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Top 25 best football games for iPhone and iPad (iOS)

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Top 25 best football games for iPhone and iPad (iOS)

The best virtual kick-arounds on iOS

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Updated on October 17th, 2023 - Changed one game, original article by Jon Mundy, updated by Jupiter Hadley.


As the domestic club season wraps up and thoughts turn to the European Championship, our level of football fever is even more pronounced than usual.

Whether you call it football or soccer, the beautiful game is the biggest sport in the world. It's only right, then, that it should be strongly represented on iOS.

If you think that the football game genre is a little narrow to deserve a stand-alone top 25, then you haven't been paying close attention. There's a surprising range of footy-themed experiences on the App Store, which we've done our darnedest to represent in the following list. For Android users, there is a list of the best football games on Android, so they won't feel left out. 

You have the usual FIFA and PES blockbuster kick-abouts, of course. But there are also games that represent an older, purer breed of arcade soccer. 

Then there are the management games, which take you out of the boot of the players and place you into the Italian leather moccasins of the coaches. 

And there's even room for the absolute football gaming oddities. Car football, anyone?

If we've missed your favourite iOS football games, let us know in the comments below.

 

Click Here To View The List »

1
New Star Manager

Publisher: New Star Games
Available on: iOS + Switch + Board Game
Genre: Simulation, Sports, Strategy
Find out more about New Star Manager
New Star Manager

The brilliant New Star Soccer set the terms for a brilliant mobile-focused football game of depth and nuance. New Star Manager goes even deeper by shifting the focus from the individual to the team, with masterful results.

2
Top Eleven

Publisher: Nordeus
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Simulation, Strategy
Find out more about Top Eleven
Top Eleven

When Jose Mourinho is presenting your game, you're probably pretty successful, right? Top Eleven has been around for a decade now already, and it has been updated many times since its release, improving the gameplay with each iteration. Certainly one of the best football manager games on iOS that you can play even in 2023.

3
New Star Soccer

Developer: New Star Games
Publisher: New Star Games
Available on: iOS + Android + PS Vita
Genre: Sports
Find out more about New Star Soccer
New Star Soccer

New Star Soccer dared to present a new way to play football that was specifically designed for touchscreen devices. The result is a game that mixes casual swipe-based gameplay and light management, and the king of mobile footy.

4
Soccer Super Star - Football

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Soccer Super Star - Football
Soccer Super Star - Football

Soccer Super Star - Football is a new football game, that has better kick physics than similar titles within the genre. This one feels a bit more realistic when it comes to where the ball ends up going, showing you little guides when you are ready to kick. There are tons of different levels to move forward in, lots of different shots to take, and tons of real-time moments that you can take control of!

5
Charrua Soccer

Publisher: Batovi Games Studio
Available on: iOS + Apple Arcade
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Charrua Soccer
Charrua Soccer

The makers of the brilliant Pixel Cup Soccer have produced this Apple Arcade follow up, which is a much slicker, more polished, 3D affair. At heart, though, it's still a light and fun arcade kick around.

6
Tiki Taka Soccer

Developer: Panic Barn
Publisher: Panic Barn
Available on: iOS + Android + Windows Phone
Genre: Arcade, Simulation, Sports
Find out more about Tiki Taka Soccer
Tiki Taka Soccer

No, it's not a game about boring the opponent to death with metronomic passing. In fact, Tiki Taka Soccer is one of the most thrillingly instinctive games of virtual soccer on the App Store.

7
Football Manager 2023 Mobile

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Simulation
Find out more about Football Manager 2023 Mobile
Football Manager 2023 Mobile

Not as in-depth or sophisticated as Football Manager Touch, Football Manager 2023 Mobile nonetheless provides an accessible footy management game for iPhone owners and those who don't want to fall too far down the FM rabbit hole.

8
Retro Soccer

Available on: iOS
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Retro Soccer
Retro Soccer

Another fast-paced arcade kick-around that draws inspiration from the classic top-down games of yesteryear. Retro Soccer is rough around the edges, but it's never less than a giggle to play.

9
Pixel Cup Soccer 16

Publisher: Batovi Games Studio
Available on: iOS
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Pixel Cup Soccer 16
Pixel Cup Soccer 16

FIFA might have the licenses and a certain degree of realism, but Pixel Cup Soccer 16 nails the straight-forward joy of those classic arcade soccer games of the '90s.

10
Pocket League Story 2

Developer: Kairosoft
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Simulation
Find out more about Pocket League Story 2
Pocket League Story 2

Manage your team of no-hopers to victory in true Kairosoft style. It's a particularly quirky, lo-fi approach to management that's nowhere near as in-depth as FM, but is a whole lot cuter.

