Every September since 1993, gamers and football fans have had another reason to spend an unreasonable amount of time glued to their screens: FIFA. Now known as EA Sports FC, the sports simulation has, since its launch over three decades ago, grown into
one of the biggest video-game franchises on the planet since its launch, with its soundtrack playing a pretty big role in its success over the years.
With the game’s next edition set to hit e-shelves on Sept. 25, developers are beginning to reveal what players can expect, including one of the most anticipated details each year: the soundtrack that will follow them through every match, menu, and inevitable rage quit.
This year, four Arab artists have been confirmed for the game’s official soundtrack, adding some much-welcomed regional representation to a line-up spanning sounds from around the world. Representing Morocco are Small X and SAIB, whose collaborative track Bloom, taken from Small X’s latest EP Nafida, made the cut. Joining them is Algerian singer-songwriter Lolo Zouaï, who appears twice on the official playlist, with Lemon Squeeze featuring Lous and the Yakuza and NAIL featuring Yves. Rounding out the list is Korean-Algerian alt-pop artist Spill Tab, whose track Assis also earned a spot on the soundtrack.
For anyone who grew up playing FIFA, landing on its soundtrack is no small feat. Over the years, the game has earned a reputation for putting players onto new music, with songs often becoming inseparable from the editions they appeared on. In other words, millions of players are about to spend the next year listening to Small X, SAIB, and Lolo Zouaï every time they load up the game. And if previous editions are anything to go by, a fair few of them will probably end up adding their tracks to their own playlists too.