Rocket League is leaning heavily into its soccer elements with the Season 23 collaboration with the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026.

Rocket League's official Instagram account has teased the upcoming collaboration, with Season 23 set to be fully centered around the FIFA World Cup 2026, which is happening in North America. The caption read:

"A worldwide celebration. Season 23. ⁣#FIFAWorldCup"

The game isn't the only one to embrace the upcoming event. FIFA, soccer's governing body, has already announced the FIFAe World Cup 2026 ft. Rocket League. The FIFAe World Cup event will now also feature Rocket League as an official game, with the tournament likely to see nations go at each other for national pride in what will mostly be a 3v3 format.

At the base level, Rocket League is a soccer-centric game, too. The difference is that the players are in charge of cars, which dictate the movement of the soccer ball instead of player characters or in-game player bodies.

The collaboration will provide more exposure to the FIFAe ecosystem, as Rocket League's influence within the esports sphere continues to grow.

The game is also part of the 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC) circuit as part of a multi-year partnership by Epic Games. However, the FIFA e collaboration will serve actual soccer fans something relatable at an opportune time, as well as being able to draw a global audience to the game through the sport.

What to Expect From Season 23 and the FIFA Collaboration?

While Season 23 details aren't fully revealed, expect Psyonix to introduce a World Cup-themed Rocket Pass for users. Since the collaboration is labelled a 'worldwide celebration,' expect them to lean heavily into the nation-based structure and fan-centric stadium cosmetics, extravagant goal celebrations, and even national flags to be made available.

We could see Psyonix introduce some temporary game modes that could cater to the international audience and give it a more FIFA World Cup feel. Users can expect tailor-made leaderboards and competitions that invoke the feeling of representing their respective nations inside the game.

Given the teaser, we can expect the official World Cup ball and legacy World Cup balls to enter the game as customizable cosmetics, or we could see the ball being replaced by the Trionda, the official ball of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The pitch and arena should also resemble actual soccer pitches and arenas more closely to add to the feel of the World Cup.

This collaboration could prove mutually beneficial, since FIFA wants to cater to youth, and Rocket League is one of the most popular esports titles among the current generation.

What are your thoughts on this collaboration?

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Written by

Abhisek Bajaj

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi