Copa City Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 & PC)

Between FIFA, Football Manager and Goals, we have an immeasurable amount of football to digest, and, if we’re being honest with ourselves, just as much pitch fatigue to shake. With Copa City, though, it’s a little different. Here, there are no hangovers to shake, no club contracts to negotiate, or even leagues to ascend. It’s just the stadium, the fans, and the beating heart of a sport that has the power to make the world sing. It isn’t a football game; it’s a communal landscape that thrives on a shared passion of the sport, the logistics, and the small things that make it “the world’s game.”

If you’re on the lookout for a football game that can match the same level of energy as the likes of EA FC, then you probably won’t find it here. If, however, it’s a well-oiled substitute that blends the city-building elements of Two Point with the logistical complexity of SimCity, then buckle in, because it’s likely that you have just stumbled across the right pitch.

Forget everything that you know about football. Turn a blind eye to the Premier League, to the World Cup, and to the intricate aspects of club management. If you can do that, then you should be equipped to deal with the other aspects of the sport—the stadium, the transport, and the fans. In short, Copa City is just that — a world-building sim that makes football a simple afterthought and puts the fans on the pedestal. It isn’t about building a team, nor is it about witnessing the heat of the match as the referee blows the whistle. It is, rather simply, about the moments that take shape before.

Copa City gives you access to three world-famous locations: Warsaw, Berlin, and Rio da Janeiro. As the weaver of pitches, stadiums, and logistical solutions, it falls to you to build, customize, and orchestrate your worlds, juggle fan bases and their respective desires, and to establish sport-defining dioramas that can host several of the greatest clubs on the planet. Think of it as Two Point meets Football Manager, and with any luck, you should be on the right track.

Of course, building a stadium and filling it with stands and stewards is only the beginning of a surprisingly complex journey. See, Copa City isn’t just about the stadium; it is also about going beyond the basics, and into a world where every fine point has a caveat that you need to overcome sooner rather than later. For example, before a game, you need to cover every base in order to meet fan satisfaction. Fans need hotels, as do they need a special zone to unwind between games. And then you have the other issues to consider. For example, do you have enough security to keep up with the conflicting crowds? Will the younger fans have somewhere to go before the whistle? The list goes on, though the solution never feels straightforward.

Fans in Copa City are spread between three factions: core, families, and ultras. As the overseer, you have the power to direct foot traffic and ensure that each of the parties have their needs met. Unfortunately, this is where Copa City can begin to feel overwhelming. See, every fan base has its own agenda; a core fan, for example, needs food stalls to visit, whereas a family will require entertainment to keep the tykes engaged. Ultra fans, on the other hand, require supervision from a security team. If you fail to orchestrate the factions in an appropriate fashion, then all hell can, and probably will break loose.

For a game that looks all rather friendly, Copa City is surprisingly difficult to navigate. Initially, it gives you a lot to think about, with satisfaction levels to boost, funds to earn, and various side quests and upgrades to consider. It then decides to go one step further, with the introduction of stewards and medical personnel. The options open up, and before long it becomes a bit of a headache. Guesswork soon takes hold, and after so long you begin to realize that you cannot complete every job on the checklist. You might be able to tend to the fans, but if you fail to unlock a specific item or staff member before a match, then you may fail to complete the campaign.

To tackle its rather turbulent campaign, Copa City does come clean with a great visual style and a sizable portion of customizable elements to experiment with. It also plays rather well, too, with smooth gameplay that performs to an acceptable standard and enough polish to warrant your participation. Granted, it has a couple of teething issues; the odd jitter here and there, but nothing too serious. But of course, a game like this has the capacity to tweak its weaknesses. It’s simply the case of ironing out a few details, that’s the tough part.

While Copa City is a niche experience, it is one that fills a gap in the market and dares to do things a little differently. With that, you have the makings of a great simulation game. A brilliant game, no — but one that has the power to kill two birds with one stone all the same. A little extra elbow grease would certainly go a long way here, mind you, given that it harbors a few technical issues in its current state. That said, it has a solid foundation with the breathing room to grow in future updates. Here’s hoping that, with any luck, it’ll find the missing piece of the puzzle to make good with a penalty kick in the near future.

Verdict

Copa City hits the goalpost but doesn’t quite score a memorable goal, mainly due to its lack of technical complexity and frequent graphical stutters. Without the issues, it makes for a brilliant substitute in the city-building sphere, and is made all the more appealing thanks to its niche subject matter and commendable ability to lean into unchartered waters. Could it be better? Yes. Is it still worth taking the time to work through regardless? Absolutely.

In time, Copa City could become a brilliant world-building game. At present, though, it sadly lacks the airtight components needed to make a lasting impression on die-hard fans of the sport. With insurmountable campaign objectives and a general lack of transparency in its goal system (and not to mention a few loose screws in its visual department), it can be awfully difficult to enjoy the journey. Still, I do think that there is a good simulation game here. It might not be on par with Real Madrid, but it clearly has a workable infrastructure. It just needs to work on its aim before taking another penalty kick.