New Hearts of Iron 4 mod turns the WW2 epic into a totally different game

Hearts of Iron 4, like most grand strategy games, offers unparalleled replayability. However, some players (myself included) still aren't content with all the tools it has to offer. That's where mods come in, as we tweak and twist our favorite games, sometimes beyond all recogition. Maybe you're making it look better, maybe you're adding another nation to fight. But one mod I didn't expect to find turns the WW2 epic into a fight over soccer supremacy. Yes, really.

The mod, which imaginatively goes by the name of Hearts of Football, is in the early stages of development by Reddit user 'Most_Panic5040'. They're attempting to recontextualize the beautiful game as a series of wars and invasions via Hearts of Iron 4. If the strategy game is anything like real life, there'll be plenty of bribery and corruption, too.

So far, the modder has shared an image of seven countries with proud histories of ball-kicking. Each of the leaders has been replaced with a portrait of the president of that country's Football Association (FA). So far, it seems that France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Brazil are represented.

However, their comments on Reddit show that they intend to implement the countries' football doctrines as ideologies. At the suggestion of another commenter, the Italians will have a Catenaccio doctrine, Spain Tiki-Taka, and Dutch Total Warfare. It's a clever reimagining of football tactics as wartime strategies, but also a sign that this mod isn't very far off the ground just yet.

There is already a soccer mod for another Paradox game, Crusader Kings 2, but The Football Mod, as it's known, focuses on warfare at a club level. Liverpool might have won the league and the transfer window, but Hearts of Football is about national pride. Hopefully none of your soldiers start learning Spanish as their contract nears its end.

If you want something more official, check out our pick of the best Hearts of Iron 4 DLC. Alternatively, the best grand strategy games will have all your needs covered. Except for the soccer. Can't help you there.

You can also head over to our community Discord server, where you can praise me for referring to the beautiful game as soccer for an entire article without complaint.