EA lost the FIFA license in 2023 but kept everything else. Ultimate Team is still the money printer — $1.6B in annual revenue from microtransactions alone. Career Mode is solid. The gameplay is arcade-style and accessible. It's the McDonald's of football games: not the best, but everyone plays it.
Konami went free-to-play in 2021. The launch was a disaster (0.7 Metacritic user score). It's improved significantly since then. The gameplay is more realistic — passing feels weighted, dribbling requires skill. But the content is thin compared to EA FC.
EA FC dominates competitive football gaming. The FIFAe World Cup has $500K+ prize pools. Real football clubs (PSG, Man City, Ajax) have esports teams. Pro players earn $100K-500K/year. It's a legitimate career path.
EA FC if you want: more content, bigger community, Ultimate Team, and licensed everything. eFootball if you want: free-to-play, more realistic gameplay, and you don't mind less content. Most people play EA FC. The purists play eFootball.