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The Indian Super League (ISL) might finally get an entry into the popular FIFA franchise as EA Sports gets ready to launch the newest version of the game, FIFA 21, on 9th October.
The ISL was included in the FIFA 20 mobile version after a deal was struck between the EA Sports and FSDL, the company that operates the top tier of Indian football.
And now, the ISL is as close as it can get to being included in FIFA 21, as the online voting process organised by Fifplay.com has seen the tournament top the polls, increasing the pressure on the game's makers to include it in the much-hyped title.
Every year, Fifplay, a FIFA fansite, conducts a poll ahead of the new release asking fans to vote for their favourite leagues not already included in the game.
The voting was started on Fifplay.com on 10th September 2019, shortly after the release of FIFA 20, and the most recent results were revealed on 21st July 2020. Almost 18 lakh people voted in total, with the Indian league topping the list with 238,905 votes.
The Finnish Veikkausliga was second with 227,130 votes, while the Greek Super League came in third with 162,117 votes.
Greek fans' campaign for inclusion in FIFA 21
Fans from Greece have been demanding that the whole league be included in the new title. So far, only the top four teams from the nation's top tier (Olympiacos, AEK Athens, PAOK and Panathinaikos) have been making appearances, that too in the 'Rest of the World' section, over several editions.
With only three leagues from Asia — the Chinese Super League, the Japanese J1 League, and the Saudi MBS Pro League — confirmed for the FIFA 21 edition, the ISL looks like the frontrunner to be the fourth entrant. Fans from the UAE, Malaysia, and Indonesia are also vying for their leagues to be included in the upcoming game.
There are also rumours that the Welsh League might make an entry into FIFA 21, alongside the English Conference League, with the franchise wanting to deepen its fanbase in British countries due to the sport's, and game's, popularity in these shores.
With the ISL growing in popularity, if not in FIFA 21, the league should get an entry in the subsequent editions of the game. There is also a rumour doing the rounds that only teams qualified for the AFC competitions, i.e., FC Goa, ATK Mohun Bagan, and Bengaluru FC, might get an entry into FIFA 21.
