- KONAMI deleted all Zlatan promotional visuals leaving players shocked after the Black Friday campaign.
- Community noticed the lion teaser and social posts suddenly disappearing without any explanation.
- In-game Zlatan remains fully available suggesting KONAMI holds usage rights only for gameplay appearance.
If you’ve opened X or checked the eFootball website today, you probably noticed something strange. All the excitement around Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s long-awaited comeback suddenly hit a wall. So, is Zlatan Ibrahimovic removed from eFootball? Where did he go? Here are your answers.
Image rights conflicts could be the case since Zlatan is FC 26 Ultimate Edition’s cover star
If you’ve been following eFootball these past few days, you know that the Lion has arrived. First, KONAMI shocked the entire community by teasing Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s massive return with that dramatic lion-awakening video after a lot of waiting.
Then Black Friday arrived, Big Time Zlatan dropped, players spent coins, and everything looked perfect, until it didn’t. Because out of nowhere, the entire marketing side of Zlatan vanished. The lion video? Deleted. The visuals? Removed. His photos? Gone from the official website.
From what people are discussing online, the situation seems tied to image rights. KONAMI may have the license to include Zlatan in-game, but not the rights to use his name, face, or visuals in marketing. Earlier this year, Zlatan also covered the eFootball logo on his shirt while sharing his photo.
To note, Zlatan is also the cover star of FC 26 Ultimate Edition, so using his image to promote eFootball directly conflicts with another licensing agreement. Many believe EA may have stepped in, since Zlatan’s commercial usage is locked under their licensing.
So what about his Big Time card? What about the card I pulled? Well, the good news is that in-game, still, Zlatan remains untouched. The Big Time card is still available to pull and won’t be removed from your account. Even if they do, I’m sure they’ll compensate for it.
This also suggests KONAMI does have the right to use him inside the game, just not for promotional material. It is surely a huge hit because the visuals were amazing, and the presentation just brought in more hype. Hoping we get clear official info on this matter.
Read other related eFootball 2026 articles and stories:
- eFootball 2026 Black Friday campaign: Here’s how to get 3000 coins for free with the Gold Ticket
- eFootball 2026 POTW Weekly Tier List and best picks
- eFootball 2026 Daily Game Box players review
- eFootball 2026 National Legends Selection Contract Guide: Top picks and Tier List
- KONAMI introduces the eFootball CODA Web Store, offering exclusive bonuses for Coin purchases
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