- KONAMI will end eFootball service in Russia and Belarus on June 15, 2026.
- No official reason for the shutdown of the football title has been shared yet.
KONAMI has officially confirmed that eFootball will end service in Russia and Belarus. The announcement appeared in-game, informing players that services in both regions will stop from June 15, 2026.
For now, no official reason has been provided by KONAMI regarding the shutdown decision. The company only thanked players from both countries for their support over the years and clarified that the change applies only to Russia and Belarus, with no impact on other regions.
Gaming service restrictions are happening in Russia and Belarus since 2022
While the news may come as a surprise to some players, this is honestly not the first time gaming companies have reduced or completely stopped operations in Russia and Belarus over the last few years.
Back in March 2022, several major gaming companies took similar steps. Minecraft creators Mojang and Supercell removed their games from the Russian and Belarusian app stores, followed shortly by Rovio removing its titles from both regions as well. Even Pokémon GO was removed from the local mobile storefronts during the same period.
The situation also ties into platform restrictions introduced by Google following payment disruptions in Russia during 2022. Google Play had paused its billing system in Russia, preventing purchases, subscriptions, and in-app payments for games and apps.
At the same time, Russia itself has also tightened regulations around gaming and online platforms in recent years. After banning Discord in 2024, just last December, access to Roblox was restricted in the country over claims tied to extremist and LGBT-related content.
Interestingly, Belarus itself also saw policy changes earlier this year regarding online gaming and gambling advertisements. So overall, the gaming environment in the regions has become increasingly strict and thus definitely might have been difficult for the games to operate.
As for eFootball, players in Russia and Belarus now have just under a month left before the shutdown takes effect. KONAMI has not yet shared whether account migration, compensation, or any alternative regional access options will be provided before services officially end.
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