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More people played FIFA’s successor, EA Sports FC 24, than Call of Duty in the latest directly comparable figures available: a UK monthly snapshot covering Xbox, PlayStation and Steam in May 2024. That result is useful, but it is not a worldwide or October 2026 player count.
The short answer: EA Sports FC 24 led this like-for-like comparison
Ofcom’s Online Nation 2024 report ranks EA Sports FC 24 ahead of Call of Duty HQ among the games it measured on Xbox, PlayStation and Steam in the UK during May 2024. The football game recorded 2.93 million active users, while the Call of Duty grouping recorded 1.76 million.
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On that defined comparison, the football game had about 1.17 million more active users, or roughly two-thirds more than the Call of Duty figure. The wording matters: the table compares a specific annual football title with the Call of Duty HQ grouping, in one country, across one month and three platform ecosystems. It does not count every FIFA-era game, every Call of Duty release, or every player worldwide.
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| Entry in Ofcom’s table | Active users | Country and month | Platforms covered | Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EA Sports FC 24 | 2.93 million | United Kingdom, May 2024 | Xbox, PlayStation and Steam | Active users during the month |
| Call of Duty HQ | 1.76 million | United Kingdom, May 2024 | Xbox, PlayStation and Steam | Active users during the month |
Ofcom attributes the underlying game figures to Ampere Games Analytics. These are monthly active-user measurements, not simultaneous players online at one moment. A person who played during May can be included even if they were not online when a chart was captured, and the figures should not be read as sales, downloads, subscriptions or lifetime registered accounts.
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Why FIFA appears as EA Sports FC
The football series formerly known as FIFA is now branded EA Sports FC. The comparison therefore uses EA Sports FC 24, the successor to the FIFA-branded annual releases. Saying simply that “FIFA” won can be understood by players, but it is less precise than naming the title that appears in the source data.
The other entry is not a single edition such as Modern Warfare III. Ofcom labels it Call of Duty HQ, so the result should be reported with that name rather than treated as a head-to-head between two identically structured releases. The football entry is one annual edition; the Call of Duty entry is a game grouping used by the measurement.
Why FC 24’s May figure was especially strong
PlayStation Plus access changed the audience during the measured month
Ofcom notes that EA Sports FC 24 became available to PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers in May and June 2024. Giving subscribers access without requiring a separate purchase can bring returning players back and introduce the game to people who had not bought it. That timing is an important reason not to treat May’s ranking as a permanent franchise hierarchy.
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Monthly active players rose from April to May
Ofcom reports a 17% increase in FC 24 monthly active players from April to May 2024. The report connects the rise with the PlayStation Plus availability and the period around the UEFA European Championship. A major football tournament can increase interest in football games, while the subscription promotion lowers the barrier to trying one.
Engagement was substantial, not just a one-time launch spike
FC 24 players spent an average of 23 hours in the game during May 2024, according to Ofcom. That is an average for the measured users and month; it does not mean every player spent 23 hours, nor does it describe playtime for Call of Duty. It does, however, show that the football result represents recurring activity within the month rather than merely people who downloaded the game.
What this comparison does not prove
It is not a global count
The figures cover the UK only. Player populations differ by country because of console ownership, PC adoption, local football interest, release timing, pricing, subscriptions and regional marketing. A UK ranking cannot be multiplied into a worldwide estimate without country-level data and a consistent method.
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It is not the current October 2026 ranking
The latest directly comparable figures established here are from May 2024. Ofcom’s annual-report index lists a 2025 edition, but no newer equivalent Call of Duty-versus-EA Sports FC game-user table has been verified. New annual releases, seasonal events, subscription offers and platform changes can all alter the order, so the May 2024 result should not be presented as a live 2026 leaderboard.
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The measured cross-platform set is Xbox, PlayStation and Steam. EA Sports FC 24 was also available on other platforms, so its 2.93 million figure is not an all-platform total. The same platform boundary must be applied to both entries when comparing them; adding a different platform for one game would break the like-for-like comparison.
