Juventus to be called Piemonte Calcio in Fifa after PES deal By Tom Gerken

BBC News Published duration 16 July 2019

image copyright Getty Images image caption Juventus player Cristiano Ronaldo was the cover star of the past two Fifa games

Fifa 20 will not feature Juventus, after Konami, the games company that makes Pro Evolution Soccer 2020, signed an exclusive deal with the club.

Players of Fifa 20 will instead have to search for "Piemonte Calcio" if they want to play as Juventus stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Aaron Ramsey.

Piemonte Calcio will have its own badge and kit, designed by EA Sports.

This marks the first time in 25 years that Fifa will not hold the licence for the Serie A champions.

PES v Fifa

It is a debate that has raged on for years.

The two games have been rivals since Fifa 95 and International Superstar Soccer (PES's former name) were released in November 1994.

Annual releases followed for each game, with Fifa almost always holding the licences to every major team and player, barring a few notable absences.

For example, EA Sports missed out on the licence to the other Ronaldo back in Fifa 99, where he was replaced by a suspiciously similar Brazilian called A Calcio.

PES historically chose not to pay for expensive licences, instead letting its gameplay speak for itself.

And in PES 2019 Juventus were known as PM Black White.

Whether this latest development is the first step in a new direction is unclear - but it marks the first time that PES has got one over on its rival with a major licence.

Meanwhile, Fifa 20 has announced its own "long-term" partnership with Liverpool FC, which comes after Konami announced their contract with the Champions League winners had come to an end.