Bandai Namco and Tamsoft pulled the curtain back on Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters during this week’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase — and they didn’t come to play it safe. The sequel to Rise of New Champions is aiming to be the biggest Captain Tsubasa game yet, promising spectacle on a scale the series’ anime roots practically demand.
What was announced
The headline: World Fighters will arrive in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam). The teaser and developer notes tout a huge roster — more than 110 playable characters representing 22 national teams — plus an avalanche of animated moments and special techniques that turn matches into over-the-top, anime-style set pieces.
Tamsoft and Bandai Namco describe the combat as “Super Action Soccer”: dribbles, passes, tackles and even blocks can trigger signature super moves. There’s a new tactical twist for shootouts too — a system that stages goalkeeper-versus-shooter duels so both sides can counter or outplay jaw-dropping special shots.
The game also leans into story and player agency. You can create a custom character, join Tsubasa’s journey, build friendships and rivalries, and experience more than 150 animated sequences and spectacular moves that highlight the manga’s dramatic moments. Composer Tadayoshi Makino, who worked on the previous title, is back with a sizeable batch of new background tracks to heighten the drama.
For the full publisher rundown, see the official website.
Why this matters
Captain Tsubasa sits in an interesting sweet spot: it’s a soccer game that wears its anime heart on its sleeve. That makes it a different animal from realistic sims like FIFA or arcade-y titles like EA’s offerings — it’s more about spectacle, combos and character-driven set pieces. The promise of 110+ characters and 150+ cinematic plays suggests Bandai Namco is doubling down on what fans loved about the franchise: personality and dramatic moments.
Platform-wise, the multi-format launch means players on modern consoles and PC will get the same headline content. If you’re thinking about hardware to run the biggest version, the PlayStation 5 Pro is the sort of next-gen machine many will consider — you can check current options for the PlayStation 5 Pro here.
This kind of announcement also feeds the larger console conversation. Nintendo’s platform momentum — and the industry’s growing support for Nintendo hardware — gives context to why a game like Captain Tsubasa still targets Switch alongside PS5 and Xbox; big Nintendo showcases (and the trailer rollout) help build that cross-platform buzz, the same kind of hype cycle we saw with other big reveals like Metroid Prime 4’s 'Survive' trailer. And if you’re tracking Nintendo’s future hardware moves, recent coverage of the company’s Switch strategy offers useful context for how third-party franchises are placing their bets on the Switch family and its successor.
A final point: Bandai Namco is clearly packaging this as fan service and spectacle. The inclusion of previously unseen manga teams, new original characters, and score-charged cutscenes suggests the title isn’t just a roster update — it’s an attempt to stage the manga’s most cinematic fights on the pitch, playable and shareable.
If you loved the anime’s bigger-than-life moments, this looks designed with you in mind. Keep an eye on trailers and developer deep dives over the coming months — there’s a lot of promise here, and how the super moves balance with competitive play will decide whether World Fighters becomes a lasting hit or just a flashy showpiece.