How to Unlock Teams, Characters and Moves

What is available from the first menu

CommunityReviewers with launch copies describe the opening selection as a few Brazilian clubs, the Japanese high school teams and Japan Youth, with the other national teams locked. The one exception is a purchase, not a puzzle: the pre-order bonus put the Brazil Youth team on the menu from the start. Everyone else earns Brazil the same way they earn Germany.

The teams page lists all 34 sides, and the roster shows who plays for each.

National teams unlock through the story

Bandai Namco’s own wording is on the Ultimate set page: the German, French and Argentine Junior Youth kits are usable by those teams only and are “unlocked through story progression”. The route is fixed — the Asian qualifiers against Thailand, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and China first, then the world stage against Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Cameroon, Sweden and the Netherlands — so the teams arrive in that order. The story also has a Rivals Episode strand that puts you on other nations’ side of the draw once it opens.

The finish line is tracked: the Steam achievement World-Renowned Powerhouses — “Unlocked all teams.” — sat at 3.2% of players two days after launch, which tells you it is a full-story job, not a first-evening one.

The pre-order and Ultimate “early unlocks” are earnable

Two things sold as bonuses are shortcuts rather than exclusives, and Bandai Namco says so on the Japanese site: “the following bonuses are early-unlock rights and can also be obtained by progressing through the game.”

• Brazil Youth and the two Moete Hero BGM arrangements (pre-order bonus)
• Neo Drive Shot and Neo Tiger Shot move cards (Ultimate Pack)

Only the jersey set is a pure purchase, and it is $1.99 — see the editions page.

Moves: story rewards, Link Scenarios and the shop

Moves are not tied to one system.

• Story rewards. Some characters gain new moves as the story advances, and they are equipped from the Customize menu. CommunityPlayers report the Brazil championship chapter paying out a Tsubasa-only Flying Drive Shot card after the Rio match.
• Link Scenarios. Bandai Namco’s story page says outright that exchanges with rivals and teammates in the Side Story strand can teach new techniques; the achievement Living That Soccer Life! fires on your first Link Story.
• Your custom player. CommunityPlayers report the New Star’s equippable moves coming from player level and cleared missions, with two normal-move slots and free super-move slots, and some combination moves requiring the partner character to be on the pitch at the same time.
• The shop. In-game points earned by playing buy characters, movies and BGM from a collection shop; Red-Hot Deals! — “Purchased an item at the Shop.” — is the achievement that confirms it.

Cinematics and side content

Story cinematics are unlockables too — Page One of a Pitched Battle fires on the first one and Chronicle of a Fierce Fight on all of them, and the latter was at 0.9% of players at launch. Side Scenarios pay play points on completion, which feed the shop.

What the achievements say is coming

Seven Steam achievements are hidden, and their names sketch the story’s milestones: Brazil No.1, The Real Japan Youth, Gateway to the Globe, Spread Your Wings and Soar the Skies Above, Fated Rivals, Unsung Powerhouses and Unprecedented Destructive Power. Two of those are plainly the Brazilian championship and the Real Japan 7 chapters, which is the strongest hint that the special team is a story unlock rather than a menu default.

Season Pass characters

Six more characters arrive in three DLC Character Packs by August 2027. None is named yet, and none can be unlocked in play — they are purchases. Editions has the pack contents and prices.

Owners of the last game

The Save Data Bonus Pack — two school kits and a ball — unlocks free only when a PS5 or Switch finds a Rise of New Champions save from the same platform family; everywhere else it is a $1.99 add-on. The exact rule, in Bandai Namco’s words, is on the editions page.

Unlock FAQ

How do I unlock Germany?

Play the story until Tsubasa’s route reaches Germany. Bandai Namco’s own note on the German kit says “unlocked through story progression”, and there is no shortcut in the shop.

Can I unlock the Neo Drive Shot without the Ultimate Edition?

Yes. Bandai Namco calls both move cards early-unlock rights and says they can be obtained by progressing through the game.

Is anything locked behind pre-ordering?

No. The jersey set is on sale for $1.99, and the Brazil Youth team and the two BGM tracks are earned in play.

How long does unlocking every team take?

The whole story. At 3.2% completion two days in, Unlocked all teams is one of the rarer achievements; reviewers put a full story run at 15 to 20 hours, and the beginner guide explains the systems you will be using to get there.