When Konami announced the transition from PES to eFootball, fans were rightfully skeptical. What was once a worthy competitor to EA FC felt sidelined. Despite this, Konami continued to make promises that it never delivered on to its dedicated audience. Among these was the return of one of PES’ most beloved modes: Master League. Every patch note, every social media post, and every new season update is met with the same question: Where is Master League?
At this point, the question isn’t whether Konami can bring Master League back; it’s whether they even fully want to. Is the mode simply too challenging to monetize within their current free-to-play model, or is its absence a deliberate strategy to sway fans towards the card-collecting ecosystem? Tag along as we investigate the timeline of Konami’s unfulfilled commitments, the community’s dwindling hope, and the theories behind the continued absence.
Why Was The Master League Such A Big Deal?
The nostalgia surrounding Master League does bring up the question: why is there so much love for it in the first place? For many fans, this was the soul of PES. It created an unparalleled sense of ownership, progression, and narrative driven entirely by the players’ choices and struggles. Master League had players return season after season.
The most cherished aspect of the game mode was the mandatory starting squad of fictional, low-rated players. These players were more than just characters; they became cult icons. Often called Master League Defaults, players like Castolo, Minanda, and Valeny were the core of your team. With an underdog squad, every scraped goal, every surprising clean sheet, and every eventual promotion felt incredible, and that is what bonded fans to these fictional heroes.
Master League also featured a sophisticated player development system that added significant depth to roster management. A talented 17-year-old would see dramatic rises in stats, while an older veteran would have their stats drop quickly. The game offered options to set individual training programs for players or even teach them new positions. Later PES games let you develop special team roles like General, Maestro, or Lone Wolf. These roles provided team-wide enhancements.
Instead of delivering this highly requested game mode to fans, Konami replaced it with Dream Team — Konami’s answer to EA FC’s Ultimate Team. Dream Team does have that competitive squad-building aspect, but it lacks the emotional core that made Master League iconic.
Konami’s Confusing Statements
Many fans should have given up on waiting for Master League as of now, but it isn’t that easy. Konami has kept fans hooked with its confusing statements and misleading game trailers, which have given fans some hope season after season.
In early 2022, Konami mentioned the return of Master League as “additional paid content,” but offered no date. The next season arrived, then another, yet Konami never followed up. As of today, it’s been over four years of complete silence on the mode’s release.
Apart from this, the release trailer for the 2026 season of eFootball was seen commemorating the 30th anniversary of PES. In this trailer, they kept fans engaged with nostalgia, which once again led to disappointment. Filled with a lot of nostalgia and callbacks, this trailer again reignited speculation for Master League. Unfortunately, we got nothing.
Simply put, Master League is a self-contained offline experience that doesn’t drive recurring revenue the same way other online modes though. It would also require more development than Konami’s content cycle, since proper AI systems, cutscenes, transfer logic, and progression features are significantly heavier to maintain than updating a card pack. That’s not to say that they can’t do it; it’s that they may be struggling to justify the effort.
What Master League Needs To Be Successful
If somehow and some way Master League were to return, it needs to be a proper mode built from the ground up. Shoe-horned in nostalgia bait won’t work. Core legacy features would have to make a comeback, like the default squad and underdog story that made every promotion and transfer feel earned. These elements are essential to recapture long-term engagement.
It also needs a genuine challenge, like the possibility of being sacked if you fail to meet objectives. This alone would make the experience more dynamic and far more realistic. The transfer market should be complex, with rival clubs making realistic bids, players having different negotiation statuses, and the inclusion of release clauses in contract talks.
Most importantly, it would need seamless integration with eFootball. Konami could leverage the existing player card development system from Dream Team, perhaps by letting players train them and utilize the cards by playing them in their Master League squads. Full compatibility with a robust edit mode is necessary to allow the community to correct licenses, kits, and stadium names.
Again, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves now. Given the last announcement for the Master League was back in 2022, many fans now believe that the mode is gone for good.
