College football players will be paid more to appear in College Football 26

Ahead of College Football 25, EA Sports paid college football players $600 — and a copy of the game — to license the players’ likenesses for the game. That’s being upped to $1,500 per player for College Football 26, according to a report from The Athletic. EA Sports said in an email to players on Tuesday, per the report, that name, image, and likeness (NIL) payments would increase, and that players will still receive a copy of the game.

“From the beginning, we’ve designed our NIL program to be accessible, direct, voluntary and equitable for all, offering the same base-level compensation to every FBS athlete that opts-in using the OneTeam platform and COMPASS NIL app,” EA Sports vice president of business development Sean O’Brien said in a statement to The Athletic. “This approach empowers each athlete to make their own decision. College sports are growing and changing, and our focus at EA Sports is on continuing to put athletes first as we bring them in the game in College Football 26 and beyond.”

More than 11,000 player likenesses were used in College Football 25; the same number is expected with College Football 26. An EA Sports representative told The Athletic that the increase in pay “to make sure athletes feel recognized for the success of the game.” A licensing group, Pathway Sports & Entertainment, is also acquiring the rights to college football players likeness’ in video games, paying $1,500 per player. The Athletic reported that 1,000 players have signed on with Pathway, but that won’t impact College Football 26, but could “create tension” for future College Football games, per the report. With that deal, some players will receive $3,000 — $,1,500 each from Pathway and EA Sports — this year.

College Football 25 was a massive success. The college football franchise had been on hold for more than a decade, and clearly fans were eager for the series to make a return. By December 2024, months after its release, College Football 25 became the top-selling sports video game in the United States.