The FIFA and EA Sports FC franchise has sold more than 325 million copies since 1993, the most of any sports video game series in history (Guinness World Records; FIFA video game series, Wikipedia). Its current entry, EA Sports FC 26, passed 12 million units by the end of October 2025 (Alinea Analytics, 2025). The franchise anchored Electronic Arts to record net bookings of 8.026 billion dollars in FY26, up 9 percent year over year (Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY26 Results, 2026). Yet a single soft year for FC 25 in early 2025 forced EA to cut guidance by up to 650 million dollars and fed into a 55 billion dollar take-private, the largest all-cash buyout in corporate history. This analysis consolidates data from Electronic Arts earnings filings, Circana, SteamDB, Sensor Tower, Esports Charts, and 12 other primary sources to map how the world’s biggest football game makes, and loses, money.
TL;DR
- The FIFA and EA Sports FC series has sold 325 million-plus copies since 1993, the best-selling sports franchise ever (FIFA video game series, Wikipedia).
- EA Sports FC 26 passed 12 million copies by end of October 2025, about 1.4x FC 25’s launch pace (Alinea Analytics, 2025).
- EA posted record net bookings of 8.026 billion dollars in FY26, up 9 percent year over year (Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY26 Results, 2026).
- FY26 live services net bookings hit 5.383 billion dollars, the bulk of company revenue (Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY26 Results, 2026).
- Ultimate Team extra-content sales reached about 1.62 billion dollars in fiscal 2021, roughly 29 percent of EA revenue (Statista, 2021).
- FC 25 forced a 500 to 650 million dollar guidance cut in January 2025 before a mid-season recovery (Electronic Arts / SportsPro, 2025).
- EA Sports FC 26 peaked at 150,089 concurrent Steam players in July 2026 (SteamDB, 2026).
- EA’s sports portfolio reached 265 million players by September 2024, up from 150 million in 2022 (Electronic Arts, 2024).
- The 2025 eChampions League final drew 108,970 peak viewers (Esports Charts, 2025).
- Roughly 78 percent of FIFA 21 players never spent money on the game (loot box research, ScienceDirect, 2022).
- EA agreed to a 55 billion dollar take-private, the largest all-cash buyout in corporate history (Electronic Arts, 2025).
1. Franchise scale and unit sales
Football is the single most valuable annual product in Western console publishing, and the numbers show why EA renamed rather than retired it. EA Sports FC 26 crossed 12 million copies by the end of October 2025, selling roughly 1.4 times faster than FC 25 across the same launch window (Alinea Analytics, 2025). The FIFA name was retired in 2022 after the series passed 325 million lifetime copies, but the underlying game keeps topping charts: EA held the top three best-selling AAA PC and console titles of 2025 (Battlefield 6, FC 25, FC 26) per Circana.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FIFA/EA Sports FC lifetime copies sold (as of 2021) | 325 million-plus | FIFA video game series, Wikipedia |
| FIFA copies sold by 2010 | Over 100 million | FIFA video game series, Wikipedia |
| EA Sports FC 26 copies sold (by end Oct 2025) | 12 million-plus | EA Sports FC 26, Wikipedia |
| FC 26 first-week sales | About 9 million | Alinea Analytics, 2025 |
| FC 26 launch pace vs FC 25 | 1.4x faster | Alinea Analytics, 2025 |
| FC 26 PlayStation share of first-week sales | 67.5 percent (88 percent PS5) | Alinea Analytics, 2025 |
| FC 25 rank, best-selling PC/console game in Europe (Jan-Jul 2025) | No. 1, topping 12 of 17 markets | GSD via VGChartz, 2025 |
Context: FIFA 12 was once EA’s fastest-selling sports game at 3.2 million copies in week one, generating over 186 million dollars at retail (FIFA video game series, Wikipedia) - a figure a modern launch clears in days. See our console market statistics for the platform backdrop.
