The EA Sports FC 25 soundtrack was the topic of discussion around the footy gaming world over the last week. We take a look at the eclectic array of tracks and provide our biggest takeaways from the playlist.
The EA Sports FC 25 video game promises some pretty cool new features. There’s a quick play 5v5 Rush mode and the ability to play as the Real Madrid Galácticos — David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, and Ronaldo Nazário. Iconic.
While the anticipation of new game features created conversation ahead of the release on Friday, there is also always excitement around the music for the franchise formerly known as FIFA.
This year’s soundtrack was released last week, and the Spotify playlist is a whopping 109 songs. That’s six hours of music for you to get hyped to. A soccer video game soundtrack should be motivational, but also inviting, something FC and the previous FIFA titles are well known for. An eclectic mix of rap, indie rock, and international bangers have made for some classic set lists that quite literally soundtracked many of our childhoods.
While FC 25’s lengthy playlist isn’t perfect (we challenge you to find one that is), there’s a good mix of a variety of genres including the aforementioned rap and rock mixed with pop, electronic, and reggaeton.
There’s some industry heavyweights like Billie Eilish, J Balvin, Charli XCX, and Fred Again…, which are all solid. But what always makes video game soundtracks memorable is the hidden gems you find along the way.
Here’s our breakdown of the EA Sports FC 25 soundtrack:
Great Choice Opening With Vince Staples
The second song on the EA Sports FC 25 Spotify playlist is “Black & Blue” off Vince Staples’ latest album, Dark Times. The Long Beach rapper has been making a name for himself for about a decade now. He’s not known for chart-topping bangers, but has become a much beloved artist and actor, even starring in his own Netflix show. Staples is also prolific at creating songs meant for marketing. He was previously featured on FIFA 19 with an appearance on the “Champions League” remix. He is also on the Madden 25 soundtrack with another Dark Times cut, has had songs in movies such as Creed and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and his music serves as the soundtrack for several commercials too. Staples is the ultimate if-you-know-you-know artist.
A Diverse Playlist
The FC 25 soundtrack literally has something for everyone. When the Madden 25 soundtrack dropped in August, people were criticizing that it was too rap-heavy. While rap is far from gone in the mainstream landscape, country, pop, EDM and reggaeton have all had their shine in the past few years. And pretty much all of those genres — except for country, which we’re not complaining about — is represented here.
Tributes to the Classics
A fun element of soundtracks is hearing classic songs revamped. Madden 25 did this by getting Quavo on Lenny Kravitz’s “Fly Away” and just calling it “Fly.” There’s a few gems here that are pretty cool. “Tainted” by Dpart and Niall T is a remake of Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” that’s really well done. It takes the synthy ‘80s anthem and makes it a little gritty. Then there’s “Light Runner” by GIFT, which is a play on Madonna’s megahit “Ray of Light.” It’s hard to even compare to such an omnipresent song, but the Brooklyn band does a good job making it their own.
British Gems: SANITY and Arka
Video game soundtracks have become great vehicles for music discovery, and the EA Sports FC 25 soundtrack is no different. We found two British rap artists that we were very impressed with.
SANITY’s “Black Eye” featuring Kofi Stone opens with a groovy bassline and is soulful and fierce. At the time of writing, the Birmingham native has a little over 7,000 Instagram followers and 27,000 monthly Spotify listeners, but is clearly following in the footsteps of Rapsody and Little Simz as an authentic MC with a jazzy flair.
Arka’s snappy “Soul” would be just as fitting in the Top Boy soundtrack is it is in FC 25. The young artist hails from Hastings, a coastal town south of London. He acknowledges he doesn’t come from the streets, where most of the hip-hop scene blossoms out of overcoming poverty and violence, but is inspired by Potter Payper and Dave (aren’t we all?) to create engaging music with wordplay and storytelling. He seems to be doing just that.
We Wish There Was More British Rap
Yes, we were really stoked to find the aforementioned artists on the EA Sports FC 25 soundtrack. And Central Cee is on here with his feature on Ice Spice’s “Did It First.” But the tracklist just doesn’t quite align with the current state of British rap.
This year, Headie One released his complex album, The Last One, which has a feature from Stormzy, who has also released a handful of singles that are gems. Little Simz dropped a cool experimental project with Drop 7, and Ghetts impressed with his album On Purpose, With Purpose. “Anakin (Red Saber)” is a fierce track that would fit perfectly, as would “Mount Rushmore” with grime legends Kano and Wretch 32. There was so much potential to tap into the British rap scene that felt glossed over.
We Need More Indie Rock Too
Some of our favorite gems from the FIFA days include Smallpools’ “Dreaming,” Bloc Party’s “Helicopter,” and Franz Ferdinand’s “Tell Her Tonight.” On the EA Sports FC 25 soundtrack, we get a splash of hipster goodness with Balu Brigada’s “So Cold,” Good Neighbour’s “Daisies,” and Hinds’ “En Forma.” “Midwest Indigo” by Twenty One Pilots also made the cut (but even they’re pretty mainstream at this point). We do wish there was a little more folksy tinge to the playlist overall.
But YouTuber Niran Yesufu perhaps said it best:
ice spice on a fifa soundtrack instead of an indie band from finland i've never heard of who are struggling to pay their energy bills but just produced the most feel good song of all time https://t.co/mc0w7780ag pic.twitter.com/mRtsNXiViC
— niran (@TheOfficialFNG) September 16, 2024
Some Cheeky Footy References
Direct soccer references definitely aren’t essential for a song to make sense on a soccer soundtrack. If anything, it’s good to not be corny and too on the nose. But it puts a smile on a listener’s face when there’s a good tie-in. On Pa Salieu’s lively “Allergy,” he shouts out a certain Arsenal star by saying “Mind your business like I’m Alan Sugar/I’m still kicking like I’m Bukayo Saka.” Also on the soundtrack, Mata is wearing an adidas Spain home kit for the cover of his song “Lloret de Mar.” The song is named after a coastal town in Catalonia and makes us want to book a ticket right now.
EA Sports FC 25 Soundtrack Is A World Tour
Not only does the EA Sports FC 25 soundtrack make the listener want to spend a day on the water in Spain, it does an excellent job of curating music from around the world to give a full picture of the beautiful game.
“NASSY” by Argentinian rapper Delfina Dib is fierce, “Juanita” by Mexican and Salvadoran singer Angélica Garcia is haunting, “Ver Kaç” by German MC Summer Cem is reflective, “Jaraha” by EDM star Alok with Brazilian rap group Brô MC’s is high energy, and “Benin Boys” by Afrobeats star Rema is a vibe.
“Yo Lo Soñé” by Spanish artists SAIKO and Omar Montes is motivational and “Gwara Gwara” by South Africa’s Moonchild Sanelly is funky. “Dola re Dola” by Italian dance trio Meduza transports you to a nightclub on the Amalfi Coast. Listeners are then swept away to a lively night on the town in Japan with “MIKOTO 〜SUN NO KUNI〜,” a cinematic anthem from OZworld, Tsubaki, and Awich (the music video above is incredible).
The horns and rhythm of “Today” by Freq Motif and Kaleta (whose extensive resume includes work with Fela Kuti and Lauryn Hill) wraps the listener in the warmth of a sunny day in West Africa. The soundtrack is truly a celebration of how football impacts and unifies the world.
