Endorsed by the famous footballer Pelé, it features ball-handing and goal-keeping techniques using the joystick.

[5] Originally planned for a 1980 holiday season release, Championship Soccer was delayed until February 1981.

The endorsement came late in the development process of the game, as the original release bore the Championship Soccer name on both the box and the text-label cartridge, but Pelé's name and endorsement were appended to the cover of the instruction manual.

As Atari shifted to picture-label cartridges, the game's name was formally changed to Pelé's Soccer.

Sears, under their OEM licensing deal with Atari, Inc., released the game under their Tele-Games brand, simply titled Soccer, and using the original Championship Soccer box art; although the game program was unchanged, the Tele-Games release never bore the Pelé name.