TORONTO – Teenage defender Kadeisha Buchanan, one of the breakout stars at this summer’s Women’s World Cup, is one of six Canadians to be dropped from the new “FIFA 16” soccer video game due to a dispute with the NCAA.

The EA Sports title, which is made in suburban Vancouver, features Canada and 11 other women’s national teams for the first time.

Including the women’s side of the game had been grounds for celebration. Now it has prompted controversy.

On Thursday, the video game developer said Buchanan and five other Canadians, as well as six Mexicans and a Spanish player had to be removed from the game or else risk losing their collegiate eligibility.

The new version of the game is scheduled for release on Sept. 22. But gamers who belong to the EA Access got their hands on it Thursday.

“We wanted to ensure all FIFA fans are updated on the final players and rosters,” Electronic Arts said in a statement on its website. “Of the hundreds of players on these rosters, 13 are currently attending or likely to attend NCAA-sanctioned schools in the U.S. The NCAA recently informed EA Sports that these 13 student-athletes would be risking their eligibility for collegiate athletics by being included in ‘FIFA 16.’

“We do not agree with this position. All rights were secured following standard protocol with national governing bodies and federations, and none of these NCAA student-athletes or potential student athletes were to be individually compensated by EA Sports for their inclusion in the game.

“We believe this decision denies these 13 athletes the opportunity to represent their countries in the game, but we have removed them from ‘FIFA 16’ to ensure there is no risk to their eligibility.”

The players involved are Canada’s Buchanan, Jessie Fleming, Ashley Lawrence, Janine Beckie, Rebecca Quinn and Sura Yekka, Mexico’s Tanya Samarzich, Greta Espinoza, Christina Murillo, Amanda Perez, Emily Alvarado, and Maria Sanchez, and Spain’s Celia Jimenez.

Buchanan, a junior at West Virginia, was over the moon when news of the women’s inclusion was initially announced in late May.

“This is super-sick. Never would have thought in my life this would happen. Love it,” she tweeted.

EA says the collegiate players will be replaced in the game by women who have played for the national teams in question.

Still their absence will affect the reality of the game experience. Buchanan, a 19-year-old centre back from Brampton, Ont., won the World Cup’s Hyundai Young Player Award and was the lone Canadian on the tournament all-star squad.

Lawrence also started, playing an influential role in midfield while Fleming added offence and vision off the bench.

It’s not the first time EA and the NCAA have found themselves at odds over the use of athletes in games.

The developer’s NCAA football franchise was discontinued in 2013 because of pending legal cases against the NCAA regarding the use of athletes’ names, images and likenesses.

In July, a U.S. federal judge approved a US$60-million settlement for college athletes in a class-action lawsuit filed against the NCAA and Electronics Arts.

The plaintiffs in the case against the NCAA and EA claimed they illegally used college football and basketball players’ names and likenesses in video games for years.

The soccer game has not had such problems before, since the men in the game are all professionals. The women’s teams, however, do feature limited college content.

“FIFA 16” comes out Sept. 22 on PC, Xbox One and 360, and PlayStation 3 and 4.

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