2. EA net bookings: the FC 25 slump and the FY26 record
EA Sports FC is large enough to move a multibillion-dollar company by itself, in both directions. In January 2025 EA cut net bookings guidance by 500 to 650 million dollars after FC 25 live services underperformed, wiping roughly 6 billion dollars off its market value (Electronic Arts / SportsPro, 2025). A January 16 gameplay overhaul reversed the slide, and by FY26 EA reported record net bookings of 8.026 billion dollars, with Global Football net bookings back to mid-single-digit growth. The lesson: players kept showing up during the FC 25 dip, but spent less per head until the game played better.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FY26 net bookings (record) | 8.026 billion dollars, up 9 percent YoY | Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY26 Results, 2026 |
| FY26 net revenue | 7.531 billion dollars, up 1 percent YoY | Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY26 Results, 2026 |
| FY26 live services and other net bookings | 5.383 billion dollars | Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY26 Results, 2026 |
| FY25 net revenue | 7.463 billion dollars, down about 1 percent | Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY25 Results, 2025 |
| FY25 net bookings | 7.355 billion dollars | Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY25 Results, 2025 |
| January 2025 net bookings guidance cut | 500 to 650 million dollars | Electronic Arts / SportsPro, 2025 |
| FC 26 HD net bookings, Q2 FY26 vs FC 25 | Up mid-single digits YoY | Electronic Arts, Q2 FY26 Results, 2025 |
| American Football franchise net bookings, FY25 | Exceeded 1 billion dollars | Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY25 Results, 2025 |
Outlier: Q2 FY26 total net bookings fell 13 percent to 1.818 billion dollars, but that reflected the prior-year College Football 25 launch rather than football weakness (Electronic Arts, Q2 FY26 Results, 2025).
3. Ultimate Team monetization and spending behavior
Ultimate Team turned a 70 dollar annual disc into a year-round marketplace, and it now drives the majority of franchise economics. Ultimate Team accounted for roughly 29 percent of EA’s total revenue in fiscal 2021, generating about 1.62 billion dollars from extra-content sales that year (Statista, 2021). Spending is highly concentrated: peer-reviewed research on FIFA loot boxes found most players never pay, while a minority of high spenders carry the revenue. EA itself disclosed that only 10 percent of packs opened in FIFA 22 were purchased.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Team extra-content revenue, fiscal 2021 | About 1.62 billion dollars | Statista, 2021 |
| Ultimate Team share of EA revenue, fiscal 2021 | About 29 percent | Statista, 2021 |
| Ultimate Team revenue, fiscal 2018 to 2020 | 1.18 to 1.49 billion dollars | Statista, 2021 |
| FIFA 21 players who never spent money | About 78 percent | Loot box research, ScienceDirect, 2022 |
| Packs opened in FIFA 22 that were paid for | 10 percent | Electronic Arts, 2022 |
| Rare Gold 84-plus player pack odds | As low as 4.2 percent | FIFA Infinity, 2025 |
| Priciest player pack cost | About 30 pounds | FIFA Infinity, 2025 |
Context: a study of 1,144 FIFA Ultimate Team players found full-time employed players spent about 80 dollars more on average than unemployed players, with spending tied to employment status and reward sensitivity (loot box research, ScienceDirect, 2022). Regulators in several markets are reviewing loot box mechanics; see our gamer demographics statistics for who is actually playing.
