World Championship Soccer
Also released as World Cup Italia '90 (Sega Master System)
World Championship Soccer — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is World Championship Soccer on?
- World Championship Soccer was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Master System/Mark III, Arcade, Amiga, Atari ST/STE, Commodore C64/128/MAX, DOS, ZX Spectrum.
- When did World Championship Soccer release?
- World Championship Soccer was first released on June 29, 1989.
About World Championship Soccer
The game presents a top-down view of a simple version of soccer (there are no fouls, substitutions, or strategies). Players must dribble and pass the ball towards one end of the field and try to score a goal by forcing the ball into the opposing team's net.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Developer
- Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
- Publisher
- Virgin Mastertronic
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Master SystemDetails ↓ | 1990 | $5 | $23 | $29 | 8 reviews | Low (look-alike) |
| Sega GenesisDetails ↓ | 1989 | $4 | $13 | — | 83% | Low |
The cheapest way to own it loose is the Sega Genesis version ($4).
Also released on: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Sega Master System/Mark III · Arcade · Amiga · Atari ST/STE · Commodore C64/128/MAX · DOS · ZX Spectrum. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $4.25 in Jul 2012, $3.94 five years ago, and $5.07 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2013 | $4.25 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $3.00 | $4.25 |
| Jan 2015 | $5.00 | $4.25 |
| Jan 2016 | $5.00 | $12.50 |
| Jan 2017 | $9.99 | $12.50 |
| Jan 2018 | $4.06 | $5.27 |
| Jan 2019 | $6.03 | $8.22 |
| Jan 2020 | $3.58 | $6.52 |
| Jan 2021 | $3.45 | $7.00 |
| Jan 2022 | $3.82 | $8.05 |
| Jan 2023 | $4.33 | $9.38 |
| Jan 2024 | $3.90 | $9.61 |
| Jan 2025 | $2.68 | $9.56 |
| Jan 2026 | $3.78 | $14.57 |
| Oct 2026 | $5.07 | $23 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe / PAL | December 1990 | 5084 | 171-5519 · MPR-13292 |
- Region
- EU
- Released
- 1990
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Master System version
Sega's Master System football game for the 1990 World Cup, and one of the cheapest European carts.
World Cup Italia '90 is a football game developed and published by Sega. The Master System version came out in Europe in December 1990, and in Brazil it was released as Super Futebol II. Mean Machines reviewed it in its third issue, in December 1990.
What the press said at the time
| Mean Machines Issue 20 | May 1992 | OVERALL 48% |
| Mean Machines Games Guide | May 1992 | OVERALL 48% |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | OVERALL 48% |
| Sega Pro Issue 21 | July 1993 | 77% |
| Sega Pro Issue 22 | August 1993 | 77% |
| Sega Pro Issue 24 | October 1993 | 77% |
| Sega Pro Issue 25 | November 1993 | 77% |
| Sega Pro Issue 28 | February 1994 | 76% |
“It may be almost a year since the Final, but here’s another World Cup footy game - and quite frankly, it's a pretty poor effort, with some awful graphics and almost no playability whatsoever.”
“when you get into the game itself the tiny pitch, feeble, out-of-scale player sprites (they’re nearly as big as the goal), ghastly control method, unrealistic ball movement, diabolical sound and very low difficulty level means this is the worst Master System football game by far.”
“This is a rubbish soccer game. The controls are poor, the graphics are naff and the sound is awful.”
“This is a rubbish soccer game. The controls are poor, the graphics are naff and the sound is awful. Buy Super Kick Off instead, or if you want a side-on viewed soccer game, check out World Cup Soccer.”
How the Sega Master System version differs
Gameplay is from a bird's-eye view and lets you play as any team from the tournament except the Republic of Ireland, with no qualifying rounds.
Reception was mixed. Raze gave it 84% for its two-player action, while Computer and Video Games gave it 44%.
Also on other platforms
Genesis · Arcade · Amiga · Atari ST · Commodore 64 · MS-DOS · ZX Spectrum
Before you buy
This is a European release. It is cheap loose, well below the typical European price, and the look-alike risk is low. Check the manual is there on a complete copy.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Classic re-release | — | $4 | — |
| European (PAL) release | $3 | $11 | $18 |
| Japanese release (World Cup Soccer) | $5 | $27 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about 2 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $0.49 in Apr 2008, $5.00 five years ago, and $4.26 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $0.99 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $2.06 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $1.40 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $1.00 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $0.99 | $5.94 |
| Jan 2015 | $2.00 | $7.24 |
| Jan 2016 | $1.19 | $7.99 |
| Jan 2017 | $3.20 | $7.99 |
| Jan 2018 | $4.71 | $6.47 |
| Jan 2019 | $3.47 | $6.53 |
| Jan 2020 | $3.96 | $7.36 |
| Jan 2021 | $4.46 | $8.97 |
| Jan 2022 | $5.49 | $14.09 |
| Jan 2023 | $5.60 | $11.92 |
| Jan 2024 | $4.89 | $12.38 |
| Jan 2025 | $2.71 | $7.89 |
| Jan 2026 | $3.14 | $10.75 |
| Oct 2026 | $4.26 | $12.50 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Barcode |
|---|---|---|
| North America | September 1989 | 010086012026 |
| Europe / PAL | 2 November 1990 | — |
| Japan | 29 July 1989 | — |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1989
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Genesis version
An early Genesis football game from Sega that costs very little among US carts.
This is the Genesis cartridge of World Championship Soccer, developed and published by Sega. It was one of the first Genesis games in North America in September 1989 and came out in Japan in July 1989 as World Cup Soccer. In Europe it arrived on 2 November 1990 as World Cup Italia '90, published jointly with Olivetti and Virgin Mastertronic and carrying the official logo and mascot of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Computer Entertainer described it as a fast action game with an overhead view, in which you choose between the World Cup competition and a test match. After the World Cup license expired the game was renamed Sega Soccer on the Mega 6 compilation cartridge.
What the press said at the time
| Computer + Video Games Issue 95 | October 1989 | 83% |
“Loads of options, slick graphics and oodles of playability make this a very high quality football game which Megadrive owners shouldn't miss,”
“Graphically, the game is a mess and the players scurrying around makes getting a grasp of play very unlikely. A wasted opportunity.”
How the Sega Genesis version differs
The Genesis game was one of the first released for the system in North America, in September 1989.
Also on other platforms
Master System · Arcade · Amiga · Atari ST · Commodore 64 · MS-DOS · ZX Spectrum
| Amiga | Elite Systems |
| Atari ST | Elite Systems |
| MS-DOS | Elite Systems |
| Commodore 64 | Elite Systems |
- Atari ST. Computer and Video Games found the Atari ST version visually identical to the Mega Drive game, with a confusing control method, and scored it 56 percent.
Before you buy
Among US carts it is one of the cheapest. The European cart (World Cup Italia '90) usually costs less than the US one, and the Japanese cart (World Cup Soccer) usually costs more and has a different cartridge shape. A Sega Classic budget re-release also exists; check which one a listing really is before comparing prices.
World Championship Soccer screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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