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On Wednesday March 15, OL Reign and the NWSL comes to EA Sports’ video game, FIFA 23. A downloadable update will add the 12-team league, allowing fans to virtually run box-to-box like Jess Fishlock, whip in crosses from the right like Sofia Huerta, and paint the pitch like a canvas as Rose Lavelle does.
.@NWSL #FIFA23
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) March 6, 2023
The National Women's Soccer League is coming to The World's Game on March 15th.
Find out more: https://t.co/9GpEH132JZ pic.twitter.com/wI9gXJvr63
The addition of the NWSL has been rumored since early 2022. When FIFA 23 was officially announced that summer, it introduced women’s club teams from England’s Barclays Women’s Super League and France’s Division 1 Arkema, playable across the game’s exhibition (called “Kick Off”) modes and a tournament option which basically replicates a single-season campaign, minus the day-to-day roster management and player development of the game’s career mode. At the time of the announcement, EA would only say that additional leagues would eventually be added post-launch.
When the NWSL is available to play in the game, the tournament mode will replicate an NWSL regular season, playing for the NWSL Shield for the best regular season record, and the NWSL Playoffs to win the ultimate prize, the NWSL Championship.
As of publication, 13 OL Reign players are listed in the FIFA 23 Women’s Player Ratings website. More players could be added as we get closer to Wednesday’s launch, and FIFA players will no doubt be familiar with the website sofifa.com to see full squad ratings in due time. If the addition of the NWSL will be your first introduction to the video game, please note that the ratings are fluid and will change as EA rolls out roster updates.
Lavelle leads the club with the 87 overall rating. Across the NWSL, she is the third-best rated player, with only San Diego Wave FC’s Alex Morgan (90) and Kansas City Current’s Debinha (88) above her. What might be a pleasant surprise for OL Reign fans are the ratings of Phallon Tullis-Joyce (80), Sam Hiatt (76), and Olivia Van der Jagt (75), recognizing and rewarding the solid contributions the club’s younger players have made on the field next to stalwarts like the Reign Originals of Lauren Barnes, Jess Fishlock, and Megan Rapinoe.
OL Reign FIFA 23 Ratings
PLAYER | POSITION | OVERALL | PACE | SHOOTING | PASSING | DRIBBLING | DEFENCE | PHYSICAL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PLAYER | POSITION | OVERALL | PACE | SHOOTING | PASSING | DRIBBLING | DEFENCE | PHYSICAL |
Rose Lavelle | CAM | 87 | 88 | 78 | 84 | 87 | 45 | 64 |
Megan Rapinoe | LW | 86 | 79 | 86 | 85 | 87 | 46 | 73 |
Jess Fishlock | CM | 84 | 78 | 81 | 80 | 82 | 71 | 72 |
Alana Cook | CB | 82 | 54 | 42 | 58 | 61 | 85 | 79 |
Sofia Huerta | RB | 82 | 84 | 56 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 72 |
Emily Sonnett | RB | 82 | 84 | 57 | 73 | 72 | 81 | 83 |
Lauren Barnes | LB | 81 | 79 | 47 | 70 | 76 | 80 | 79 |
Phallon Tullis-Joyce | GK | 80 | 80 | 74 | 75 | 82 | 29 | 81 |
Quinn | CDM | 78 | 46 | 46 | 69 | 67 | 78 | 74 |
Bethany Balcer | ST | 77 | 72 | 77 | 70 | 72 | 39 | 61 |
Sam Hiatt | CB | 76 | 65 | 39 | 57 | 63 | 78 | 69 |
Olivia Van der Jagt | CDM | 75 | 66 | 55 | 65 | 68 | 75 | 63 |
Jordyn Huitema | ST | 75 | 79 | 75 | 66 | 72 | 40 | 62 |
With the NWSL coming to FIFA 23, we get the real content: NWSL players reacting to their ratings. Behold, Gotham FC’s Midge Purce.
Also from today’s media day, @nxbaafnkln asked Midge Purce about the inclusion of #NWSL players in @EASPORTSFIFA.
— Jenna Tonelli (@jennatonelli) March 7, 2023
Spoiler alert: she isn’t too thrilled with her ratings!
@GothamFC pic.twitter.com/ErlmomY0BC
A staple of FIFA has been the Real Face feature in which players are brought into an EA studio to have their faces captured by multiple cameras so their virtual likeness closely resembles real life. While we won’t be able to see OL Reign’s full roster until they’re in the game, Ride of the Valkyries has learned that every player who was on the 2022 OL Reign squad got their face scanned for the game. Here’s a behind the scenes look on when players in the Women’s Super League had their faces scanned.
✅ #FIFA23 Head scans complete
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) September 22, 2022
We’re coming to The World’s Game pic.twitter.com/okf1houNhZ
FIFA 23 is now available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
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