In some rather unexpected news, KONAMI have today announced that a time limited collaboration event between the free-to-play game eFootball and the anime franchise Naruto Shippuden is under way where players can earn and unlock special themed items inspired by the anime series.
At the centre of the collaboration are special player pairings, including Naruto Uzumaki × Neymar Jr. and Sasuke Uchiha × Takefusa Kubo, of which blend the worlds of anime and football. The collaboration event starts today (30th April 2026) and will last until 14th May 2026, where players can participate in in-game events to earn special collaboration players and items for free. Stadium decorations and choreographed celebrations, inspired by Naruto Shippuden, will also be available.
In the press release it also describes that select collaboration player cards Naruto Uzumaki × Neymar Jr. and Sasuke Uchiha × Takefusa Kubo trigger unique visual effects during Stunning Shots, recreating signature ninjutsu from the series, including Wind Style: Rasen Shuriken and Chidori. In addition, scoring a goal activates special, collaboration-exclusive celebrations, bringing the crossover to life on the pitch.
For those unfamiliar eFootball is the rebranding of KONAMI’s popular gaming series PES, or Pro Evolution Soccer, and saw updated game mechanics as well as a free-to-play model introduced. eFootball is available free-to-play on PlayStation, Xbox and Windows PC. Further details are available on the official website. Naruto Shippuden meanwhile can be streamed on BBC iPlayer, Netflix and Crunchyroll in the UK.
