Alex Morgan joins Lionel Messi on 'FIFA 16' cover

(CNN) —She has graced the pages of some of the biggest magazines in the world -- Sports Illustrated and ESPN, to name just two -- but Alex Morgan's latest "shoot" is a step into the unknown, even for the U.S. Women's National Team forward. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED RUNS 25 COVERS FOR WORLD CUP CHAMPS WOmen's world cup 2 Every single player on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team is getting her own Sports Illustrated cover. MORE WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TICKER TAPE PARADE World Cup champions ticker-tape parade The U.S. Women's World Cup champions were saluted Friday with a ticker tape parade along New York's vaunted Canyon of Heroes, a historic and rare moment for female athletes. On a glorious July morning, the 23-member squad that defeated Japan 5-2 befo... MORE WOMEN WORLD CUP CHAMPS WIN WAY LESS MONEY THAN MEN Women's World Cup USA v Japan The U.S women's World Cup team are champs. But they're being paid far less than men on losing teams. MORE WOMEN'S WORLD CUP VICTORY NABS RECORD RATINGS USA v Japan: Final - FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 American sports fans love winners. And the U.S. team's big victory over Japan in the Women's World Cup Sunday delivered a record U.S. audience for any soccer game -- men's or women's. The Sunday evening broadcast was watched by 25.4 million viewers on... MORE ABBY WAMBACH KISSES WIFE AFTER WORLD CUP WIN Abby Wambach kisses wife after World Cup win Before Sunday night, Abby Wambach had everything but the World Cup. So when her squad's memorable 5-2 triumph over Japan was sealed, she chose an unforgettable way to celebrate. MORE WORLD CUP: US ROUTS JAPAN FOR 3RD TITLE Women's World Cup USA v Japan Soccer is a tough sell in America because it's a low-scoring game. So goes the conventional wisdom. Well, wise up, wisdom. Because what happened inside the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sunday ought to make believers out of even ... MORE Morgan stands next to Argentina's Lionel Messi on the U.S. cover of the "FIFA 16" video game's upcoming release -- the first time a female soccer player has been featured by the franchise in this way. "It is an incredible honor to be one of the first women featured on the cover of EA SPORTS FIFA," Morgan said in a press release from EA Sports. "I know people all over the world play this game and I'm really excited that FIFA 16 is putting such an important spotlight on women's soccer. "And now to share the cover with today's greatest player is surreal." Morgan played an integral part in the USWNT's World Cup triumph in July that saw it lift the trophy after beating Japan 5-2 in the final. Her latest medal was another in the long list of personal and team achievements Morgan has accumulated over the course of her career -- including an Olympic Gold, three Algarve Cups and a CONCACAF Player of the Year Award. Her increasing worldwide popularity, and that of women's football in general, meant it was an easy decision to stand her alongside Messi. The version of the game that features Morgan and Messi will be sold across North America, though all-time leading scorer for the Canadian national team, Christine Sinclair will feature on the cover sold in Canada. "As soon as we knew Women's National Teams were joining FIFA 16, we immediately recognized that Christine and Alex would be the perfect cover athletes based on their accomplishments and what they represent for their respective countries and the sport of women's soccer," said David Pekush, senior manager of North America marketing for EA SPORTS. "They are exhilarating players and exude heart and courage on the pitch, and we are extremely proud to be working with them this year." In another major boost for women's soccer, Australia defender Stephanie Catley, just 21-years-old, will feature alongside Messi on the cover of the version sold Down Under. "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. "It's been a huge year for the Westfield Matildas [Australia's national team] 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," added Catley, referring to Australia's achievement in reaching the quarterfinals before defeat by Japan. "I've always been a huge FIFA fan and knowing that I will be playable in the game, as well as being on the cover alongside Lionel Messi, is a career highlight for me! "I would like to thank Australia for voting and cannot wait to see it on the shelves!" The game launches on September 22 and will feature 12 women's national teams: England, Brazil, USWNT, Australia, Sweden, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Spain. However, 2011 World Cup champion and 2015 runner-up Japan will not feature in the game.

FIFA 16 Ultimate Team details should be coming soon

The development team at EA Sports has been offering a lot of details about the next installment in the football simulation series, but it has not talked about the features that are being added to its most popular mode. Ultimate Team will be both safer and more accessible, according to the developers, but it's unclear exactly how these goals will be achieved. FIFA 16 aims to improve all gameplay mechanics, with more options for defenders and a bigger emphasis on team play, more creativity in midfield and no touch dribbling for attackers, a new way for them to create space.www.gmusd.com There are also improvements for the core physics, and the graphics quality has been boosted, with more attention to stadium and player details. The game will be offered on September 24 on the PC, the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 and gamers can place a pre-order to in order to get more currency for the Ultimate Team mode.

FIFA 16 No Touch Dribbling Footage Released

At the annual E3 event last month, EA released the first gameplay trailer for FIFA 16. The footage, introduced at EA's key note conference, detailed the latest on-the-pitch enhancements that will be coming to the franchise. Amongst the improvements introduced by David Rutter, Executive Producer for FIFA, was a new player control mechanism called No Touch Dribbling. In the newest footage, the concept is showcased in more detail with expert insight given by four-time Ballon d'Or winner, Lionel Messi. In addition to bringing the yearly round of gameplay upgrades, FIFA 16 sees the womens' game included in the series for the first time ever as twelve female national teams make their debut.www.gofifacoins.net The upcoming FIFA 16 just got a new feature. A new sleek move will be coming to the game, football superstar Lionel Messi's "No Touch Dribbling". The new move makes the player temporarily let the ball stand and change in direction of the stance, thereby faking a turn in his run, but then changing back into a certain direction and going back into the ball.www.mmozt.com FIFA 16 is due to kick off when the game is released worldwide on September 22nd for Xbox One and Xbox 360.