FL referees currently wear sleeve branding promoting the latest installment of EA Sports FC. (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The English Football League (EFL) soccer organizing body has announced the multi-year renewal of its partnership with video game company Electronic Arts (EA) for the EA Sports FC series of soccer video games.

Through the deal, EA Sports FC will continue as an official licensee of all EFL clubs through the end of the 2028-29 season, with all 72 clubs in the EFL Championship (second tier), League 1 (third tier), and League 2 (fourth tier) divisions to be represented in EA Sports FC-branded games.

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EA has long been a licensee of the EFL, and has been a partner of the organizer since 2016, sponsoring its annual young player of the year awards across all three divisions with EFL referees also currently wearing sleeve branding promoting the latest installment of the game.

The game series is one of the most profitable franchises in video game history, having generated a reported $20 billion since its debut.

EA first became an official licensee of the EFL in 2006, back when its EA Sports FC series of games were known under the moniker FIFA through an agreement with the world soccer governing body.

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FIFA and EA had been partners for over 30 years until 2023, wherein EA unexpectedly ended the partnership, a move that saw sales initially decline within an expected level, but esports participation has since grown.

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EFL chief commercial officer, Ben Wright, has said: “The EFL is really pleased to extend a longstanding partnership with a globally respected and valued partner in EA Sports FC.”

James Taylor, director of soccer partnerships at EA Sports FC, added that the deal allows the company to “authentically integrate the world’s original league soccer competition in EA Sports FC 24 [its latest annual edition].”

This latest license agreement with the EFL also follows a period of growing international presence for the soccer leagues.

In March, the EFL secured record international rights fees for its global broadcast rights indicating the desire for more soccer broadcasts globally and the strength of the leagues' presence and support in the market, with the Championship a direct feeder into the lucrative top-tier Premier League.

Wright continued: “This [EA Sports FC] extension comes off the back of many exciting developments and partnerships for the League, most recently the newly announced international TV rights deal, which adds to the EFL’s global appeal among fans.”