eFootball is Konami's top revenue driver in Japan's mobile market and is cited in the company's record first-half results for the fiscal year ending March 2027. A separate paid entry, eFootball Kick-Off!, remains a Nintendo Switch 2 single-player product with its own launch and review record.
eFootball's run through 2026 is mostly a chart story. Sensor Tower rankings put it at No. 1 among Japanese smartphone games for the weeks of June 4 to 10, July 2 to 8, July 23 to 29, July 30 to August 5, and October 8 to 14, with week-over-week swings tied to in-game campaigns: player distributions of Takefusa Kubo, Lionel Messi, and Lamine Yamal in June, the eFootball Festival in late July, a Spanish League gacha in October. It also held second place in ASCII.jp's Steam Japan sales ranking as of July 27, behind Counter-Strike 2.
The paid side of the series moved on a separate schedule. eFootball Kick-Off! launched June 4, 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2 at 3,850 yen as a standalone single-player entry with simplified controls, assist functions, a 5-a-side mode, and World Tour, Rebound Ball, and Football Relay modes. It scored 75 on Metacritic from 16 reviews, with critics citing the removal of gacha elements and in-app purchases and noting thin content.
Konami's results tie the free-to-play game to company performance. First-quarter net sales for the fiscal year ending March 2027 rose 33.6 percent year on year, with eFootball credited alongside the World Cup 2026, which began June 11, 2026, and a free-to-play model that had already reached 1 billion cumulative downloads. In the first half, Digital Entertainment revenue reached 243.521 billion yen, up 44.3 percent, and segment profit 107.483 billion yen, up 75.1 percent, with eFootball named the strongest performer. Konami raised its full-year revenue forecast by 78.0 billion yen and its Digital Entertainment profit forecast by 50.0 billion yen.
Competitive use is set. The National Prefectural eSports Championship 2026 Online runs December 12 and 13 with eFootball as a main title alongside Gran Turismo 7 and Puzzle & Dragons.
Written with AI from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced.
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Facts
- Noted
- retained top revenue spot in Japan's smartphone game market · 2026-08-14
- Noted
- The FIFA World Cup 2026, which began June 11, 2026, fell inside the quarter and drew new and returning players. · 2026-08-29
- Noted
- the game's free-to-play model and its expansion into emerging markets, including Africa, also drove its global reach of 1 billion cumulative downloads · 2026-08-29
- Noted
- ranked second in Steam Japan sales ranking · 2026-08-07
- Noted
- eFootball at #1 in Japan's domestic smartphone game revenue · 2026-08-06
- Noted
- 81% week-over-week increase tied to the eFootball Festival event · 2026-08-06
- Noted
- eFootball at #1 · 2026-07-16
- Noted
- took the #1 spot in Japan's domestic smartphone game revenue ranking for the week of June 4-10, 2026 · 2026-06-18
- Release
- game · December 12 and 13, 2026 · Japan · 2026-08-06
- Release
- game · 2026-08-29 · 2026-08-29
Connections
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Oct 29
Konami Group reported record first-half results for the fiscal year ending March 2027 on October 29, 2026. Revenue in the Digital Entertainment segment, which covers console and mobile games, reached 243.521 billion yen, up 44.3 percent year on year, and segment profit reached 107.483 billion yen, up 75.1 percent. eFootball, available on console, PC and mobile, was the strongest performer, with commemorative campaigns and an August update that added new features. New releases included Professional Baseball Spirits 2026 and Ganbare Goemon Daishugou! in July, METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2 in August, and the horror game SILENT HILL: Townfall in September. The mobile title Suikoden STAR LEAP began domestic distribution in August. Group consolidated revenue rose 37.0 percent to 307.975 billion yen, and operating profit rose 73.1 percent to 111.264 billion yen, with revenue and profit at each stage setting interim records.
Oct 22
Sensor Tower's domestic mobile revenue ranking for October 8 to 14 puts eFootball at No. 1, with revenue up 1% week over week as a Spanish League gacha ran. Arknights jumped from 147th to 7th, revenue up 1018% after Main Theme Chapter 17 launched October 14. Fate/Grand Order rose to 3rd, and Mabinogi Mobile, in service since October 7, entered at 18th.
Aug 29
Konami Group reported record first-quarter results for the fiscal year ending March 2027, with net sales up 33.6% year-on-year. The company attributes part of the surge to eFootball, the free-to-play soccer title reborn from the Winning Eleven series. The FIFA World Cup 2026, which began June 11, 2026, fell inside the quarter and drew new and returning players. But the game's free-to-play model and its expansion into emerging markets, including Africa, also drove its global reach of 1 billion cumulative downloads.
Aug 14
Sensor Tower data for July 30 to August 5, 2026, shows eFootball retaining the top revenue spot in Japan's smartphone game market, despite a slight dip. Fate/Grand Order surged to second place with a 422% revenue increase following its 11th anniversary campaign, while Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket saw a 779% revenue jump.
Aug 7
ASCII.jp's weekly Steam sales ranking for Japan, as of July 27, 2026, shows free-to-play games dominating the top three positions for the first time in a while. Valve's Counter-Strike 2 leads, followed by KONAMI's eFootball and EA's Apex Legends. New hololive rhythm RPG HOLOLIVE DREAMS debuts at fourth.
Aug 6
Sensor Tower data for July 23-29, 2026, shows eFootball at #1 in Japan's domestic smartphone game revenue, with an 81% week-over-week increase tied to the eFootball Festival event. Three new titles entered the rankings: hololive Dreams at #2, VAMPIR at #22, and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation - Chronicles of Echoes at #49.
Aug 6
The Japan eSports Association announced on July 23 that the National Prefectural eSports Championship 2026 Online will be held December 12 and 13. The main titles are eFootball, Gran Turismo 7, and Puzzle & Dragons, with Puyo Puyo eSports as an exhibition match. This 8th edition is a special tournament ahead of a format change and is the first online edition since the pandemic.
Jul 16
The weekly domestic smartphone game revenue ranking for July 2-8, 2026, based on Sensor Tower data, shows eFootball at #1, with Pokémon GO surging to #2 due to its 10th anniversary event and Goddess of Victory: Nikke climbing to #3 after a new version update. The article also introduces the global revenue ranking for April-June 2026.
Jun 18
Konami's eFootball took the #1 spot in Japan's domestic smartphone game revenue ranking for the week of June 4-10, 2026, according to Sensor Tower data. The soccer title jumped from 5th place with a 76% week-over-week revenue increase, driven by a campaign distributing players Takefusa Kubo, Lionel Messi, and Lamine Yamal. Other notable movers include Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (504% revenue surge), Arknights: Endfield (448%), and Brown Dust 2 (478%), all tied to in-game events or anniversaries.