It was the sequel to Victory Goal, one of the debut titles of the console, which had a poor performance critically and commercially.

[4] The game featured international teams and league, play-off and tournament modes.

The gameplay was also highly praised, and was the top-rated football game until International Superstar Soccer 64 was released one year later.

The game was ported to Microsoft Windows, with this version being released in Japan only on September 25, 1997.

Tom Hall of GameSpot said it "may be the best soccer game ever released";[7] GamePro called it "a completely fresh, must-play gaming experience";[10] Rob Alsetter wrote in Sega Saturn Magazine that it was "perhaps the best soccer sim yet";[9] and Next Generation's review concluded, "Quite simply, WWS '97 is the best recreation of any sport, ever.