After trying out the game, we got a chance to chat with the developers of Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters, and we learned that its launch alongside the 2026 World Cup was all part of the plan.
With the World Cup continuing to delight with some intense matches, 2026 seems to be the perfect time to release a new football game. This is especially the case with Captain Tsubasa 2, as this game features youth football teams from around the world, giving it a nice, World Cup-like vibe.
Thus, we asked the game’s producer, Soya Mikumo, if this was their intention. In response, he confirmed that they indeed “developed this game to coincide with the World Cup.”
That’s not to say they held off on launching this game until six years after Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions. It’s likely that they took their time to develop the game, and the 2026 World Cup was just a good target. If you ask us, it all worked out perfectly, as the 2026 tournament might be one of the best in recent decades, especially given the number of 90+ minute goals we’ve seen in the Round of 32.
Given all the excitement about football thanks to the big FIFA tournament, what’s interesting about the game is that it’s made to be a good experience for casual football fans, in terms of both gameplay and story. Yes, that means players won’t need to know much (if anything) about Captain Tsubasa.
When asked about how the game will feel to football fans who are unfamiliar with the source material, Mikumo shared:
“Even if the person is not familiar with Captain Tsubasa anime or original manga at all, if the person is a football fan, we had it in our mind for them to enjoy this game.
By playing this game, you’ll learn who Captain Tsubasa is, and then meet the antagonists. Eventually, you will learn about the characters, and then you can immerse yourself in the world.
For players not familiar with Captain Tsubasa, it should still be quite exciting to be a part of the national team and experience World Youth Championship football. Eventually, by doing that, they hopefully get interested in [Captain Tsubasa], and then maybe, they’ll go ‘hey, why don’t I watch the Captain Tsubasa anime, or why don’t I read the manga? That would be great.”
Based on our experience during our recent hands-on with the game, we can confirm that the story should be easy to understand and follow for those not familiar with Tsubasa.
This newbie-friendly nature of the game also extends to the gameplay, as we felt that it was quite easy to pick up and play, even if you haven’t played the previous Captain Tsubasa game.
Mikuma confirmed that this was once again by design, and it was informed by the feedback from the previous title. He explained:
“What we tried to eliminate was pressing two buttons simultaneously, because that was very complicated. So we concentrated on just one-button control. With this scheme, we tried to incorporate elements from recent action games, like when you see the opponent’s action and then react by pressing the button. We applied that across the game, so controllability was improved.
At the same time, we also advanced the particular characteristics of Captain Tsubasa. That way, even players who haven’t played our games before can enjoy and experience the world of Captain Tsubasa for the first time.”
Again, as someone who hasn’t played Rise of New Champions, I can confirm the game was engaging and fun while being fairly straightforward to learn. As such, this is definitely a promising game for football fans, especially those who want to continue the World Cup-fever.
Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters will be released on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch on August 27, 2026. It will then be released on PC via Steam on August 28, 2026.