Is FIFA 23 the last? How to defend in the game? What are the best formations?

EA Sports FC (formerly known as FIFA Football or FIFA) is a series of association football video games developed and released annually by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. As of 2011, the FIFA franchise has been localised into 18 languages and available in 51 countries. Listed in Guinness World Records as the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world, the FIFA series has sold over 325 million copies as of 2021. On 10 May 2022, it was announced that EA and FIFA’s partnership is set to come to an end after 30 years from July 2023 onwards; the series will be retitled EA Sports FC. FIFA intends to enter a partnership with a new developer to produce “the real game that has the FIFA name”.

Is FIFA 23 the last?

EA Sports has announced that FIFA 23 will be the very last in its long-running series of football video games – to be replaced by a new franchise called EA Sports FC.

The company previously said it was reviewing its licensing agreement with the international governing body for football, but that it would in any case retain its league, player, and stadium naming rights, which are separate from the agreement with FIFA.

In an announcement on Tuesday, the company said it would be releasing one more game with FIFA as its current naming rights partner, which will feature the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup competitions in one edition for the first time.

Then the new series will be launching in summer 2023, it said. The company added that FIFA 23 would be its “most expansive game ever […] with more features, game modes, World Cup content, clubs, leagues, competitions, and players than any FIFA title before”.

It added: “Our unique licensing portfolio of more than 19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues that we’ve continued to invest in for decades will still be there, uniquely in EA Sports FC.

“That includes exclusive partnerships with the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, the MLS – and more to come.”

The company said its new “independent platform” would offer it an opportunity to “innovate, create and evolve” although it hasn’t yet set out how the game will change.

It stressed “the same great experiences, modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes will be there” including “Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA Football”.

How to defend in FIFA 20?

Losing too many games in FIFA 20? Conceding too many stupid goals? The simplest and most effective change you can make is to stop sprinting. Let go of the sprint button altogether, both in attack and defence. Sprinting not only wastes stamina, but gives you less control over your players when in possession and pulls them out of position when defending.

Only sprint as a last resort or when trying to catch up with a player who has burst down the wing or broken through the defensive line. Sprinting at any other time in defence is a bad idea and will leave you exposed.

Certain formations in FIFA 20 are more attacking than others (such as 4-2-4) but regardless of your formation, you can still balance attack and defence by using custom tactics to make sure your defensive players keep their shape, even when attacking.

Setting your entire defensive line including your full-backs to “Stay Back while Attacking” can leave fewer gaps to plug at the back if you turn over the ball in the opposition half. This means it will be much more difficult to play fast counter-attacking play against you.

Switching the Defensive Behaviour setting of your central midfielders to “Cut Passing Lanes” will also help congest the middle of the field and leave you less exposed when defending. Similarly, high pressing can be effective when chasing the game but is not very useful when holding a lead as it will pull your players out of position.

Another good custom tactic to utilise is to set your most central midfielder to “Drop Between Defenders.” This will turn your back four into a back five and also allow you to use your midfielder to carry the ball out from the back when in possession.

What are the best formations in Fifa 21?

3-5-2
Key Positions: Wide Midfielders, Central Defensive Midfielders, Attacking Midfielder

If you’re good at defending, the 3-5-2 is one of the games best formations. No full-backs mean a simple through-ball will see your opponents in space in your attacking third, but using the two defensive midfielders as a shield for your back three can alleviate most issues.

You should be looking to push the ball forward through your CAM, so instruct them to stay forward in order to allow them to work in an effective front three with your two strikers.

3-4-2-1
Key Positions: Wide Midfielders, Central Midfielders

A high defensive line and 3-4-2-1 is one of the go-to systems for the pros looking to suffocate their opponents and score quick goals. It does come with the major issue of being defensively vulnerable if you lose the ball high up the pitch, but employing central midfielders who have great stamina and aren’t afraid to get stuck in can help prevent this.

Using Drop Back combined with a low depth can also help counter defensive issues, and combining this with a quick build-up style of play can be highly effective.

5-2-1-2
Key Positions: Wing-Backs, Attacking Midfielder, Central Midfielders

The 5-2-1-2 is one of the most balanced formations in FIFA 21, it gives you three attacking options, which can be supported by the two Wing-Backs who act as faux-wingers when going forward. There are plenty of full-backs who can fulfil this role, including Team of the Year Trent Alexander-Arnold and Futties James Tavernier.

Having high width is important if you want to get the most out of the 5-2-1-2, and combined with making one of the central midfielders act in a more defensive role makes it very balanced offensively and defensively.

Career Mode in Fifa games

Outside of one major change, Career Mode hasn’t received too many updates this year. FIFA 22 has finally reintroduced the ability to create your own club from scratch, which is a massive victory for fans of the mode. That means you can build a club from scratch and lead them all the way to a Champions League trophy.

You have complete control over your side. You can customize everything from your kit and crest to what objectives the board will give you before your first season. It’s a comprehensive feature that gives fans exactly what they’ve been asking for.

Beyond that massive change, fans should expect a mode that feels a bit more dynamic and true-to-life. One small example of this is the ability to create a Tifo of one of your star players. It doesn’t have a huge impact on the experience of Fifa, but it makes your team feel like you’re in control of the story.