If you’ve been a fan of Konami’s football games for more than a few years, you probably have fond memories of Pro Clubs. The mode let you create a custom pro, team up with up to 10 friends to fill out an entire squad, and climb competitive divisions against other player teams around the world. It was easily one of the most beloved modes in the old PES franchise, so it’s no surprise so many players come back every year looking for it in new eFootball releases. If you’re currently playing the 2023 iteration, one of the first questions you’re likely asking is does efootball 2023 have pro clubs, especially after all the changes Konami made during the franchise rebrand a few years back. The answer isn’t a simple yes or no, but we’re breaking down everything you need to know to get that classic team play experience you’re looking for.
Does eFootball 2023 Have Pro Clubs? The Straight Answer
Officially, the short answer is no. Konami dropped the Pro Clubs name entirely when it rebranded the entire PES franchise to eFootball back in 2021, and the named mode hasn’t returned in any subsequent release, including eFootball 2023. That said, you don’t have to give up on your favorite team play experience entirely. Konami rebranded all former PES team play modes under new names after the franchise reset, so most of the core Pro Clubs features are still present, just tucked into different menus.
A lot of players assume the mode is gone entirely because eFootball 2023’s menu system is notoriously confusing for new and returning players alike. I spent nearly an hour scrolling through menus when I first booted up the game last year, looking for anything labeled Pro Clubs, before I stumbled on the equivalent mode by accident. The mode most similar to classic Pro Clubs is tucked under the Online Lobbies section of the main menu, and it supports almost all the same features you remember from the old mode.
It’s worth noting that Konami has teased the return of the official Pro Clubs name in future eFootball releases, but as of the 2023 version, there’s no official mode with that exact branding. That doesn’t mean you can’t get the same core experience, though, as long as you know where to look.
Core Features of eFootball 2023's Pro Clubs Equivalent Modes
If you’re worried you’ll lose all the features you loved from old Pro Clubs, you can breathe easy. The Online Lobby team play mode in eFootball 2023 matches almost every core feature from the classic mode, with a few nice upgrades thrown in for good measure. You can still play 11v11 matches with all human players using custom created pros in eFootball 2023, just like you could in the original Pro Clubs mode.
My regular group of Pro Clubs friends switched to eFootball 2023 last year, and we barely noticed a difference in core gameplay once we got used to the new menu system. We still set our custom positions, built our own pros, and spent every weekend climbing divisions together just like we did back in the PES 2021 days. Some of the features that carry over directly from classic Pro Clubs include:
- Fully customizable created players with position-specific skill trees and attribute upgrades that you unlock by playing matches
- Private and public lobbies for casual or competitive team play with friends or random players looking for a squad
- Division ranking system that tracks both individual player performance (like goals, assists, and defensive stops) and overall team win rates
- In-game voice chat support for coordinated play, so you can call for passes, set up plays, and celebrate wins with your team just like before
The biggest upgrade over old Pro Clubs is cross-platform support, which didn’t exist in most older PES titles. Cross-platform support works across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC for all team play lobbies, so you don't have to worry about platform restrictions with your friend group. We had friends playing on PS5, Xbox Series S, and PC all in the same squad last year, something we never could have done with the old Pro Clubs mode.
Key Differences Between Old Pro Clubs and eFootball 2023's Team Modes
While most core features are present, there are a few key differences between classic Pro Clubs and the equivalent mode in eFootball 2023 that you should know about before you dive in. Some of these changes are minor, but others are dealbreakers for long-time Pro Clubs fans, so it’s important to go in with realistic expectations.
The biggest downside for many long-time fans is the lack of dedicated club progression. There is no dedicated "Club" progression system with custom team badges, kit unlocks, and stadium customization in eFootball 2023. In old Pro Clubs, you could level up your entire club as a group, unlock custom gear, and build a unique identity for your team. In eFootball 2023, all progression is tied to individual players, so you can’t unlock shared rewards for your squad. Our group was pretty disappointed by this at first, but we ended up just making our own custom team logo outside the game and using it for our Discord server, so it wasn’t a total loss.
Another difference is that custom player progression is partially tied to eFootball’s in-game currency, eFootball Coins, for some high-tier upgrades. In old Pro Clubs, you earned all your attribute points just by playing matches, no extra currency required. In eFootball 2023, you can earn most points through gameplay, but the highest tier skill boosts require you to spend coins that you can either grind for through daily challenges or purchase with real money. It’s not a pay-to-win system by any means, but it does mean you’ll have to grind a bit longer to get a max-level pro than you did in old Pro Clubs.
You’ll also find fewer public lobbies for casual play than you might remember from old Pro Clubs. Most eFootball 2023 team play players stick to private lobbies with their existing friend groups, so if you’re a solo player looking for a random squad to join, you might have a harder time finding open lobbies directly in the game. Your best bet is to join one of the many large eFootball community Discord servers, where players post open lobby links for every position every single day.
How to Play Pro Clubs-Style Matches in eFootball 2023
Now that you know the mode exists (just under a different name), here’s how to jump in and start playing as quickly as possible. The process is pretty straightforward once you know where to look, and you can be in a match with your friends in less than five minutes once you get the hang of the menu system.
First, you’ll need to create your custom pro if you haven’t already. Head to the “Player” tab in the main menu, select “Create Custom Player”, and pick your position, appearance, and initial attribute points. I recommend focusing on 2-3 core attributes for your position first, like finishing and acceleration for a striker, or passing and stamina for a central midfielder, instead of spreading points evenly across all stats.
Once your pro is created, head to the “Online” tab in the main menu and select “Online Lobbies”. From there, you can either join an existing public lobby or create a private one for your friend group. If you’re creating a private lobby, set a password, share it with your friends, and assign each player their preferred position before starting the match. Make sure to set match rules to "Created Players Only" if you want the classic Pro Clubs experience, instead of using real professional players. If you leave the rules open, players can use high-rated real players like Messi or Mbappe, which ruins the custom pro vibe that makes Pro Clubs so fun.
If you’re playing solo and looking for a squad to join, filter public lobbies by your preferred position, and look for lobbies marked “Open Spots”. Most lobby hosts will list what positions they’re looking for in the lobby description, so you can quickly find a squad that needs a player in your role. If you can’t find any open lobbies in game, head to a community Discord server, as I mentioned earlier, to find groups looking for extra players.
If you want to play competitive ranked matches, select the “Team Competitive” lobby option instead of casual lobbies. These lobbies match you against squads of similar skill level, and track your division rank as you win and lose matches. I recommend playing at least 10 casual matches with your squad first to get used to each other’s play styles before jumping into ranked, because the matchmaking is pretty strict, and you’ll get matched against very coordinated squads if you have a high initial rank.
At the end of the day, if you’re wondering does efootball 2023 have pro clubs, the answer is technically no, but you don’t have to give up the team play experience you love. All the core features that made Pro Clubs so great are still present in the game’s Online Lobby mode, with the added bonus of cross-platform play that lets you team up with friends no matter what console they use. The lack of dedicated club progression is a bummer for long-time fans, but most players find that the core gameplay more than makes up for that small downside. If you’ve been avoiding eFootball 2023 because you thought Pro Clubs was gone, take 10 minutes to set up a custom pro and jump into a lobby, you might be shocked how close it is to the mode you’ve been missing for years.