EA Confirm No Russian National Team Or Clubs Will Appear In 'FIFA 23'

FIFA is well and truly in its twilight years. Earlier this year, EA officially announced that the franchise will soon drop the FIFA branding, taking on the new title EA SPORTS FC. It’s not a bad title, so I can’t see it upsetting too many fans but if you are clinging on to the glory days of FIFA, don’t worry. FIFA 23 is on the way before the big break up.

Even FIFA 23 is shaking up the franchise though. Last week, it was announced that FIFA 23 will star female player Sam Kerr on the cover alongside Kylian Mbappé. Today, yet another change has been announced as FIFA 23 confirms that the game will not represent of feature Russian teams.

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EA has officially confirmed to Eurogamer that the Russian national team and the country’s club teams will not be included in FIFA 23. Previously, Russian teams were pulled from FIFA 22 after the country invaded Ukraine in February of this year. 

The invasion of Ukraine remains ongoing. Russia has been hit by a number of sanctions from international governments but major companies are also taking a stand. Microsoft, Netflix, Nintendo and PlayStation have suspended all sales within the country.

Speaking about the decision, a EA spokesperson told Eurogamer, “EA Sports stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and like so many voices across the world of football, calls for peace and an end to the invasion of Ukraine.” They added, “In line with our partners at FIFA and UEFA, EA Sports will not include the Russian national team or Russian clubs in FIFA 23." 

FIFA 23 is scheduled to release in September.