Why is the FIFA 23 FUT World Cup content a disappointment, and how could EA Sports have done better?

When EA Sports announced that the FUT World Cup content was coming to FIFA 23, fans were excited by the news. The developers announced that individuals would be able to enjoy plenty of new content inside the original Ultimate Team mode. They believed the integrated approach would benefit the players and allow them to use their resources in a concentrated fashion.

It has been almost two weeks since the content arrived in the Ultimate Team mode. It all started with the special National Dynamic Duos, which were added to objectives and as SBCs.

Fans later got to witness the first promo, and Path to Glory certainly did not disappoint. On its own, the promo is arguably the best one that has been introduced so far this year.

Yet, there is much more that could have been done. The events are still ongoing, and plenty of new content is expected to arrive. However, first impressions are always important, especially for a game like FIFA 23, which vouches for its live service content.

Once the Path to Glory promo is over, many will feel that EA Sports might have missed a trick or two while releasing the FUT World Cup content.

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The biggest problem with the FUT World Cup content in FIFA 23 is its monotonic nature and lack of proper events

The two main shining lights of the FUT World Cup content are the Path to Glory promo and the Swaps program. Players can earn different rewards, including World Cup Stars cards, that can only be obtained with the help of the exchange tokens. Players can also get multiple player-backs and World Cup icon cards from the available rewards.

The Path to Glory promo has added some truly amazing cards, and some of them will improve further based on real-life performances. This incentivizes players to be on the lookout for interesting cards that can change their nature based on potential upgrades.

The Swaps program feels alright, but earning the swap tokens is a grind. EA Sports has limited the number of tokens a player can earn at a particular time. It doesn't matter if an individual earns all of them at the earliest, as they will have to wait for the next set of tokens to arrive.

One would think that tokens would be easily available in FIFA 23, but that's not the case. Players will need to win a certain amount of tasks to get these tokens, and this can become a massive grind after a point. While players can earn rewards for as little as two tokens, they need to improve.

Then comes the issue of FIFA World Cup players being part of the FUT World Cup content which is freely available in all the packs. While the concept is positive, their actual usage is limited to FIFA 23. Players would have a better experience if exclusive game modes existed for these limited cards. Given the current scenario, the cards are rather redundant, and a player can be forgiven for failing to see the point of all this.

This is where EA Sports missed the mark in their FUT World Cup content. A dedicated game mode will allow players to take time off the regular modes already present in the game. This game mode could also be made easier or more lucrative to reward all levels of players.

Instead, players will have to play the same game modes to earn different FUT World Cup content in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team. The game can sometimes become a big grind, and the current system will not reduce that. In addition, the time-limited nature of the rewards induces FOMO in many minds.

The FIFA World Cup cycle gave EA Sports a wonderful opportunity after four long years. FIFA 23 is also the last game in the series, which will undergo rebranding next year. What could have been a memorable experience will largely be remembered as another instance where EA Sports failed to capitalize enough.