Best football games for iPhone and iPad (iOS)

Best Games

The best virtual kick-arounds on iOS

By Jon Mundy | Sep 17
iOS

Updated on September 17th, 2026

As the domestic club season wraps up and thoughts turn to the European Championship, our level of football fever is even more pronounced than usual.

Whether you call it football or soccer, the beautiful game is the biggest sport in the world. It's only right, then, that it should be strongly represented on iOS.

If you think that the football game genre is a little narrow to deserve a stand-alone top 25, then you haven't been paying close attention. There's a surprising range of footy-themed experiences on the App Store, which we've done our darnedest to represent in the following list. For Android users, there is a list of the best football games on Android, so they won't feel left out. 

You have the usual FIFA and PES blockbuster kick-abouts, of course. But there are also games that represent an older, purer breed of arcade soccer. 

Then there are the management games, which take you out of the boots of the players and place you into the Italian leather moccasins of the coaches. 

And there's even room for the absolute football gaming oddities. Car football, anyone?

New Star Manager

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on The brilliant New Star Soccer set the terms for a brilliant mobile-focused football game of depth and nuance. New Star Manager goes even deeper by shifting the focus from the individual to the team, with masterful results. Download now! New Star Manager

Top Eleven

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on When Jose Mourinho is presenting your game, you're probably pretty successful, right? Top Eleven has been around for a decade now already, and it has been updated many times since its release, improving the gameplay with each iteration. Certainly one of the best football manager games on iOS that you can play even today. Download now! Top Eleven

New Star Soccer

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on New Star Soccer dared to present a new way to play football that was specifically designed for touchscreen devices. The result is a game that mixes casual swipe-based gameplay and light management, and the king of mobile footy. Download now! New Star Soccer

Soccer Super Star - Football

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on Soccer Super Star - Football is a new football game, that has better kick physics than similar titles within the genre. This one feels a bit more realistic when it comes to where the ball ends up going, showing you little guides when you are ready to kick. There are tons of different levels to move forward in, lots of different shots to take, and tons of real-time moments that you can take control of! Download now! Soccer Super Star - Football

Charrua Soccer

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on The makers of the brilliant Pixel Cup Soccer have produced this Apple Arcade follow up, which is a much slicker, more polished, 3D affair. At heart, though, it's still a light and fun arcade kick around. Download now! Charrua Soccer

Tiki Taka Soccer

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on No, it's not a game about boring the opponent to death with metronomic passing. In fact, Tiki Taka Soccer is one of the most thrillingly instinctive games of virtual soccer on the App Store. Download now! Tiki Taka Soccer

Football Manager 2024 Mobile

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on Football Manager 2024 Mobile provides an accessible footy management game for iPhone that takes a while to get used to in case you haven't played previous versions. But if you do get used to it, the rabbit hole will be so deep and wonderous, that you'll gladly come back for more. Download now! Football Manager 2024 Mobile

Retro Soccer

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on Another fast-paced arcade kick-around that draws inspiration from the classic top-down games of yesteryear. Retro Soccer is rough around the edges, but it's never less than a giggle to play. Download now! Retro Soccer

Pixel Cup Soccer - Ultimate

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on FIFA might have the licenses and a certain degree of realism, but Pixel Cup Soccer nails the straight-forward joy of those classic arcade soccer games of the '90s. Download now! Pixel Cup Soccer - Ultimate

Pocket League Story 2

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on Manage your team of no-hopers to victory in true Kairosoft style. It's a particularly quirky, lo-fi approach to management that's nowhere near as in-depth as FM, but is a whole lot cuter. Download now! Pocket League Story 2

Score! Hero

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on Score! Hero is a gesture-controlled 3D foot sim that offers a great story combined with good graphics. You play as a young football player who is trying to become the main star of the football world. To achieve this, you need to pass a series of tests at different levels. The game contains over 580 levels, each with good 3D graphics. Included is a multiplayer mode with a leaderboard and achievements. Download now! Score! Hero

eFootball

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on If you want an in-depth console-style take on football for your mobile, there's only really one choice - and it isn't FIFA Mobile. eFootball is built on the same engine as the console games that you might know as Pro Evolution Soccer, or PES, which makes it an extremely fluid and nuanced take on the beautiful game. Download now! eFootball

Soccer Stars

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on More casual multiplayer action here, as you flick your counters around the pitch to score goals. If you like Subbuteo and air hockey, give it a shot. Download now! Soccer Stars

Rocket League Sideswipe

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on I mean, it still counts, right? Playing football with your car is still a sports game where you need to defend your own goal and stick a few to your adversary. Might be a bit unorthodox, but give it a try and you'll see that it's even more fun than it sounds! Download now! Rocket League Sideswipe

Tiny Striker

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on Like Flick Kick Football with a top-down perspective, Tiny Striker has you bending the ball into the back of the net from a variety of improbable positions. Download now! Tiny Striker

Football Strike

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on Football Strike is loved by millions of iPhone users. It has several online modes: shooting at targets in a fast-paced, time-limited battle for points in Shooting Race mode, or alternately playing as an attacker and goalkeeper in Free Kick (1v1) mode. Download now! Football Strike

Big Win Soccer

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on Big Win Soccer brings a dose of the Panini sticker album (or Pokemon, if you're young) to the footy game genre. Open packs, build your team, and cheer them to victory over other players. Download now! Big Win Soccer

EA Sports FC Mobile

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on You can't have a list of football games without FIFA - even if this is one of the weaker additions to the series. Footy goes freemium and deeply social in this polished sports game. These days it's called FC Mobile, but it's the good old FIFA that we all know. Download now! EA Sports FC Mobile

Rumble Stars

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on Rumble Stars Soccer has more in common with Clash Royale than FIFA, but we're not complaining. This is a brilliantly tactical online multiplayer kick-around with larger-than-life animal players and sharp presentation. Download now! Rumble Stars

Goal Finger

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on From the makers of Mucho Party and Lamp and Vamp comes this unlikely mixture of Subbuteo, chess and Rocket League. Swipe your players into position and outscore the (real-life) opposition. Download now! Goal Finger

Super Soccer Champs 2022

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on Super Soccer Champs 2022 goes back to the arcade footy greats of the home computer era - think Sensible Soccer and Kick Off. That means intuitive top-down action with hidden layers of depth. Download now! Super Soccer Champs 2022

Dream League Soccer 2024

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on First Touch Games has built a reputation over many years for being one of the best at translating the console footy experience to mobile. Dream League Soccer 2024 is another shot on target. Download now! Dream League Soccer 2024

Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on Footy action and RPG mechanics collide in this quirky take on the beautiful game, which ties in with the popular anime. Download now! Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team

Football Drama

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on A football management game with a major difference, Football Drama focuses on story ahead of tactical machinations, accompanied by highly stylised (and beautiful) graphics. Download now! Football Drama

Football Chairman Pro

Football Chairman Pro takes a further step back from the footy management sub-genre, and places you in the expensive shoes of a club chairman. Hire managers, sanction transfers, upgrade your stadium and more. Download now! Football Chairman Pro Jon Mundy Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out. Next Up :
Best football games for Android phones and tablets