4. Player engagement and concurrency
Raw participation for football stays enormous even as any single title’s concurrency curve decays fast after launch. EA’s sports portfolio reached 265 million players by September 2024, up 77 percent from 150 million in March 2022 (Electronic Arts, 2024). On Steam, FC 26 peaked at 150,089 concurrent players in July 2026, above FC 25’s 110,026 peak - though both games shed roughly 90 percent of peak concurrency within months, a pattern typical of annualized sports titles.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| EA Sports portfolio players (Sept 2024) | 265 million | Electronic Arts, 2024 |
| EA Sports portfolio players (March 2022) | 150 million | Electronic Arts, 2024 |
| FC 26 all-time Steam concurrent peak | 150,089 (July 5, 2026) | SteamDB, 2026 |
| FC 25 all-time Steam concurrent peak | 110,026 (Sept 29, 2024) | SteamDB, 2026 |
| FC 25 Steam concurrent by Jan 2026 | About 10,400 (down about 90 percent) | SteamDB / ActivePlayer.io, 2026 |
| Ultimate Team players who returned after Jan 16, 2025 update | Over 2 million | Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY25 Results, 2025 |
| FC 25 estimated Steam ownership | 5 to 10 million copies | SteamSpy, 2026 |
Sentiment note: FC 25 held just a 52 percent positive Steam rating after nearly 30,000 reviews, versus a 44.6 percent rating for FC 26 at its first 100,000-player milestone (SteamDB, 2026).
5. Mobile reach and FC Pro esports
Football’s free-to-play surfaces widen the funnel well beyond premium consoles. EA Sports FC Mobile drew an estimated 8 million monthly Google Play downloads and climbed to No. 9 by global downloads in October 2025, powered by a Vietnam launch where it became the country’s most-downloaded title of the month (Sensor Tower, 2025). On the competitive side, EA Sports FC (FC Pro) tournaments carried a combined 2.93 million dollar prize pool in 2025, small next to franchise revenue but a durable marketing engine.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FC Mobile monthly downloads (Google Play, late 2025) | About 8 million | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
| FC Mobile global downloads rank (Oct 2025) | No. 9 (No. 4 by download growth) | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
| EA free-to-play/mobile sports revenue milestone | Over 1 billion dollars | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
| EA Sports FC total esports prize pool (2025) | About 2.93 million dollars | Esports Charts, 2025 |
| FC Pro World Championship 2025 prize pool | 1 million dollars | Esports Charts, 2025 |
| eChampions League 2025 peak viewers | 108,970 (May 28, 2025) | Esports Charts, 2025 |
| eChampions League 2025 hours watched | 696,047 | Esports Charts, 2025 |
| FC Pro World Championship 2026 prize pool | 1.5 million dollars | Esports Insider, 2026 |
Context: mobile now anchors industry growth, with Sensor Tower pegging total mobile game revenue at about 82 billion dollars in 2025; our mobile gaming statistics put FC Mobile in that frame.
6. Ratings, content scale, and the 55 billion dollar backdrop
Critical reception improved cycle over cycle even as EA changed hands. EA agreed in September 2025 to be taken private for 55 billion dollars by Saudi Arabia’s PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners - the largest all-cash buyout in corporate history at 210 dollars per share (Electronic Arts, 2025). The take-private was approved by shareholders in December 2025, with football the balance sheet’s largest single asset.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| EA take-private enterprise value | 55 billion dollars (210 dollars/share) | Electronic Arts, 2025 |
| Deal premium to unaffected share price | About 25 percent | Electronic Arts / Variety, 2025 |
| PIF equity contribution | About 36 billion dollars | M&A reporting, 2025 |
| FC 26 licensed players / clubs / leagues | 20,000-plus / 750-plus / 35 | EA Sports FC 26, Wikipedia |
| FC 26 Metacritic (PC) | 78 / 100 | EA Sports FC 26, Wikipedia |
| FC 26 OpenCritic recommend rate | 83 percent | EA Sports FC 26, Wikipedia |
| FC 25 OpenCritic recommend rate | 63 percent | EA Sports FC 25, Wikipedia |
| FC 26 International tournament mode | 48 national teams | EA Sports FC 26, Wikipedia |
Outlier: FC 25’s user reception was far harsher than critics’, with a 3.0 out of 10 Metacritic user score amid backlash over gameplay and monetization (EA Sports FC 25, Metacritic). For the wider picture, see our gaming industry statistics and esports statistics.
