Is Soccer Aid in FIFA 22 Nintendo Switch?
The quick answer is yes, you can play as the Soccer Aid World XI FC team in FIFA 22 on Nintendo Switch. However, there‘s some very important context around that headline that any gamer needs to know first.
What is Soccer Aid?
For those unaware, Soccer Aid is an annual British charity football match that raises money for UNICEF. It features teams of celebrities and former professional players representing England and the Rest of the World.
Some Soccer Aid star names over the years include:
- David Beckham
- Wayne Rooney
- Mo Salah
- Roberto Carlos
- Cafu
- Usain Bolt
- Yaya Toure
The event is hugely popular, with Soccer Aid 2022 raising over £15 million – a record total.
Soccer Aid on FIFA 22 Nintendo Switch – What‘s missing?
So Soccer Aid is in FIFA 22 on the Nintendo Switch which is positive. You can pick the Soccer Aid World XI in Kick Off mode and play matches with stars like Patrice Evra, Steven Gerrard and Carli Lloyd.
However – and it‘s a big however – the Switch only gets a legacy edition of FIFA 22 – not the full fat experience available on PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
And unfortunately that legacy edition is sorely lacking in content and features compared to other platforms. No VOLTA street football, No Pro Clubs, No FIFA Ultimate Team – three of the biggest and most popular modes in the series all fail to make the cut.
On top of that you lose:
- A chunk of official licensing
- Major graphical improvements
- New gameplay mechanics and animations
- Full fat online multiplayer options
It‘s essentially a roster update rather than a real sequel. Disappointing – but thankfully you can still use the Soccer Aid XI offline against friends or the CPU.
Just how feature deprived is the Switch FIFA 22?
To illustrate the extent of features missing that fans on PS and Xbox get to enjoy, check out this table:
| Key Game Mode / Feature | FIFA 22 on PS/Xbox | FIFA 22 on Nintendo Switch |
|---|---|---|
| VOLTA Football | ✅ | ❌ |
| FIFA Pro Clubs | ✅ | ❌ |
| FIFA Ultimate Team | ✅ | ❌ |
| New HyperMotion Gameplay | ✅ | ❌ |
| Full Fat Online Multiplayer | ✅ | ❌ |
As you can see, Switch owners are deprived of almost all the big ticket items that fans on other consoles rightly expect from a new FIFA title.
At least we still have Soccer Aid! But I hope EA Sports eventually brings the full game up to parity across all platforms so nobody feels short changed.
When is the next Soccer Aid match?
For those interested when the real life Soccer Aid event takes place next:
- Date: Sunday June 11th, 2023
- Venue: Old Trafford in Manchester
As usual England will compete against a Rest of World XI featuring the likes of Patrice Evra, Steven Gerrard and Mo Farah.
Get your tickets and tune in – then recreate the match yourself on FIFA 23! Both Soccer Aid teams will surely feature again across all versions, hopefully with the Switch finally getting some new modes too.
The Verdict: Is FIFA 22 worth buying on Nintendo Switch?
To summarise, you can play as Soccer Aid on FIFA 22 Switch – but lose a ton of content in the process. For me that probably still makes it just about worth buying for casual footy fans who only own Nintendo‘s console.
The basic experience is still enjoyable. And it‘s better than nothing for getting your yearly football gaming fix, even without bells and whistles like FUT and Pro Clubs.
But from a pure value proposition, just be prepared for an inferior legacy edition that is left in the dust by its PS and Xbox siblings.
For deeper modes and higher production value – you‘ll need to look elsewhere unfortunately!
