Can You Manage a Women‘s Club in FIFA 23 Career Mode?

As a passionate FIFA gamer and soccer enthusiast, the first question on my mind with each new annual release is – can I finally take charge of my favorite women‘s club in career mode? Unfortunately, the answer for FIFA 23 is still no.

While this year‘s edition makes big strides introducing women‘s teams for the first time, EA‘s implementation falls just short of fulfilling every football gamer‘s dream of leading their favorite WOSO (women‘s soccer) club to glory.

But the building blocks are clearly there for the future. Let‘s take an insider‘s look at exactly what you can expect on the women‘s side of the pitch in FIFA 23 – and what dedicated features we hope get added in FIFA 24 and beyond!

An Expert‘s Breakdown: Women‘s Football in FIFA 23

For decades, EA Sports‘ FIFA titles have offered no way for gamers to experience women‘s club football. That finally changed with FIFA 23. So as a footy-mad gamer, I was keen to find out exactly what women‘s teams got included.

Digging through the latest game, here‘s a detailed expert overview of every women‘s squad now playable:

Women‘s Leagues & Clubs in FIFA 23

That‘s over 35 women‘s clubs from 5 different countries in the launch game. Lyon, Chelsea, Man City and PSG emerge as the top-rated squads, but expect more leagues and teams to get added in regular future content updates.

Same Gameplay Engine, Designed For Women

What really matters is how these teams actually perform on the pitch. Many gamers will recall clumsy attempts at integrating women‘s sides in past football titles, with reskinned player models that moved unnaturally and ruined immersion.

Fortunately, EA Sports went back to the drawing board, utilizing the same cutting-edge Hypermotion 2 technology introduced this year for men‘s football. But the critical difference is every animation, tackle, sprint and goal celebration got tailored using extensive motion capture from real-life athletes like Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg and PSG midfielder Grace Geyoro.

Speaking to the production team, key gameplay developer Kantcho Doskov explained:

"We spent a lot of time making sure that the women players feel unique…More agile, faster turns, quick changes of pace. The finishing moves are more precise. We want you to feel like you‘re controlling the best women‘s players on the planet."

So when booting up a match with Arsenal‘s Vivianne Miedema or Sam Kerr‘s Chelsea, their world-class technical ability really shines through! You‘ll notice tighter dribbling, pacey attacking runs, and clinical finishing.

Let‘s dig into the modes actually available right now with women‘s teams, and what we hope gets added to truly showcase the women‘s game…

Women‘s Teams Game Modes: Current State & What Fans Want Next

Here‘s a breakdown of which FIFA 23 modes actually let you control women‘s club sides:

As expected for a first-time addition, EA kept it straightforward: you can pick women‘s teams only for one-off exhibition matches and basic online versus modes.

But anyone hoping to guide their favorite WOSO club through a full season or multi-year career will left still wanting more.

Calling For Women‘s Career Mode in FIFA 24

Look, I‘ll be honest. As someone who runs an online career mode based around the Arsenal WSL squad, only having the option of disconnected one-off kick off games is massively disappointing.

Where‘s the chance to rewrite history, battle through multiple grueling transfer windows, or build myself up from a lowly bench player to Ballon D‘or winner? At this point it feels more like a token gesture of inclusion rather than doing the women‘s game justice.

Key figures across women‘s football agree. When asked about only partial integration, Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg told reporters:

"It‘s not the full picture. We know the next step is to be even more involved in the gaming world…More women are watching football, playing football, and we want to be part of the show too."

Thankfully, EA developers have confirmed broader plans to flesh out women‘s club football. Executive producer David Jackson already teased immediate post-launch updates:

“This year is very much just the starting point…We’re already in discussions around adding even more content and functionality for women’s clubs in the months after launch.”

So effectively, FIFA 23 provides the base structure for women‘s career mode and Ultimate Team to follow. With 12 months until the next title‘s release, maybe our dreams finally get realized in FIFA 24!

The Bottom Line: Progress Made, But FIFA 24 Must Deliver

As a passionate women‘s football fan, I‘ll give credit to EA Sports for finally extending player choice this year beyond just men‘s club teams. HyperMotion 2 gameplay provides a credible recreation of elite talents like Viv Miedema and Alex Morgan in full flow.

But only allowing control in limited modes neuters the experience and fails to satisfy what I and many other gamers truly want – steering our own WOSO club over multiple seasons to the heights of Champions League and domestic glory!

So consider FIFA 23 as a teaser trailer for what women‘s football integration could feel like. The framework now exists for EA Canada to fully showcase women‘s sides through career mode and FUT in next year‘s title.

Will FIFA 24 be the definitive watershed moment? I‘m keeping the faith!

Over to you now EA – give us the women‘s football career experience we deserve, and watch player numbers skyrocket further. No more excuses!