Earlier this year, rumours swirled that FIFA 23 would have some kind of collaboration with Marvel, with superhero-themed Ultimate Team cards coming to the game. Well, that partnership has now been confirmed, along with details about how exactly it works and what players can expect.
The FIFA 23 Marvel partnership will directly affect FIFA 23 Hero cards – the Ultimate Team items that celebrate former players who made massive impacts on certain football leagues. While regular base Hero cards will be available in FUT at launch, the Marvel twist will arrive for FIFA 23’s World Cup mode this winter. For the new WC mode, FIFA World Cup Hero cards will receive new comic book-inspired illustrations. These cards will also have improved stats compared to the base versions of FUT Heroes.
The FIFA World Cup Hero announcement also confirmed another addition to the FUT Heroes roster: former USA international Landon Donovan, who will get a Captain America-esque illustration for the World Cup mode.
Donovan was last in a FIFA game in FIFA 17, when he was part of the Legends (now Icons) roster, but was removed from the lineup from FIFA 18 onwards.
A web page for the collaboration reveals that World Cup Heroes will be addded to the game on November 11 – possibly and indication of when the World Cup mode will also start within Ultimate Team.
The same page also confirms that every single FUT Hero in FIFA 23 will get a superhero-inspired World Cup variant. So far, only the four confirmed FUT Heroes (Toure, Park, Ricardo Carvalho, and Claudio Marchisio) and the newly revealed Donovan have had their artworks and heroic alter egos revealed.
As well as these Marvel FIFA 23 cards for the World Cup mode, cosmetic items like stadium tifos and kits, will be available in Ultimate Team at no extra cost, according to EA, meaning they will either be earned rewards or awarded to players for free at the beginning of the World Cup celebrations.
Those who chose the Ultimate Edition when sorting out their FIFA 23 pre-order will also receive a “limited time” FIFA World Cup Hero item, likely meaning that it’ll be a loan player you can use for a set amount of matches.
What else is new in Ultimate Team this year, aside from turning Yaya Toure into a superhero? Well, there are some massive FIFA 23 chemistry changes you’ll need to brush up on ahead of the FIFA 23 release date, for a starter.