Cristiano Ronaldo’s second season at Juventus following a high-profile transfer from Real Madrid coincided with the name of one of Italian football’s most prestigious and decorated clubs being removed from the FIFA gaming franchise. As an official partnership was put in place with Konami and eFootball, the Bianconeri had to operate under a different moniker in productions from EA Sports.
The Serie A heavyweights briefly became Piemonte Calcio, but a licensing agreement in the virtual realm which forced that change has now come to a close. Does that mean Juve will be back with a bang in FIFA 23? GOAL takes a look…
Will Juventus be in FIFA 23?
EA Sports announced in July 2022 that the 36-time champions of Italy would be returning to their platform after severing ties with Konami.
A statement from the gaming giants read: “Juventus’ home stadium - the Allianz Stadium - will return in FIFA 23, authentically recreated alongside the club’s logo and iconic kits.
“Alongside the club partnership, former Juventus midfield stalwart Claudio Marchisio becomes the latest FUT Hero unveiled for FIFA 23. The multiple Scudetto winner joins some of the game’s most memorable faces and fan-favourites in returning to the pitch in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team™.
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“One of the game’s top young strikers - Dusan Vlahovic - will also become an exclusive ambassador for EA SPORTS FIFA 23.
“The partnership will see EA SPORTS become Juventus’ exclusive Sport Video Gaming Partner as well as Official Urban Culture Partner, in a relationship whereby both parties will also work across a number of lifestyle and cultural initiatives bringing new opportunities outside of football.”
Who are Piemonte Calcio?
Juventus were morphed into Piemonte Calcio for the first time in FIFA 20 and have continued to operate under that team name in three subsequent releases.
Other notable Italian sides, such as Roma, Lazio and Atalanta, remain absent from EA Sports’ roster for now – with that trio operating as Roma FC, Latium and Bergamo Calcio respectively.
Juve are now back, having left their inherited name to a Turin-based side that folded in 1915 following the outbreak of World War I.
The name Piemonte Calcio literally means 'Piemonte Football' and is inspired by the region of Italy in which Juventus are based.
Piemonte - sometimes known as Piedmont - is situated in north-west Italy, on the borders of Switzerland and France.
It translates as 'At the foot of the Mountains', which is an acknowledgement of the area's famous Alps backdrop.
Piemonte Calcio follows a naming style that is used by a number of Italian clubs in real life - think Brescia Calcio, Cagliari Calcio or Associazione Calcio Milan (AC Milan).
When will FIFA 23 be released?
EA Sports have announced that an Early Access Trial for consoles will be made available on September 27 alongside EA Play Pro Ultimate Edition Access for PC.
FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition will hit stores around the world on September 27, 2022, with the Standard Edition dropping three days later on September 30.