Summary: EA Sports FC by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FIFA/EA Sports FC lifetime copies sold | 325 million-plus (as of 2021) | FIFA video game series, Wikipedia |
| EA Sports FC 26 copies sold | 12 million-plus (by end Oct 2025) | EA Sports FC 26, Wikipedia |
| FC 26 first-week sales | About 9 million | Alinea Analytics, 2025 |
| FC 26 launch pace vs FC 25 | 1.4x faster | Alinea Analytics, 2025 |
| EA FY26 net bookings (record) | 8.026 billion dollars, up 9 percent | Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY26 Results, 2026 |
| EA FY26 net revenue | 7.531 billion dollars | Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY26 Results, 2026 |
| EA FY26 live services net bookings | 5.383 billion dollars | Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY26 Results, 2026 |
| FC 25 guidance cut (Jan 2025) | 500 to 650 million dollars | Electronic Arts / SportsPro, 2025 |
| Ultimate Team revenue, fiscal 2021 | About 1.62 billion dollars | Statista, 2021 |
| Ultimate Team share of EA revenue, fiscal 2021 | About 29 percent | Statista, 2021 |
| FIFA 21 players who never spent | About 78 percent | Loot box research, ScienceDirect, 2022 |
| EA Sports portfolio players (Sept 2024) | 265 million | Electronic Arts, 2024 |
| FC 26 all-time Steam concurrent peak | 150,089 | SteamDB, 2026 |
| FC 25 all-time Steam concurrent peak | 110,026 | SteamDB, 2026 |
| FC Mobile monthly Google Play downloads | About 8 million | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
| EA Sports FC 2025 esports prize pool | About 2.93 million dollars | Esports Charts, 2025 |
| eChampions League 2025 peak viewers | 108,970 | Esports Charts, 2025 |
| FC 26 OpenCritic recommend rate | 83 percent | EA Sports FC 26, Wikipedia |
| EA take-private value | 55 billion dollars | Electronic Arts, 2025 |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered during July 2026 from primary corporate disclosures, official platform and esports trackers, peer-reviewed research, and market analysts, cross-referencing sales and revenue figures across at least two sources where possible. Figures older than 2024, such as the 325 million lifetime sales milestone, are flagged as the most recent available (Source, Year).
- Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY26 Results (2026) - ir.ea.com
- Electronic Arts, Q4 and FY25 Results (2025) - ea.com/news
- Electronic Arts, Q2 FY26 Results (2025) - ir.ea.com
- Electronic Arts, EA to be Acquired for 55 Billion Dollars (2025) - ir.ea.com
- FIFA (video game series), Wikipedia (2026) - en.wikipedia.org
- EA Sports FC 26, Wikipedia (2026) - en.wikipedia.org
- EA Sports FC 25, Wikipedia (2026)
- Alinea Analytics, EA Sports FC 26 sales (2025), reported via Wccftech
- Circana / GSD European and US sales charts (2025), via VentureBeat and VGChartz
- Statista, EA Ultimate Team revenue (2021) - statista.com
- Loot box and gaming disorder research, ScienceDirect (2022) - sciencedirect.com
- SteamDB, FC 25 and FC 26 charts (2026) - steamdb.info
- Sensor Tower, EA Sports FC Mobile and mobile gaming (2025) - sensortower.com
- Esports Charts, eChampions League 2025 (2025) - escharts.com
- Esports Insider, FC Pro World Championship 2026 prize pool (2026)
- SportsPro and Variety, EA guidance cut and take-private reporting (2025)
- FIFA Infinity, Ultimate Team pack odds (2025)
Data watch: Electronic Arts reports quarterly, with Q1 FY27 results expected late July 2026 and full FY27 results in spring 2027; the annual Sensor Tower State of Mobile Gaming and Esports Charts year-end reviews are typically published in late 2025 and early each year. New FIFA-branded football titles from other publishers are also due in 2026, which may reshape franchise share.
Last updated: July 13, 2026.
We review and update this page quarterly as new data is published.