For the first time, EA Sports FC, the successor of the FIFA franchise, has added female players and five Icons to Ultimate Team in the 2024 edition. The latter sparked all kinds of misogynistic comments as some fans thought legendary female players shouldn’t be added to the game, but part of the player base is calling the buzz “pathetic.”
Icons are historically some of the best cards in Ultimate Team, the game mode in which you play to assemble the greatest squad possible, as it features former legendary players such as Pelé, Diego Maradona, and Johan Cruyff. For EA FC 24, EA added five players who “paved the way” for women’s soccer: the English striker Kelly Smith, the French midfielder Camille Abily, the Japanese midfielder Homare Sawa, the German striker Birgit Prinz, and the American striker Mia Hamm.
Through a Reddit post, one EA FC 24 fan called the reaction to female Icons “one of the most pathetic things” they’ve seen in the community and pointed out that there’s no reason for anyone to be upset as there are only five women’s Icons compared to 100 male Icons—and a few others agreed.
Those who dislike women’s soccer for whatever reason also are not forced by any means to include female players in their Ultimate Team lineup, which makes the complaints even more silly.
In EA FC 24, players will be able to build mixed-gender soccer squads and get to know more female players as they’re getting some deserved exposure after all this time. This also should be an incentive for more women to play the game.
EA FC 24 is launching on Sept. 22 for those who bought the Ultimate Edition and on Sept. 29 for those who opted for just the Standard Edition.
