2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

Players choose a team from the 199 nations available and compete against the computer or against other players through online gaming services PlayStation Network or Xbox Live. All 10 official World Cup stadiums are available for play. EA announced that there would be gameplay improvements over FIFA 10, such as a higher rate of player fatigue for matches at higher altitudes, with an advantage to a home team who plays at a higher altitude against an away team who does not. EA also announced that players could get injured outside international matches.

EA also announced that the “Captain Your Country” mode would return, similar to the “Be a Pro” mode, and that FIFA 10 owners can import their Virtual Pro for this purpose and then earn CYC Accomplishments and attribute boosts. The game’s penalty kick mechanism was changed so that their outcome better reflected the player’s own composure. In addition, the game’s online multiplayer lobby system was limited to unranked head-to-head matches. As in 2006 FIFA World Cup, a “scenario” mode is included with 55 playable scenarios from past World Cup matches.

Scenarios from the 2010 World Cup are also playable with an online update. The game includes Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend as the commentators, who provide insight into both sides during matches. The included teams were confirmed by Electronic Arts on 17 February 2010. The game contains 199 of the 204 national teams that took part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification phase. Electronic Arts stated that they have included every team that FIFA have permitted them to use, with some others not being allowed for “various reasons”. 

The five teams that were in the draw for World Cup qualifying but are not included in the game are the Central African Republic, Eritrea, and São Tomé and Príncipe from Africa, and Asian teams Bhutan and Guam. All five withdrew from the qualifying stage before it began. Additionally, the game does not feature Brunei, Laos, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines, as they did not participate in World Cup qualification. The game includes all 10 venues used at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as well as stadiums from each qualifying region and a range of “generic” stadiums.