Gemopedia
Esports🇰🇷South Korea21st century

FIFA Online 4

Officially FIFA Online 4 (NEXON / EA Sports)

ASIA-EXCLUSIVE FREE-TO-PLAY MMO ONLINE FOOTBALL by NEXON (South Korea) in partnership with EA SPORTS, released 2018 in Korea + wider Asia. Uses the EA Sports FIFA license + FROSTBITE ENGINE. FEATURES ULTIMATE-TEAM STYLE COLLECTION with MICROTRANSACTIONS (packs); COMPETITIVE ESPORTS in KOREA (KEG — KeSPA + FIFA Online 4 Championship). Massive success in South Korea + Vietnam + Thailand + Indonesia + China (NetEase publisher for China). Not released in NA/EU — replaces console FIFA in most Asian markets.

⏱~15 min🌤indoor

Quick facts

Category

Esports

Type

Individual

Players

1–2

Duration

~15 min

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇰🇷 South Korea

Estimated origin

First entry FIFA Online (2006, Korea only) via Nexon + EA partnership; FIFA Online 3 (2012); FIFA Online 4 launched May 2018 in Korea (WEB/PC download from Nexon Launcher); rolled out Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia; Chinese version launched 2019 via NetEase; NOT available in NA/EU/CA/AU markets (traditional FIFA/EA FC console games sold there instead).

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

How it works

Objective

Score MORE GOALS than opponent using ULTIMATE-TEAM-STYLE roster built from packs + market.

Rules

Basic rules

  • MATCH: Standard 11v11 football with FROSTBITE-engine simulation (FIFA 18-era gameplay base, updated over years)

    Signature Frostbite-engine football.

  • COLLECT PLAYERS via PACKS (free BP or paid EP); each real player has LEAGUE-EDITION cards (LN, BOE, LOL, LH, TN, LT, ICON) for stat variants

    Signature player-card + pack system.

  • SIGNATURE 'ICON' + 'HERO' cards: legendary retired + iconic-era players (Pele, Zidane, R9, Maradona) sold via limited-time events at premium prices

    Signature ICON + HERO player cards.

  • TEAM-STYLE (CHEMISTRY): players get bonuses when playing with same national / league teammates + preferred manager style (Attack, Balanced, Defense)

    Signature chemistry system.

  • COMPETITIVE MODES: RANKED 1v1 (Divisions), FRIENDLY 1v1, ONLINE CLUB (11v11), CO-OP CAREER

    Signature multiple online modes.

  • KOREA: KEG (KeSPA-sanctioned esports league) + FIFA Online 4 Championship annual, $500K+ prize pool

    Signature Korean KEG esports scene.

  • REGIONAL VARIANTS: Korean version = flagship; Vietnamese version = Garena-published; Chinese version = NetEase-published (all separate rosters + events)

    Signature regional-variant fragmentation.

  • SEASONAL LIVE EVENTS: FIFA/UEFA world tournaments, EPL Big Match Day, Ultimate League Weekend — real-world tie-ins

    Signature real-world seasonal events.

Scoring

Match = goals scored; MMR ranked ladder + monthly rewards; tournament brackets Bo3-Bo5.

Win condition · Score more goals than opponent in match; win most matches in Bo3-Bo5.

Equipment

  • GAMING PC (via NEXON LAUNCHER, Korean/regional download only)

    Signature PC-only Nexon launcher.

  • STANDARD PC CONTROLLER (Xbox/PS/PC gamepad); some pros use K+M

    Standard PC gamepad.

  • FROSTBITE ENGINE license (from EA Sports FIFA 18 base)

    Signature EA Frostbite engine license.

  • F2P monetization: PACKS + LEAGUE-EDITION player-cards with GIVEAWAY currency (BP) or PAID currency (EP)

    Signature F2P pack model.

Terminology

BP
Base Points — free-earned in-game currency for basic packs.
EP
Nexon Cash — paid premium currency for premium packs.
LEAGUE EDITIONS
Player-card seasons (LN = 2013 Legend Season, BOE = 2005 Best of Europe, etc.) with different stat presets.
ICON
Legendary retired players (Pele, Zidane) — premium card class.
HERO
Iconic-era players from specific leagues (also premium).
Chemistry
Team-cohesion stat bonus from linked players.
KEG
KeSPA eSports Games — official Korean esports league sanctioned by government agency.
eK League
K League football clubs' esports FIFA Online 4 sister-league (Korea).

Major competitions

  • FIFA Online 4 Championship (KEG-sanctioned Korean flagship)

    annual · South Korea · since 2018

  • eK League (K League clubs' FIFA Online 4 esports league)

    seasonal · South Korea · since 2018

  • FIFA Online 4 SEA Championship (Vietnam + Thailand + Indonesia + Singapore + Malaysia)

    annual · Southeast Asia · since 2018

  • FIFA Online 4 China Cup (NetEase)

    annual · China · since 2019

Where it is played

Governing bodies

  • Nexon (developer/publisher in Korea)

    Founded 1994 · Seongnam, South Korea (HQ) + Tokyo listed

  • EA Sports (IP + license)

    Founded 1991 · Redwood City, CA, USA

  • Garena (Vietnamese/SEA publisher)

    Founded 2009 · Singapore

  • NetEase (Chinese publisher)

    Founded 1997 · Hangzhou, China

  • KeSPA (Korean e-Sports Association) — governing body for KEG

    Founded 2000 · Seoul, South Korea

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

  • Kwon 'AF NM' Nak-min (KR, multi-KEG champion)
  • Nguyễn Đức Huy (VN, top FO4 Vietnam)
  • Team Prince (KR, dominant KEG team)
  • Nongshim RedForce (KR)

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-28.verified