College Rivals Season 4 is set to bring football gaming closer to India’s college community, with EA SPORTS named the Official Game Partner for the upcoming season. The partnership will introduce EA SPORTS FC Mobile to campuses across the country, combining competitive football gaming with the growing influence of gaming, entertainment and youth culture.
India has an estimated 300 million football fans, making the country one of the world’s largest football audiences. Through the collaboration, EA SPORTS and College Rivals aim to make football gaming more accessible to young players while creating new ways for students to compete, connect and participate in the sport digitally.
EA SPORTS FC Mobile Comes to College Campuses
EA SPORTS FC™ Mobile will play a central role in the College Rivals Season 4 experience. Students will have opportunities to engage through campus activations, esports competitions, creator collaborations and community-focused initiatives, supported by College Rivals’ network of student ambassadors.
The partnership expands College Rivals’ focus beyond competitive gaming by bringing a globally recognised football franchise into India’s collegiate environment. It also reflects the growing overlap between traditional sports, esports, gaming communities and youth entertainment.
College Rivals has continued to build its presence across mobile, PC and console gaming, establishing itself as a platform where students can experience gaming alongside music, entertainment, creators and other elements of contemporary youth culture.
The two organisations also plan to explore campaigns around key gaming and entertainment moments throughout the season, including potential activities surrounding the expected arrival of EA SPORTS FC 27.
College Rivals Season 4 Targets 100+ Colleges
The fourth season is expected to be the biggest edition of College Rivals so far. Its calendar will feature campus activations, online competitions and community experiences spanning more than 100 colleges in over 40 cities.
Created with India’s Gen Z audience in mind, College Rivals combines gaming with pop culture, music and dance to create experiences that extend beyond traditional esports tournaments.
One of the season’s major physical events will be GamingCon Bharat, alongside a broader programme of digital activities and campus engagements taking place nationwide.
Ashutosh Sharma, Head of Publishing for India and SEA at EA SPORTS, highlighted the potential of the collaboration to reach India’s young gaming audience.
India is an incredibly exciting market for gaming, with a young, connected audience and a deep passion for football. Our partnership with College Rivals gives us an opportunity to bring EA SPORTS FC™ Mobile closer to students in an authentic, community-led way, creating more opportunities for players to connect, compete and share their love of the world’s game.
Sharma also said EA SPORTS is looking forward to developing experiences across college campuses and building stronger connections with the next generation of players in India.
Charlie Baillie, CEO of Ampverse Group, said the partnership supports College Rivals’ wider goal of developing communities around gaming and entertainment.
College Rivals has always been about building communities and creating meaningful opportunities for young audiences to engage with gaming and entertainment. Our partnership with EA SPORTS strengthens this vision by bringing one of the world’s most recognised football gaming experiences closer to India’s college ecosystem.
Baillie added that the partnership is intended to extend beyond competitive play, with experiences designed to strengthen the relationship between students, gaming and broader youth culture.
A New Chapter for India’s Collegiate Gaming Scene
The collaboration between College Rivals and EA SPORTS FC Mobile Season Update is expected to provide students with more accessible opportunities to play and compete while highlighting the creativity and enthusiasm of India’s young gaming community.
College Rivals was launched in August 2023 as the first co-developed intellectual property between Ampverse and DMI. Since then, the platform has developed into a large-scale collegiate gaming and youth engagement initiative connecting students, creators, gaming communities and brands.
Its activities span competitive gaming, entertainment, music, campus experiences and youth-focused brand activations. According to College Rivals, the platform has grown to a community of more than 300,000 gamers, achieved over 100 million reach per season, and expanded to 100+ colleges across more than 40 cities.
Adding EA SPORTS FC™ Mobile to the platform gives football gaming a stronger presence within this expanding ecosystem. It also demonstrates how gaming and sport are increasingly becoming interconnected forms of entertainment for India’s younger audiences.
As Season 4 gets underway, the EA SPORTS partnership is poised to give college students more ways to experience football through gaming, from competitive matches and campus events to creator-driven and community-led activities.
For College Rivals, the collaboration further establishes its position at the intersection of gaming, football, entertainment and Gen Z culture, while giving EA SPORTS an opportunity to engage directly with India’s next generation of football gamers.
