Spanish Players’ Licenses at Risk After AFE Leaves FIFPRO: What It Means for EA Sports FC and eFootball

The Association of Spanish Footballers has officially left FIFPRO, citing a lack of transparency. This split is not only going to affect how Spanish players would fare on the pitch but also raise issues regarding their licensing across multiple football games. While there is no immediate impact, AFE's move is sure to have long-term implications on major gaming publishers, the details of which are given below.

AFE's shocking FIFPRO Exit

In a surprising turn of events, the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) chose to exit FIFPRO on February 11, 2026. The board of directors at AFE has decided to side with the creation of a new global body that will function as an international footballers' union. The Spanish body is deciding to be the face of the new international footballers' union, which will be more transparent and coherent, unlike FIFPRO.

What AFE's FIFPRO Exit Means for EA FC, eFootball and others

Off the real football pitch, this decision will draw major complications in securing the licenses of Spanish players. All the football simulation titles across PC and mobile platforms secure licenses from FIFPRO to utilise the names and images (faces and body structure) of players to use in the video games. This makes the game feel more realistic and immersive, which is an important USP for gaming publishers.

From the fans' point of view, they get to enjoy playing their favourite players with real face structure, jersey numbers and more.

AFE's exit from FIFPRO will make it difficult for popular publishers like EA and Konami to use real Spanish players in their titles, FC 26, mobile and eFootball. Players with AFE might not have the same coverage under FIFPRO’s licensing deals.

Since a lot of football games depend on FIFPRO for player licensing, there’s a chance they could lose the rights to feature some Spanish players. Game developers will likely have to talk directly to AFE if they want to keep including those players in their games.

The restrictions don't end here for EA Sports FC and eFootball. While LaLiga is officially licensed in EA FC, eFootball doesn't have it, so it may face issues in bringing Spanish league content into the game. This, however, doesn't extend to individual club partnership agreements. Spanish players form a huge part of the global footballing scene. The country has a huge list of star studded plays like Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Ferran Torres and more.

The AFE and FIFPRO split could shake things up for future football games like EA Sports FC 27, Football Manager 27, and the next updates for eFootball and UFL. But honestly, it’s a bit too soon to see the full effects. For now, there’s no official word on whether Spanish players will be taken out of any game.