The box art matters. Most people just toss the plastic case in a drawer or, more likely these days, just glance at the tile on their digital dashboard for a split second before hitting "Play." But if you actually look at the lineage of FIFA video game covers, you aren't just looking at marketing materials. You are looking at a chronological map of power, ego, and shifting global dominance in the world's most popular sport.
It’s kinda wild how much a single photo of a guy in a jersey can say about who owned the sport at that exact moment.
Back in 1993, nobody really knew what they were doing with this. The first game, FIFA International Soccer, didn’t even have a global superstar on it. It featured David Platt and Piotr Świerczewski. It was grainy. It was messy. It looked like a snapshot someone took from the sidelines of a muddy pitch in late November. But it worked. From that point on, being the "cover star" became a status symbol that players actually cared about. It was the digital equivalent of being on the Wheaties box, but with much higher stakes for the brand's bottom line.
The Era of the Global Face
When people think about the peak of these designs, they usually go straight to the Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho years. That was the sweet spot. Between FIFA 06 and FIFA 09, EA Sports basically decided that those two guys represented the perfect duality of football: the raw, gritty English power of Rooney and the samba magic of Ronaldinho. It was a vibe.
Honestly, the chemistry on those covers was better than half the real-life strike partnerships in the Premier League at the time.
But the selection process isn't just "who is the best player?" It’s a messy mix of licensing agreements, regional marketing needs, and who is currently signed to a massive Nike or Adidas deal. Take FIFA 10, for example. Depending on where you lived, you might have seen Theo Walcott, Frank Lampard, or Sacha Kljestan. EA has always been obsessed with localization because they know a kid in Chicago might not care about a midfielder from Chelsea as much as they care about an MLS homegrown talent.
When things got complicated with Lionel Messi
For a long time, Lionel Messi was the white whale for EA. He spent years as the face of Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), which was FIFA’s bitter rival. When EA finally snatched him away for FIFA 13, it felt like the console wars were over. Messi stayed on the FIFA video game covers for four straight years.
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It felt like he’d be there forever.
Then, the contract ended. The shift from Messi to Marco Reus for FIFA 17 was a shock to the system. It was actually one of the few times EA let the fans vote on the cover. Reus beat out Anthony Martial, Eden Hazard, and James Rodriguez. It was a cool experiment, but it also showed the risk of fan voting; you might end up with a great player who unfortunately spends half the season on the injury list, which sort of dampens the hype of the physical box sitting on store shelves.
The Cristiano Ronaldo drama you probably forgot
The FIFA 19 cover situation was a genuine nightmare for the marketing team. Initially, the game launched with Cristiano Ronaldo in his Real Madrid kit. Then, the "transfer of the century" happened, and he moved to Juventus. EA had to scramble to update the digital assets to show him in the black and white stripes.
Then, things got worse.
Legal allegations surfaced regarding Ronaldo’s personal life. While he denied them, EA quietly scrubbed him from the website and eventually replaced him on the digital cover icons with Neymar, Kevin De Bruyne, and Paulo Dybala. It was the first time we really saw how "real world" issues could instantly break the carefully constructed image of a video game's branding.
Mbappe, Haaland, and the end of the FIFA name
Recently, we’ve seen the "passing of the torch" play out in real-time. Kylian Mbappé took over for a three-year stretch, looking every bit the heir apparent to the Messi/Ronaldo throne. He looked cool. He looked fast. He was exactly what the "Next Gen" consoles needed to showcase.
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But everything changed with the split between EA and FIFA.
When the partnership ended and EA Sports FC 24 was born, the cover art took a weird turn. The Ultimate Edition of that game was... controversial, to say the least. It featured a massive group of players—past and present—rendered in the game engine. People hated it. The "uncanny valley" effect was strong. Andrea Pirlo looked like he’d seen a ghost. Erling Haaland looked like a Viking who had lost his way. It was a bold move away from the traditional high-contrast photography of previous FIFA video game covers, and it proved that sometimes, simpler is just better.
Haaland eventually got the solo spot for the standard edition, which felt much more natural. It’s hard to mess up a photo of a guy who looks like a literal goal-scoring cyborg.
Why we still care about the "Cover Curse"
You can't talk about these games without mentioning the "Cover Curse." It’s basically the Madden Curse’s European cousin.
- Kaka moved to Real Madrid after his cover appearance and struggled with injuries.
- Eden Hazard landed the FIFA 20 spot and then saw his form plummet after his "dream move" to Spain.
- Jack Wilshere was the future of England on the FIFA 12 cover, but his ankles had other plans.
Is it real? Probably not. It’s more likely a case of "regression to the mean." You usually get put on the cover after the best season of your life. Statistically, it’s almost impossible to keep that level up. But tell that to a superstitious fan whose favorite player just tore an ACL after being announced as the new face of the franchise. They won't believe you.
The technical evolution of the box art
Early covers were just photos. They had a white background, some basic text, and maybe a little motion blur if the designer was feeling spicy. But as the games moved to PS4 and Xbox One, the art style shifted toward "hyper-realism."
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The lighting changed. They started using "rim lighting" to make the players pop off the background. They started focusing on "hyper-motion" technology, showing the creases in the jerseys and the sweat on the brow. The cover stopped being about the sport and started being about the technology used to simulate the sport.
Actionable insights for collectors and fans
If you’re sitting on a pile of old games, don’t just throw them away. There is a surprisingly active market for specific regional variants of FIFA video game covers.
- Check for regional exclusives: The Australian versions with Tim Cahill or the North American versions with Landon Donovan are often harder to find in Europe.
- Look for the "Misprints": If you have a physical copy of FIFA 19 with Ronaldo in his Madrid kit, keep it. It’s a snapshot of a moment that the publisher tried to erase.
- Condition is everything: Collectors want the "Steelbook" editions, but even the standard plastic cases need to be crack-free with the original manual (back when they actually printed manuals).
- The Women's Game: FIFA 16 was the first to feature female players (Alex Morgan, Christine Sinclair, and Stephanie Catley) on regional covers. FIFA 23 went global with Sam Kerr. These are historically significant milestones in the franchise's history and are highly sought after by those documenting the growth of the sport.
The move to EA Sports FC marks the end of an era. We won't see that iconic four-letter acronym on a box for a while, or at least not from EA. But the legacy of those covers remains. They are more than just advertisements; they are a visual encyclopedia of the players we loved, the kits we wore, and the hours we spent sitting on the floor in front of a glowing TV, trying to score a finesse shot from 30 yards out.
If you want to start a collection, start with the "era-defining" years: FIFA 95 (for the nostalgia), FIFA 07 (for the Rooney/Ronaldinho peak), and FIFA 13 (the start of the Messi era). They represent the high points of the brand's cultural impact before everything became digital downloads and live-service updates.
The art of the cover might be dying, but the history it captured is permanent.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
Start by auditing your current collection for any "dual-club" errors where a player was transferred shortly after the photo shoot. Research the secondary market prices for the FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition, as it's the final "official" FIFA-branded game and is expected to hold long-term value for completionists. Finally, keep an eye on the upcoming announcements from FIFA (the organization), as they have signaled intent to launch their own rival game, which will inevitably spark a new era of cover star rivalries.