FIFA 16
Stephanie Catley is the first female cover for FIFA 16. EA (posted with permission)

With the introduction of female players to “FIFA 16,” it would be no surprise for a woman to grace the cover of Electronic Arts’ coming football title. But for the cover star, this meant being the first woman player to be on the cover of the franchise.

Australia’s Stephanie Catley has been announced as the lucky one to make cover history. In an official statement, EA Sports stated that Catley won the global vote, held for the first time in the franchise for the Australian cover of the game.

The votes proved that the Aussie was one of the favorite players. The Westfield Matildas member has expressed her excitement to fans about the opportunity.

“Words can’t describe the excitement I’m feeling about being on the cover of ‘FIFA 16,’ it’s a dream come true!” said Catley in a statement. “It’s been a huge year for the Westfield Matildas, and getting this recognition from EA SPORTS and FIFA fans for all our hard work is a great step forward for women’s football on both a local and global scale.”

Catley will be a playable character in the game. In addition to this, she will be on the cover together with previously announced cover star Lionel Messi. According to EA, the official unveiling of the Australian “FIFA 16” will take place on Aug. 13 at Sydney.

The developer has also revealed the new aspects that fans can expect in “FIFA 16.” In an interview spotted by Forbes, FIFA Senior Producer Nick Channon said there has been an all-around improvement in the game. The team played around with the agility of the players and examined how teams can defend as one body for the midfield. Player attacks have also enhanced with great moves now being executed when they are trying to weave their way around the field. The full interview can be seen below.

This is not the only revelation, as the developer has also detailed the recommended specs for the PC so that “FIFA 16” will run smoothly, Ubergizmo reported. The following specs are the recommended minimum for the game to run on the PC smoothly:

  • 64-bit Windows 8/8.1/10
  • Intel i5-2550K 3.4 GHz processor
  • 8GB of RAM
  • 15 GB of hard drive space
  • DirectX 11
  • ATI Radeon HD 6870 or NVIDIA GTX 460 graphics card

“FIFA 16” is slated for the Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on Sept. 24 in Australia. It will debut two days earlier in North America on Sept. 22 and later in Europe on Sept. 25.

"FIFA 16" interview (Credit: YouTube/FamilyGamerTV)