eFootball 2026 9th Anniversary Celebration is Coming on May14, 2026

2026-05-12
Join Konami's eFootball 2026 9th anniversary celebration on May 14, 2026 with global fans for massive anniversary rewards "FREE Showtime Selection Contract".
Konami is gearing up for a major milestone with eFootball™ 2026's 9th Anniversary Celebration, officially launching on May 14, 2026. This event marks nearly a decade of the franchise’s mobile journey, stretching back to the PES 2017 era, and is set to roll out as part of the v5.4.1 update for the mobile game.
The 9th Anniversary is positioned as a full‑scale campaign rather than a one‑day event, giving players exclusive rewards, new contracts, and special in‑game activities across the mobile and full‑game platforms. The celebration is designed to honor the community that has grown with eFootball since its transition from PES to the free‑to‑play eFootball formula, and Konami is using the anniversary to test new reward structures and social‑driven campaigns.
Confirmed rewards and events
The most concrete highlight of the 9th Anniversary so far is a guaranteed free Showtime player that will be given to players during the campaign. This reward is tied to a Showtime Player Voting event, where fans vote for their favorite stars from national teams such as Germany, England, the Netherlands, and Turkey; the most‑voted player will then be unlocked as a free Showtime card for the wider community.
Community‑driven speculation suggests that the 9th Anniversary could also bring Epic‑style rewards, including a possible Epic Selection Contract and Epic Chance Deals, similar to the 8th Anniversary. Some fans are even hoping for an anniversary‑themed “Epic Worldwide”‑style box and multiple free‑reward routes, though these remain unconfirmed at the time of writing.
Showtime Player Voting and fan involvement
The Showtime Player Voting campaign is a key pillar of the 9th Anniversary, turning the event into more than just a countdown‑style pack drop. Players engage with the campaign on social media, backing legends and current stars from the four featured national teams, with the winner set to debut in the game around mid‑May. Names like Joshua Kimmich, Marc Guéhi, and Jurriën Timber have been mentioned as potential Showtime targets, reflecting Konami's focus on both established icons and rising talents.
This voting mechanic echoes the way Konami has handled other big events, such as the 30th‑anniversary celebrations and the 1‑billion‑downloads milestone, but with a clearer free‑reward hook this time. The 9th Anniversary, therefore, feels like a chance to reward F2P players more directly, while still keeping the event live‑service friendly with optional paid packs and contracts.
Future plans
The 9th Anniversary Celebration is bundled into the v5.4.1 update cycle, which is described as a minor patch focused on bug fixes, performance tweaks, and supporting the new anniversary content. While the main v5.5 - style update for eFootball 2027‑era content is expected later in 2026, the 9th Anniversary campaign is already confirmed as one of the first big events tied to that broader roadmap.