It is not a Steam concurrent-player chart
Steam charts commonly show concurrent users: how many people are playing at the same instant. Ofcom’s table uses active users over a month and combines Xbox, PlayStation and Steam. Concurrent peaks, monthly active users, downloads, copies sold and lifetime accounts answer different questions and can produce very different rankings.
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- GLOBE‑SPANNING CAMPAIGN — Fight across the Korean Peninsula, New York, Paris, and Mumbai in a high‑stakes narrative where global conflict escalates and survival depends on tactical precision.
- MULTIPLAYER BUILT ON CONTROL — Engage in grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and refined mechanics give you greater control in every firefight.
- TACTICAL DMZ OPERATIONS — Deploy behind enemy lines as an off‑the‑books asset, making high‑risk decisions on objectives and extraction in a dynamic mode where every run counts.
How to compare CoD and FIFA fairly
If you encounter a newer claim that one series is larger, check the definitions before accepting it. A sound comparison should match all of the following:
- Country: use the same national market, or use a genuinely worldwide dataset for both games.
- Time period: compare the same month or reporting window, not one game at launch with another late in its annual cycle.
- Platforms: include the same console and PC services for both entries.
- Player definition: distinguish monthly active users from daily active users, concurrent users, downloads, sales and registered accounts.
- Game level: compare individual annual editions with other individual editions, or compare complete franchises with complete franchises.
- Access conditions: record subscription promotions, free weekends, trials and major events that can temporarily expand an audience.
Without those controls, a large number may be accurate in isolation but still fail to answer whether more people played one game than the other.
Annual title versus franchise: why the wording changes the answer
Players often use “FIFA” and “CoD” to mean entire series. Audience measurement does not always work at that level. The cited football number belongs to EA Sports FC 24, while the Call of Duty number belongs to Call of Duty HQ. A franchise-level question would need a source that aggregates all relevant FIFA-era or EA Sports FC editions and all relevant Call of Duty products using the same rules.
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- GLOBE‑SPANNING CAMPAIGN — Fight across the Korean Peninsula, New York, Paris, and Mumbai in a high‑stakes narrative where global conflict escalates and survival depends on tactical precision.
- MULTIPLAYER BUILT ON CONTROL — Engage in grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and refined mechanics give you greater control in every firefight.
That distinction also matters over time. Football games receive annual editions, and Call of Duty has multiple modes and releases that may be represented inside a shared hub. A player can move between versions while remaining active in the broader ecosystem. Treating every active user as belonging to an identical product structure would overstate the precision of the comparison.
What the result means for someone choosing a game
If your question is which game had the larger measured UK audience in May 2024, choose EA Sports FC 24: it led the table by the margin shown above. If your question is which game will have more players now, the available evidence does not establish that answer. You would need a current, matched dataset covering the same country, month, platforms and player definition.
The figures also do not tell you which game is better. Popularity can reflect football-season interest, a subscription promotion, local preferences or the timing of a major event. It does not measure gameplay quality, competitive depth, accessibility, performance or whether a particular mode suits you.
A practical checklist for reading future player-count claims
- Identify the source and date. A regulator’s monthly estimate, a publisher announcement and a third-party Steam chart are not interchangeable.
- Read the label exactly. Check whether the entry is EA Sports FC 24, a FIFA legacy title, Call of Duty HQ or a particular Call of Duty release.
- Find the geography. “Players” without a country or worldwide definition is incomplete.
- Check the platform list. A console-and-PC total cannot be compared directly with a Steam-only number.
- Check the unit. Monthly active users are people active during a period; concurrent users are people online at one time.
- Look for temporary access. Subscription catalogues, free trials, discounts and tournament periods can move a monthly total.
- Keep the conclusion narrow. State exactly what the data supports instead of turning one snapshot into a permanent global ranking.
Bottom line on CoD versus FIFA
In the strongest like-for-like comparison currently established, the FIFA successor wins: Ofcom measured 2.93 million active UK users for EA Sports FC 24 versus 1.76 million for Call of Duty HQ across Xbox, PlayStation and Steam in May 2024. FC 24’s PlayStation Plus availability and 17% month-over-month rise make that month notable. The result is a dated UK snapshot, not proof that more people play the football series worldwide or that it remains ahead in October 2026.
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