Football is one of the most popular sports globally, with huge investments pouring in. Top players like Kylian Mbappé have received record-breaking transfer bids, with a world record $300 million offer made for the FIFA 23 cover star. While football video games are plentiful, the options are narrowing. EA’s FIFA franchise has ended, becoming EA FC with the first game being EA FC 24. Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer has evolved into the free-to-play eFootball, and another free-to-play title UFL is yet to launch. Now, a new free-to-play football game, Man of the Match, has entered the arena.
Man of the Match is still far from release. Trailers show the game coming in 2025 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. There is also an upcoming Kickstarter campaign described as an “event that will make history: The World’s First Football Video Game that the community will fund.” Man of the Match aims to “reproduce the real-life football experience and introduce it into the digital world.”
The trailer and website detail what Man of the Match will offer. It is a “football video game for both consoles and PC it is free to play, earn to play, and built for the community and by the community.” The goal is to recreate the world of football with scheduled matches known in advance. However, the key is how matches are played. There is 11v11 multiplayer with two additional human-controlled manager roles in a 1v1 scenario. While an ambitious concept, how it will work over a full season from August to May will be intriguing.
Man of the Match is an upcoming free-to-play football game aiming to provide an authentic experience through community involvement and multiplayer match control. It enters a changing video game landscape as established franchises shift to free-to-play models. The scheduled 2025 release gives time to see if this community-driven concept can differentiate itself in the competitive football gaming market.
