If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling through eFootball 2023’s menu for 10 minutes looking for your favorite World Cup side only to realize national teams aren’t front and center like they used to be in older Pro Evolution Soccer titles, you’re not alone. A lot of players jump into the game expecting to pick between Brazil, Germany, or Argentina right off the bat, only to get stuck choosing between random club sides. We’ve put together everything you need to know to access and use national sides, so you don’t have to waste time digging through menus or missing out on the fun of re-creating iconic international matchups. If you’re wondering how to play with national teams in eFootball 2023, this guide covers every possible method, from offline friendly matches to competitive online lobbies.
How to Play With National Teams in eFootball 2023 Offline: Step-by-Step
If you want to play with national teams in eFootball 2023 offline without any extra steps, exhibition mode is your best bet, no grinding or real money required. Start by navigating to the "Exhibition" mode from the main menu, the option sits right next to Dream Team, but most players skip past it to jump into the main online mode. Once you open exhibition, select friendly match, then when you land on the team selection screen, use the left toggle to switch the team filter from “Clubs” to “National Teams” to pull up the full list of available sides.
You’ll only see national teams that Konami has full licensing for in the default list, which includes most top sides like Brazil, France, Argentina, and dozens of others. If your favorite national team is missing from the default list, you can head to the in-game edit mode, then access the community upload section to download user-created versions of unlicensed sides. These user-created teams usually come with accurate kits, player rosters, and team badges, so they look and play just like the real teams. You can also use these downloaded teams in exhibition matches, custom tournaments, and even friend lobbies online if the other players have the same files downloaded.
You can also use national teams in custom tournament modes if you want to replicate a World Cup, Euros, or Copa America style event. Just navigate to the Tournament mode from the main menu, select custom tournament, then switch the team filter to national teams when you’re picking which sides to include. You can set the tournament bracket size anywhere from 8 teams up to 32, adjust match lengths, and even set up group stages exactly like real international tournaments for a more immersive experience.
Access National Teams for Online Play and Dream Team Mode
A common misconception among players is that you can’t use national teams at all in online modes, but that’s not true. You just have to know which modes support them. You can build a custom Dream Team made up entirely of national team players if you want to replicate your favorite international side for online ranked play. For example, if you want to run a full England side, you can scout for English players in the transfer market, earn special player cards from events, and set your formation to match the real national team’s current tactical setup.
Konami also runs limited-time national team themed events throughout the year, usually aligned with real international breaks or major tournaments like the World Cup or continental championships. During these events, you can join special online lobbies where you only play against other players using national teams, or earn special themed player cards for top international stars. These events are the only time you can use pre-made national teams in public online matches, so keep an eye on the in-game news tab to catch them when they go live.
If you’re looking to use your go-to national side for online matches with friends, you just need to set up a custom private lobby. All players in the lobby will need to have the same national team files downloaded if you’re using user-created versions, but pre-made licensed national teams work right out of the box for all players who have the latest game patch installed. You can even set up your own custom online tournament with friends using national teams for extra bragging rights.
Fix Common Issues With Accessing National Teams
A lot of players run into the same roadblocks when they try to play with national teams in eFootball 2023, so we’ve compiled the most common issues and quick fixes to get you back on the pitch fast.
- National teams don't show up in team selection: This is almost always because you have the filter set to club teams only. Double check the filter toggle at the top of the team selection screen to switch to national sides. On console, you can usually toggle the filter with the left or right bumper button.
- Licensed national teams are missing: A small number of national sides aren't included in the base game due to licensing restrictions. You can fix this by downloading user-created team packs from the edit mode community library, which are usually uploaded by other players with accurate kits, badges, and player rosters.
- You can't use national teams in online random lobbies: Konami restricts pre-made national teams to friend lobbies and special event modes only, so you won't see them as an option in random ranked online matches unless there's an active national team event running.
Always back up your save data before downloading any user-created content, because downloaded team files can sometimes overwrite your existing custom edits if you don’t save a separate backup first. If you’re on console, make sure you have the latest game patch installed, because Konami occasionally adds new licensed national teams with seasonal updates, so you might find your favorite side added in a random patch without any extra work required.
If downloaded national teams still don’t show up after you install them, try restarting your game first. If that doesn’t work, check the edit mode to make sure you enabled the downloaded teams for use in matches, most user-created content is disabled by default until you manually turn it on in the edit mode settings.
Tips for Playing With National Teams Effectively
Playing with national teams feels very different from playing with club sides, so you’ll need to adjust your playstyle to get the most out of your chosen side. Adjust your playstyle to match the strengths of the national team you pick, because national teams are built around very specific tactical identities that are way more defined than most club sides. For example, if you’re playing with Morocco, their biggest strength is their tight defensive shape and fast counter attacking wingers, so you don’t want to push too many players forward and leave gaps at the back. If you’re playing with Brazil, you can lean into their creative attacking talent to play fast, flowing football with lots of one-touch passes and runs behind the defensive line.
When you play with national teams in eFootball 2023, you’ll notice that the player ratings are usually more balanced across the full squad compared to club teams, which often have a couple of star players and a lot of lower-rated bench players. That means you can rotate your squad more often instead of relying on one or two star players to carry your matches. You also don’t have to worry about player fatigue carrying over between matches like you do in Dream Team, so you can go all out every match without having to sub off your best players for later games.
If you’re playing with friends, try setting up a draft tournament where each player picks a random national teams out of a hat to keep things fair and fun. You can even add extra rules like no using the top 5 ranked national teams to level the playing field if you have a mix of new and experienced players. National team matches always feel more high stakes than club matches, because almost everyone has a national team they grew up supporting, so the bragging rights for winning a tournament are way higher.
At the end of the day, playing with national teams in eFootball 2023 doesn’t have to be a confusing process, even if Konami doesn’t make them the front and center option they were in older PES titles. Whether you want to play casual offline matches with friends, build your dream international Dream Team, or join special event online matches with your favorite side, there’s a way to make it work. If you follow the steps we laid out, you’ll be lining up with your favorite national team in no time. Now that you know how to play with national teams in eFootball 2023, you can stop scrolling through menus and get to playing the iconic international matchups you’ve been looking forward to.