It’s the final countdown (pic: Sony)

FIFA 23’s World Cup mode is now officially live, adding a ton of new features and options to the game. 

The World Cup mode is always one of the most popular features in FIFA 23, as players can create their own dream teams and compete in the most high-stakes tournament in football history.  

Players were so excited to take part that some even found a way to get the World Cup mode working a month earlier than its official launch.  

As the previous game didn’t have a World Cup mode it’s set to become a huge addition to FIFA 23, but let’s see what it has to offer besides the FIFA World Cup 2022 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023… 

When does FIFA 23 World Cup mode come out? 

The FIFA 23 World Cup mode launches as DLC on Wednesday, November 9. It’s expected to unlock around 6pm, as that’s when FIFA 23 updates usually go live.  

The IRL World Cup in Qatar is set to kick off on Sunday, November 20 so you’ll have a bit over a week to get a head start in the game. 

It’s likely that the Women’s World Cup mode will follow the same recipe, also dropping in-game close to its IRL counterpart, which begins on July 20, 2023.

Which consoles support the FIFA 23 World Cup mode? 

You’ll be able to download the update on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. 

Sadly, it won’t be available for the Nintendo Switch version of the game, which has been stuck as a ‘Legacy Edition’ for years now.

That means it only ever changes the kits and team line-ups, and never adds any major new content, like the World Cup mode.

A lot of exciting matches waiting to happen (pic: EA)

What is the group breakdown for the FIFA 23 World Cup mode? 

If you want to get a real feel for the tournament, you can play as one of the 32 nations that have qualified for Qatar 2022. The group breakdown in the FIFA 23 World Cup mode is as follows: 

Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands 
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales 
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland 
Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia 
Group E: Span, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan 
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia 
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon 
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea 

You also get the chance to customise the groups or play as a nation that didn’t make it to the final 32, so you don’t really need to stick to the rules. 

The other national teams included in FIFA 23’s World Cup mode are Austria, China PR, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Romania, Scotland, Sweden, and Ukraine. 

The Women’s World Cup mode will arrive in the summer of 2023 (pic: EA)

FIFA 23 Ultimate Team World Cup content schedule 

Unfortunately, there is no standalone FIFA 23 FUT World Cup mode. However, there will be a plethora of World Cup-themed content added to the game, specifically for its Ultimate Team mode. 

Here’s the full schedule until the end of the tournament: 

Path to Glory (November 11 to December 23): Live cards that increase in rating based on a nation’s performance in the tournament. World Cup Stories (December 2): Celebrate the most impactful moments in the World Cup event. World Cup FUT Phenoms (December 9): A brand-new promo that revolves around some of football’s ‘brightest stars.’ Team of the Tournament (End of competition): A pack of special cards that highlights the best players from Qatar 2022. 

Throughout the duration of the World Cup, 30 special World Cup FUT Heroes will also be released, each carrying a higher rating than their standard versions. 

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What’s new for World Cup mode in FIFA 23? 

This year the FIFA 23 World Cup mode is a bit different to the one in previous versions of the game. 

As it won’t be part of the Ultimate Team mode, you’ll now be able to play through the tournament in several different ways, both online and offline. 

Here’s every mode that’s available in FIFA 23 as part of the World Cup mode: 

FIFA World Cup Kick-Off: A one-off match against local players or bots using any of the 32 qualified teams. FIFA World Cup 2022 Tournaments: Play through the entire Qatar World Cup from start to finish. You’ll also get the option to replace any nation with a team that didn’t qualify from the FIFA 23 roster. Online Tournament: Try and claim the World Cup trophy by starting in the knockout stages and beating four real players in online matches. FIFA World Cup Live: A live version of the World Cup that updates frequently with the latest data and squads that can be found in the standard single-player mode. 

If you’re still unsure of which team to place your bets on, EA Sports might have the answer for you, as it has predicted which team is most likely to take home the 2022 trophy. 

You can even place your own bets on EA’s website, with the chance to win a brand-new PlayStation 5, which would be a trophy in itself.

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FIFA 23’s World Cup mode is now officially live, adding a ton of new features and options to the game.