FIFA 21 Global Series Announced as New Edition Gears Up For Launch

It is going to be a very busy week for fans of the Electronic Arts sports series FIFA. Not only is the release of the latest version, FIFA 21, imminent, but there are a host of add ons going live for the game before the release date and for esports fans, there is now news of a restructured FIFA 21 Global Series event to digest.

Timed to coincide with the build-up to the October 9^th release date for all versions (October 6^th if you ordered the Champions or Ultimate editions of the game), the new series will feature an improved region-based system for teams to qualify for the FIFA eWorld Cup.

New Pre-Season to Kick off the Action

Alongside this, the updated version will also include a preseason period that will see professional football stars, influencers, content creators and FIFA esports professionals all make personal appearances.

The focus for the preseason will be on entertainment rather than competition and will take place throughout October, starting with a Twitch Rivals Preseason Invitational event running October 3^rd – 5^th. The event will feature top professional footballers, such as Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, competing across various FIFA game modes.

Other events scheduled for preseason include an eLaLiga All-Star event, as well as an event that will pair content creators against influencers in the YouTube Gaming Creators Cup.

This all ultimately leads to the last event of the preseason, a FIFA 21 Global Series: FIFA 21 Challenge on the 29^th October, with teams of pro footballers and FIFA pros competing against each other.

Updated FIFA Global Series

In terms of the FIFA 21 Global Series, this will see a greater number of countries allowed to enter through different regions around the world. Six different regions will feature in the event, Europe, North America, South America, East Asia, West Asia, and Oceania. There are over 30 tournaments in which competitors can compete to try and qualify for a spot at the FIFA eWorld Cup.

The news is a welcome positive for EA Sports after they were criticised for advertising microtransactions using FIFA points from the forthcoming FIFA 21 release in a children’s magazine. Aggravated parents felt that doing so was poor form from the gaming giant and there were calls from parents to boycott the game due to the fact FIFA points can only be obtained by using real money to purchase them.

Big Week Leading up to FIFA 21 Game Release

As well as the news of a new and expanded FIFA 21 Global Series event, this week is also seeing a huge build-up to the game’s eventual release. From the 1^st October, fans that have an EA Play (formerly EA Access) subscription service account, will be able to download a new 10-hour trial of the new game to play.

Alongside that, the new FIFA 21 Web App is set to be released also on the 1^st October and this new app allows fans to start building their FIFA 21 Ultimate Teams before the game’s official release. They can complete Squad Building Challengers, try to complete daily and weekly objectives, and buy and sell players on the transfer market so that when the game is released, their FUT is ready to go.

Also set to hit App stores is the FUT 21 Companion App, which allows you to manage your FIFA Ultimate Team outside of playing the full game. Updates to this app are being rolled out today (1^st October) and it is expected to be ready to download later today.

The FIFA 21 EA Access release time has been set for 4pm BST on the 1^st October.