FIFA 03

Lore & Background

The game introduced Club Championship Mode, allowing players to compete against 17 of Europe's top clubs in their own stadiums with unique fan chants. A TV-style broadcast package provides highlights at half-time and full-time, as well as comprehensive analysis. EA Sports' 'Freestyle Control' allows the user to flick the ball on and lay it off to teammates. Greater likenesses of players such as Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho were included, along with realistic player responses.

In Their Own Story

The stadium lights hum to life over a packed arena in Yokohama. On the pitch, a midfielder in a bright national kit receives a pass under the floodlights, the crowd noise a low roar that swells with every touch. In the manager's booth, a young player has guided this squad through group stages, fine-tuning formations between matches, watching replay footage on a small monitor. The ball rolls into the final third. One touch, a flick over the defender, and the striker is through. The net ripples. The scoreboard flashes. Somewhere in the stands, a thousand fans in matching scarves lose their voices all at once. This is the 2002 World Cup, and tonight it belongs to whoever dares to press start.

Reader's Guide

The European cover features Roberto Carlos, Ryan Giggs, and Edgar Davids. In the United States, Landon Donovan appears on the cover alone. The highest rated player in the game is Italian midfielder Matteo Brighi from Parma, with a rating of 97.

Did You Know?

• Upon release, FIFA 2003 was initially outsold by Pro Evolution Soccer 2 in October 2002, but later overtook it by December 2002, selling 2.5 million copies across Europe.
• The PlayStation 2 version received a 'Double Platinum' sales award from ELSPA, indicating at least 600,000 copies sold in the United Kingdom.
• The game received 'generally favorable reviews' on all platforms except the PlayStation version, which received 'average' reviews, according to Metacritic.
• FIFA Football 2003 was a runner-up for GameSpot's annual 'Best Sports Game on PC' award, which went to Madden NFL 2003.