FIFA Rivals, the fast-paced mobile football title from FIFA and Mythical Games, has signed a multi-year partnership with Bundesliga giant Borussia Dortmund, the companies announced today. It’s the game’s first official club tie-up, and it’s designed to blur the line between digital play and real-world fandom across the 2025/26 season.
Under the deal, FIFA Rivals will add select Dortmund first-team players to the game, including Karim Adeyemi, Serhou Guirassy, Nico Schlotterbeck, Gregor Kobel, Jobe Bellingham, Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson, and roll out official BVB kits and emblems that players can collect and use to customize their teams. Kits will begin appearing in the game in August, and the studio says fans can expect a steady drip of BVB content and experiences, some purely digital and others that will spill over into real life.
To kick things off, FIFA Rivals is hosting a special BVB Launch Giveaway Week from August 18 to 24. During that week, every player, new or returning, can log in daily to receive a free BVB player card pack, no purchase necessary, and claim an official Borussia Dortmund emblem. Mythical also plans limited-time emblems in the in-game store that carry stat boosts, plus challenges and giveaways that offer in-game collectibles, matchday tickets and physical club merchandise. Beyond the app, future activations are planned at BVB’s FanWelt and other real-world touchpoints so the partnership won’t live only on screens.
“Our partnership with Borussia Dortmund is a strategic step in expanding FIFA Rivals’ global footprint and deepening our engagement within the European football ecosystem,” said Jung Suh, Chief Business Officer at Mythical Games. “BVB’s global brand, forward-thinking approach, and commitment to fan experience make them an ideal partner as we continue to bridge the worlds of interactive entertainment and sport.”
“We are excited about our partnership with FIFA Rivals. It creates a unique bridge between the digital and real worlds, enabling us to connect with our fans around the world in innovative ways. Borussia Dortmund stands for passion, community, and innovation – values that align perfectly with this project,“ said BVB Managing Director Carsten Cramer.
Next-Gen Experiences
There’s a broader play here beyond shiny kits and collectible cards. FIFA Rivals bills itself as the first mobile football game to integrate digital ownership and player-powered economies, and Mythical’s ecosystem reflects that ambition. The company highlights the Mythical Marketplace as the first in-game blockchain marketplace on iOS and Android, and it offers a custodial wallet to help onboard players who are new to blockchain.
Mythical also leans on a development team with deep industry experience, pointing to work on franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, EA Madden and others, and to its current titles Blankos Block Party and NFL Rivals, which already reach millions of players worldwide.
Mythical’s industry recognition, Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas in 2021 and Forbes’ Best Startup Employers in 2024, is part of the pitch, too. For Dortmund, a club founded in 1909 with a stout domestic and international pedigree, the partnership offers another avenue to engage a global, increasingly mobile audience.
BVB claims more than 10 million fans within Germany and a rapidly growing base overseas; the club has won the Bundesliga eight times, lifted the DFB-Pokal five times, and was the first German side to win a European Cup competition in 1966, later adding the UEFA Champions League and Intercontinental Cup in 1997.
With annual turnover north of €500 million, Dortmund is also one of the economically strongest clubs on the planet, which helps explain its appetite for experiments that expand reach and revenue. For players and fans, the immediate promise is clear: more ways to show club pride inside a popular mobile game and a handful of chances to win tickets and merchandise in real life.
For both partners, the deal is part credibility, part growth strategy. Licensing a major European club gives FIFA Rivals authenticity and reach, while BVB gets another front in the ongoing race to convert younger, mobile-first supporters into active, paying fans. FIFA Rivals is available now on the App Store and Google Play Store. The BVB content rollout begins in August with the Launch Giveaway Week running from August 18–24, and more club-focused experiences are slated to arrive later in the season.
