Gianni Infantino addresses eSports in FIFA’s 'Vision for the Future'

Gianni Infantino addresses eSports in FIFA’s 'Vision for the Future'

For the first time in FIFA’s history, the international governing body has released an official roadmap, outlining the most effective ways to grow the game, enhance the football experience and build a stronger institution.

However, interestingly, as part of a larger program set out by FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, the eSports industry was mentioned as part of their strategic plan for the future of the sport. Within the document, Infantino acknowledges the “widespread success of the FIFA gaming licencing agreement”, in terms of royalties, development programmes and competitions, and its ability to maintain FIFA’s relevance within the digital and gaming industries.  

The entire document can be read here, but the relevance of the eSports industry within FIFA’s future is only touched upon on Page 43. The document goes on to state that "as the scale of the FIFA Interactive World Cup™ has grown, so too has the wider eSports industry".

The fact that the international governing body of association football and its president are including eSports within their vision of the future is by far the greatest indication of FIFA eSports becoming mainstream.  

If FIFA were able to step in and assist with the execution, existence and funding of competitions, they would guide the eSports industry in the right direction and help it become the norm of daily lives. But that’s just me getting ahead of myself.

As a closing statement, Infantino added;

"As the world of gaming expands, FIFA has a tremendous opportunity to mimic the production of global events on the pitch with enhanced production of virtual FIFA competitions. To investigate the benefits and feasibility of expanding FIFA’s engagement in eSports, FIFA will commission a working group to consider its forward-looking strategy."

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