Premier League club Manchester City are planning to release their fourth kit of the year – this time in a collaboration with the recently-released EA FC 26. The kit is both available in-game, and will be available in Kick-Off mode from October 24th.
However, if you purchase the physical version of the Manchester City kit, it comes with an NFC chip in the collar, which wearers can scan with a smartphone to reveal exclusive content in EA FC 26, as well as more marketing from the club, manufacturer Puma and developer EA.
EA FC 26 Manchester City Kit
The kit can be found through Manchester City’s official store, and will be worn by the team for the first time in their UEFA Championship League fixture on the 21st October. However, with the price of the kit being so high (£130 for the “authentic” version), fans of EA FC 26 might want to know exactly what might be on offer to them through this “exclusive content.”
This isn’t the first time that EA FC 26’s monetisation efforts have drawn controversy, but given how this is arguably more aimed at sports fans who would buy a kit in the first place, it’s unlikely that this will receive as much negative attention from players than from sceptical football fans.
The Role of EA FC 26 in Football Culture
Perhaps most significantly, this direct collaboration marks an important acknowledgement of the overlap between sports fans and players of EA FC 26.
It’s previously been reported that the FIFA/EA FC series has been influential in getting players more interested in the sport outside of the game, so this collaboration could look to take advantage of that.
According to Marco Mueller, of Puma, “Football is evolving, and so are the ways fans connect with their Club. This collaboration sets a new standard for innovation in kit design – uniting the physical, the digital, and the emotional.
“The project began in December 2023, when all three brands joined forces to co-design a kit that with the intention to blur the lines between play in the digital game and the real pitch. The result is a unique product that really pushes the boundaries of kit design.”