11
Score! Hero

Publisher: First Touch Games
Available on: iOS
Find out more about Score! Hero
Score! Hero

Score! Hero is a gesture-controlled 3D foot sim that offers a great story combined with good graphics. You play as a young football player who is trying to become the main star of the football world. To achieve this, you need to pass a series of tests at different levels. The game contains over 580 levels, each with good 3D graphics. Included is a multiplayer mode with a leaderboard and achievements.

12
eFootball

Available on: iOS + Android + Steam
Genre: Sports
Find out more about eFootball
eFootball

If you want an in-depth console-style take on football for your mobile, there's only really one choice - and it isn't FIFA Mobile. eFootball is built on the same engine as the console games that you might know as Pro Evolution Soccer, or PES, which makes it an extremely fluid and nuanced take on the beautiful game.

13
Soccer Stars

Publisher: Miniclip
Available on: iOS + Android
Find out more about Soccer Stars
Soccer Stars

More casual multiplayer action here, as you flick your counters around the pitch to score goals. If you like Subbuteo and air hockey, give it a shot.

14
Rocket League Sideswipe

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Action, Racing, Sports
Find out more about Rocket League Sideswipe
Rocket League Sideswipe

I mean, it still counts, right? Playing football with your car is still a sports game where you need to defend your own goal and stick a few to your adversary. Might be a bit unorthodox, but give it a try and you'll see that it's even more fun than it sounds!

15
Tiny Striker

Developer: Fat Fish Games
Available on: iOS
Genre: Arcade, Sports
Find out more about Tiny Striker
Tiny Striker

Like Flick Kick Football with a top-down perspective, Tiny Striker has you bending the ball into the back of the net from a variety of improbable positions.

16
Football Strike

Publisher: Miniclip
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Football Strike
Football Strike

Football Strike is loved by millions of iPhone users. It has several online modes: shooting at targets in a fast-paced, time-limited battle for points in Shooting Race mode, or alternately playing as an attacker and goalkeeper in Free Kick (1v1) mode.

17
Big Win Soccer

Publisher: Hothead Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Big Win Soccer
Big Win Soccer

Big Win Soccer brings a dose of the Panini sticker album (or Pokemon, if you're young) to the footy game genre. Open packs, build your team, and cheer them to victory over other players.

18
FIFA Mobile

Publisher: EA Sports
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Sports
Find out more about FIFA Mobile
FIFA Mobile

You can't have a list of football games without a FIFA - even if this is one of the weaker additions to the series. Footy goes freemium and deeply social in this polished sports game.

19
Rumble Stars

Publisher: Frogmind Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Sports, Strategy
Find out more about Rumble Stars
Rumble Stars

Rumble Stars Soccer has more in common with Clash Royale than FIFA, but we're not complaining. This is a brilliantly tactical online multiplayer kick-around with larger-than-life animal players and sharp presentation.

20
Goal Finger

Publisher: GlobZ
Available on: iOS
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Goal Finger
Goal Finger

From the makers of Mucho Party and Lamp and Vamp comes this unlikely mixture of Subbuteo, chess and Rocket League. Swipe your players into position and outscore the (real-life) opposition.

21
Super Soccer Champs 2022

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Super Soccer Champs 2022
Super Soccer Champs 2022

Super Soccer Champs 2022 goes back to the arcade footy greats of the home computer era - think Sensible Soccer and Kick Off. That means intuitive top-down action with hidden layers of depth.

22
Dream League Soccer 2023

Developer: First Touch Games
Publisher: First Touch Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Dream League Soccer 2023
Dream League Soccer 2023

First Touch Games has built a reputation over many years for being one of the best at translating the console footy experience to mobile. Dream League Soccer 2023 is another shot on target.

23
Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: RPG, Sports
Find out more about Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team
Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team

Footy action and RPG mechanics collide in this quirky take on the beautiful game, which ties in with the popular anime.

24
Football Drama

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Simulation, Sports
Find out more about Football Drama
Football Drama

A football management game with a major difference, Football Drama focuses on story ahead of tactical machinations, accompanied by highly stylised (and beautiful) graphics.

25
Football Chairman Pro

Publisher: Game Insight
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Simulation, Sports
Find out more about Football Chairman Pro
Football Chairman Pro

Football Chairman Pro takes a further step back from the footy management sub-genre, and places you in the expensive shoes of a club chairman. Hire managers, sanction transfers, upgrade your stadium and more.

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Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.