What International Tournaments Are in FIFA 23 Career Mode?

Straight up: FIFA 23 Career Mode features officially licensed continental club tournaments like the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League, along with CONMEBOL‘s Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana. But there is still no official FIFA World Cup tournament or national team matches.

As a hardcore Career Mode player, I‘ve won my fair share of Champions League and Copa Libertadores titles. And while custom tournaments help fill the international gap, I‘m still desperate for EA to get World Cup licensing sorted before 2026!

Let‘s dive deeper into all the international tournaments and options in FIFA 23.

Fully Licensed UEFA & CONMEBOL Action

Thanks to licensing deals with UEFA and CONMEBOL, FIFA 23 faithfully recreates the real-world tournaments for the top European and South American club sides:

UEFA Champions League

• 32 teams across 8 groups
• Knockout format from Round of 16
• Winner receives £50+ million in prize money

As a UEFA tournament first-timer, I highly recommend starting in a top league like the Premier League or Bundesliga to give yourself the best shot at Champions League glory.

UEFA Europa League & Europa Conference League

While not as prestigious as the UCL, lifting either of these European trophies still makes for an epic Career Mode achievement. And with the third-tier ECL introduced last season, you‘ve got another continental title to target if you manage a smaller club.

Both tournaments follow a similar group + knockout format as the Champions League, just with more qualifying rounds to navigate first.

CONMEBOL Libertadores & Sudamericana

The South American equivalents of the Champions and Europa Leagues also make an authentic appearance that EA Sports can include thanks to a licensing deal with CONMEBOL.

While I haven‘t personally played these too often, the tournaments themselves are intimately recreated down to two-legged ties and the away goals rule. So if you fancy managing in Brazil, Argentina or elsewhere in South America, enjoy the passionate support that CONMEBOL fans provide.

Building Your Own World Cup Via Custom Tournaments

Since EA doesn‘t hold the FIFA World Cup license, official tournaments are still missing from Career Mode. But Custom Tournaments allow you to craft your own international knockout competition:

How to Create a World Cup Tournament in FIFA 23 Career Mode:

1. Go to "Customise" then "Create Tournament"
2. Select tournament details like name, trophy, number of teams
3. Choose "International Teams" from filters for your participants
4. Pick from Group Stage or straight Knockout format
5. Schedule your matches and finals venue

Based on my experience organizing custom World Cups, here are some useful tips:

• 32 teams is ideal tournament size
• Groups of 4 works well for initial stage
• Include Rest Days to mimic real event
• Set trophy presentation and celebration venues!

The main downsides are generic presentation, lack of qualifying rounds, and no real prize money or FIFA song/graphics. But gameplay-wise, your players will still give their all to lift that trophy!

Test Formations and Squads With International Friendlies

When managing an international team, you can easily schedule Friendly matches during open match dates:

How to Set Up International Friendlies in FIFA 23:

1. Select "Calendar" and find an empty date
2. Choose "International Friendly" then pick opponent
3. Confirm fixture details and processing international call-ups

Think of these like real-world prep matches before tournaments like the World Cup or Continental Championships.

I like to use them to experiment with tactics and try fringe players against quality opponents. Keeps things fresh rather than just grinding qualification campaigns constantly.

See which combo of star attackers works best before deploying your ideal starting XI at the World Cup itself!

My Verdict: Still Lacking World Cup Mode

While FIFA 23 Career Mode certainly provides some avenue for international action via Continental competition and custom tournaments, I‘m disappointed the World Cup remains officially absent.

It just doesn‘t feel the same lifting a trophy I created myself versus the real Jules Rimet prize associated with World Cup legacy and history.

Fingers crossed EA Sports finally rectify this…at minimum in time for the 2026 North American World Cup!

As both a football and video game fanatic, I should be able to guide France or Brazil to glory on virtual pitches as well as real ones!!

But in the meantime, the authentic integration of tournaments like the Champions League still offers plenty for us Career Mode fanatics to target in FIFA 23 and beyond. Just hopefully with a World Cup mode to come.

Let me know which international trophies you aim to lift in the comments!