hours during which the players are intensely focused on their screen.
Like with other types of sport, players tend to finish the competition with sore muscles, cramps and other physical pains.
The second reason is how organized and popular these competitions have become. Some esports events are now broadcast live online or can be attended in-person.
Thousands of audience members come to watch some of the bigger esports events.
Esports are increasing in popularity with more audiences and professionals showing interest in the sport.
How did FIFA become an eSport and is it popular?
It appears that FIFA became an eSport shortly after the release of FIFA 2021, which was the first online FIFA game compatible with PCs.
Just three years after the launch of FIFA 2021, the company organized its first FIFA Interactive World Cup (now known as the FIFAe World Cup). This international competition was held in Switzerland in 2004 and marked the beginning of FIFA’s journey as an official eSport.
Although FIFA became an eSport around 2004, it took several years for it to attract larger audiences and gain more interest from the public.
The game grew steadily in popularity over the years before breaking a new record in 2013. That year, more than 2.5 million players asked to join the FIFAe World Cup, which earned it the current record for ‘largest videogame tournament’ in the Guinness World Records.
It is now extremely popular and is arguably the most successful esport tournament in the world.
But why is it so popular? What attracts audiences to the FIFAe World Cup?
Why is FIFA as an eSport so popular?
As mentioned above, FIFA offers an extremely popular esport event attended by millions of individuals. But what makes it so popular and successful?
Let’s dive into some of the reasons behind its growing popularity.
1. It’s based on soccer
It’s no secret that soccer is one of the biggest and most famous sports on the planet. The soccer industry is worth billions of USD.
A study revealed that the soccer industry’s global market size reached $3.2 billion USD in 2022. The popularity of the sport and the size of its market are increasing year after year with experts predicting a market size of $4 billion USD by 2028.
By targeting the soccer audience and market, FIFA is helping boost the popularity and growth of its esport events. It uses its reputation, brand, influence and platform as the FIFA World Cup organizer to draw attention to its esport soccer tournaments.
2. It targets different generations with a special focus on younger ones
FIFA esport tournaments are open to players of all generations and backgrounds. However, even though the company targets all types of generations, it does focus particularly on younger individuals.
Luckily for FIFA, many young individuals love gaming. It is one of the most popular hobbies within young generations and attracts millions of new gamers each year.
Not only are there a lot of young gamers, but there are also a lot of young players who are also soccer fans. These players are particularly eager to play online soccer games and love the FIFA esports tournaments.
3. Great graphics, games and updates
FIFA as an esport is also very successful because of the quality of its games, graphics, sound design and its general updates. Players appreciate the high-quality content that the brand offers and how their games tend to reflect the real-world soccer industry and its international events.
The company is consistently updating its products and games to make sure they stay relevant and continue to reflect current soccer events and news. These aspects make the game particularly popular with soccer fans.
4. Easy to join and accessible to a large number of people
Another important reason behind the popularity of the FIFA esport events is their accessibility. The company has made these events easy to join in order to bring in more individuals and to make them as open as possible.
This ease of access has contributed to the popularity of FIFA’s esports events and tournaments and has successfully drawn in large crowds.
Final thoughts
This article defined what esports are and how FIFA arguably managed to create the world’s most successful and popular esports events.