Even in the series’ heyday, when it was still called Pro Evolution Soccer, one of the biggest struggles eFootball has faced when compared with its rival FIFA/EA FC has been one of licensing. While EA excelled at locking down major licensing agreements, eFootball often featured generic branding, having secured licenses with the players’ associations of major leagues but not with the leagues or individual clubs themselves.
For Serie A fans, eFootball just took a moderate step forward with the announcement that five teams have been added for the upcoming update on Thursday. Here’s who is coming to eFootball in an official capacity:
- Como 1907: A club undergoing a meteoric rise in recent years, which saw them climb from the ranks of Serie D all the way back up to Serie A. Under the management of former Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea standout Cesc Fabregas, Como saw themselves established as a healthily ensconced top-flight side after finishing 10th last season.
- Hellas Verona FC: When Verona made its return to Serie A in 2019/20, it did so as many promoted clubs do — as a relegation favorite. Six seasons later, they are still in the top flight, having had some scares in the intervening years but ultimately still finding a way to maintain their status as a top-flight side.
- Parma Calcio 1913: A long-established fixture in Serie A, Parma was disbanded following bankruptcy and forced to restart as a club in Serie D in 2015/16, but quickly climbed back through the ranks to return to the big stage for the 2018/19 season. They held on for four seasons before a drop down to Serie B. They made their Serie A return last season, doing just about enough to retain their spot with a 16th-place finish.
- Torino FC: It’s a bit unfair to think of Torino, themselves among the more successful clubs in Italian history, as a smaller sibling, but that is the position they find themselves in for sharing a city with Italian giants Juventus. In addition to being a storied club in their own right, Torino’s crimson kits are often among the sharpest in the sport.
- Udinese Calcio: A permanent resident of Serie A for this entire millennium, Udinese have unfortunately established a reputation over the last decade as a team that is there but rarely overly relevant. While rarely having deep Copa Italia runs to hang their hat on, and often finding themselves in that lower-teens region of the table where they are neither fighting for their lives nor a place in Europe by late April, there are worse places to be than firmly bedded into the Italian top flight.
While still not exactly holding its own in the licensing battle, this represents progress for eFootball and reason for a bit of optimism for fans of the series.
