The move comes after Uefa and Konami, the developers of the Pro Evo franchise, ended a partnership that had lasted a decade.

That means Fifa players will no longer have to put up with playing in the “Champions Cup”, with EA Sports now having the official license.

This means EA can exclusively use all iconography and presentation elements associated with the competition.

That includes the iconic Champions League logo and music, as well as commentary from Derek Rae and Lee Dixon.

There will be a Champions League mode allowing players to create custom tournaments, while the Europa League – Uefa’s second-tier club competition – will also be included in Fifa 19.

Other leagues

Developer EA’s capturing of the Champions League rights bolsters a franchise that already boasts the rights for the Premier League and La Liga, as well as many other competitions.

It has been reported by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport that Fifa 19 will also include the rights to the Serie A domestic league and the Coppa Italia cup competition.

Cover star

Cristiano Ronaldo had already been named as the cover star of Fifa 19, looking resplendent in his Real Madrid kit, alongside Neymar before his shock move to Juventus.

Ronaldo, who was also on the cover for Fifa 18, may have set the EA marketing men back a few weeks now they have to rejig the cover.

Neymar himself has been the subject of transfer speculation, and the Paris Saint-Germain forward may find himself highly-coveted by Real Madrid as Ronaldo’s replacement.

Trailer

Fans got their first glance of Fifa 19 at the EA Play event held on June 9. Ronaldo, as you can expect, is heavily featured:

Formats

Fifa 19 will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Nintendo Switch – though the Switch won’t get the Ultimate Edition, unlike the other three big gaming platforms.

Price

EA have slightly upped the price from Fifa 18 – the new game will set you back US$59.99 for the standard edition.

The Champions edition costs US$79.99 and the Ultimate edition is priced at US$99.99.

Release date

Fifa 19 will be released globally on September 28, 2018, with three different editions – the standard edition, Champions edition and Ultimate edition.

Pre-order

Gamers can get Fifa 19 three days early, on September 25, if they pre-order the title through the PlayStation store, with additional bonus content for each of the three different editions.

Gamers who pre-order will receive extra Fifa Ultimate Team (FUT) player packs to boost their team.

Pre-ordering the standard edition will get you up to five Jumbo Premium Gold packs, Ronaldo on loan for seven FUT matches, and special edition FUT kits designed by Fifa soundtrack artists.

Champions Edition pre-orders come with up to 20 Fifa Ultimate Team Jumbo Premium Gold Packs, three days’ early access from September 25, a Uefa Champions League Gold Player Pick, Ronaldo and Neymar on loan for seven FUT matches, as well as the special edition kits.

Ultimate edition pre-orders come with up to 40 Jumbo Premium Gold Packs, three days’ early access, the Gold Player Pick, the Ronaldo and Neymar loans plus the special edition kits.

New features and gameplay changes

The Journey mode makes its return, though this will be the final instalment for Alex Hunter’s story.

The character was first featured in Fifa 17, where gamers tried to make a breakthrough at a Premier League club with the player.

Fifa 19 took gamers and Hunter to Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy, while in Fifa 19 gamers will look to win the Champions League with Hunter.

EA Sports are also introducing an “active touch” feature to alter the way players receive and hit the ball.

The tactical system has also been re-imagined, as have 50-50 duels, while we could also see the introduction of changing weather like rain and snow which can affect player performance.

FUT mode will have live content updates from the newly added Champions League and Europa League competitions.

EA Sports are also adding FUT pack odds to give gamers an idea of what they are getting.