FIFA 16: Release Date, Best New Features and Cover

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. The beautiful game is played in almost every country. EA Sports' FIFA series seeks to include as many regions as possible in the marketing of its game. Because of that, the franchise has taken to including regional stars on its cover along with central figure Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona.

For FIFA 16, there are a total of 13 regional covers. Here are a few of the them:

Here too is a list of all of the regional cover athletes:

Region	Athlete(s)
Italy	Mauro Icardi
Turkey	Arda Turan
Brazil	Oscar
Austria	David Alaba
Poland	Arkadiusz Milik
United States	Alex Morgan
Canada	Christine Sinclair
UK and Ireland	Jordan Henderson
Australia	Stephanie Catley and Tim Cahill
Mexico	Marco Fabian
France	Antoine Griezmann
Latin America	Juan Cuadrado
Japan	Shinji Kagawa
Global Cover	Lionel Messi

Best New Features

FUT Draft

Following the lead of Madden 16's Draft Champions mode, FIFA introduces FIFA Ultimate Team Draft. Like DC, FUT Draft gives gamers the same type of fantasy experience that Ultimate Team offers, only you don't have to invest the time and money into the mode that is required to maximize the experience.

In FUT Draft, you're charged with drafting the best players in a quick and strategic process that makes the sport's elite available. The stock of stars is random and there's a method to this accelerated fantasy draft madness.

You'll need to pick a captain and select players who fit the scheme properly to get the most out of your 11 spots on the pitch. Once you have your team, you'll be able to take on CPU or human opponents. If you win four matches in a row, you'll be hit with the highest FUT rewards.

The best thing about the mode is that you can repeat it as many times as possible. The players will be randomized, and it offers a different experience each time you play.

Women's Teams

Finally, FIFA has included women's teams. In the wake of the United States women's national team winning the 2015 World Cup, the time was right for EA Sports to give the ladies of the pitch their due.

Per EA Sports, here's what Team USA star Alex Morgan said about women being included in FIFA this year: "It is such an honor for women’s players and our team to be included in FIFA 16. I always wondered what it would be like to see our team in the game and it is very cool to know that it is now a reality." 

In total, there are 12 women's national teams and each squad is playable in Match Day, offline tournaments and online friendlies matches. Here's a list of the 12 countries that are represented:

• Germany
• USA
• France
• Sweden
• England
• Brazil
• Canada
• Australia
• Spain
• China
• Italy
• Mexico

In many ways, EA Sports has been ahead of the curve with the inclusion of women in its games. EA Sports UFC also had women as selectable characters. If NBA Live and NBA 2K were to include WNBA stars in next year's game, it would be an awesome trend.

FIFA 16 releases on September 22 in the North America and September 25 in Europe.

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