Visa launches new global version of the Financial Football game, bringing together entertainment and financial education in an action-packed virtual game

• Visa to engage fans, athletes and communities by rolling the game out through key partnerships with Edfundo and Financial Football events

 With FIFA World Cup™ excitement heating up, Visa (NYSE: V), the Official Payment Technology Partner of FIFA, in partnership with Edfundo, the world's first family financial education and money management app built by teachers, announced the launch of the new version of the educational video game, Financial Football. Gamers can suit up as the country of their choice and take their best shot for the coveted trophy by correctly answering questions designed to help players make smart, well informed money management decisions.

The launch event held at Visa Headquarters in Dubai, brought together 10 students each from Dubai International Academy – Emirates Hills and Safa Community School to play a friendly match of Financial Football, with the goal of sharpening their financial skills as young football fans on the virtual pitch.

“Access to financial education to gain knowledge is critical to help individuals succeed in an increasingly digital world,” said Carl Manlan Visa’s Vice President, Inclusive Impact and Sustainability Central Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Visa is proud to bring the power of its partnership with FIFA to the global stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™to provide individuals and small businesses with a fun and engaging way to begin or build upon their financial education journey. We are pleased to have the support of Edfundo in promoting the fast-paced, interactive financial football game that will help us in our quest to teach students in the UAE financial habits and skills that will help promote their financial well-being."

“Edfundo is very proud to be a partner of Visa. Not just for today’s event but also for our shared goal of raising awareness and improving financial education for young people in the UAE and beyond” said Simon Wing Co-Founder and CEO of Edfundo. “As a former teacher, I know that learning through games is a real motivator for students and having played this game myself, I have to say very well done to Visa. It looks great!”

To further Visa’s commitment to uplift lives through the power of sport and the global platform of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Visa is working in collaboration with clients and non-profit organizations to make the new version of Financial Football available to as many people as possible. Visa and partners will host events, learning series and promote game availability in more than 100 markets around the world leading up to and following the tournament. With only one-in-three adults estimated to have a basic understanding of financial concepts, Visa understands the critical need to foster financial literacy early to ensure a stronger relationship with financial health through adulthood.

New Financial Football Game Features

The free educational game challenges players to answer money management questions at various levels of difficulty to advance down the pitch for a chance to score a goal. New features include:

• Men’s and women’s teams and tournaments: Players can now choose between men’s and women’s teams to represent any country in global tournaments, including the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.
• Personal finance and small business game modes: For the first time, the game will include a second mode for small business owners that features questions on starting and managing a business, budgeting and more. With entrepreneurship growth reaching historic numbers, additional education on critical business subjects is important to entrepreneurs’ growth. The personal finance track will feature questions on topics like crypto currencies and the wise use of credit.
• Available on-the-go: In addition to online at financialsoccer.com, players can now download for free via iOS and Android mobile app store to play the game on mobile and tablet devices.
• Multiple languages: Gameplay in English, Spanish or Arabic, with more languages coming soon including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, German, Russian and Portuguese.

Leaving a Lasting Impact

Ahead of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Visa will host live Financial Football games in the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Qatar, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal to engage fans, athletes and communities with more to come. Visa is partnering with Street Child United and WISE in the Middle East to help expand financial education during the tournament and after through several key initiatives:

• WISE, a Qatar Foundation initiative, will launch a series of programs tailored for Qatari residents to provide youth and SMBs with financial education through Visa’s Practical Money Skills and Practical Business Skills curriculums, respectively, and Financial Soccer.
• Street Child United, a UK-based charity dedicated to changing the way the world sees and treats street-connected children, will build a two-year financial education program leveraging Visa’s Practical Money Skills curriculum.

To learn more about Visa’s 30-year commitment to developing innovative, free-to-use and easily accessible financial education resources for businesses, individuals and communities, visit Practical Money Skills.