Football Carnival promises to combine all of the excitement of the beautiful game with the thrills and spills of the best video pokies around. But does it score or fail to convert a penalty in the closing seconds?

We take a look at this recent slot that's sure to enjoy a resurgence in popularity in 2024 thanks to more big events taking place in Brazil.

The creators of Football Carnival have been very lucky in that they're actually getting a bit of extra value out of this one. The slot was created to pay homage to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but more football matches being held in Rio for the 2024 Olympics make it relevant once again!

And there's no mistaking that Brazil is centre stage in Football Carnival – reel icons include Brazilian flags, Christ The Redeemer and a buxom Brazilian football fan as well as renderings of various football stars.

The music and sound effects also help to suit the mood, with carnival style music punctuated by cheers and whistles. And, thankfully, there's not a vuvuzela anywhere in sight...

The graphics and sounds are nice but it's a shame that the pokie doesn't have an official FIFA license, so there's no footage from the World Cup, accurate player likenesses or anything like that. Still, the general vibe of the event comes across very effectively.

Our only real complaint about Football Carnival is that it can be quite tough to reach the bonus round. The game's stacked reels make for some interesting play, though they won't be to everyone's taste, but it's way too easy to burn your way through your bankroll trying to land a bonus feature.

Wins are plentiful, but even 4 or 5 of a kind sometimes delivers just 1.5-2x your original bet, so you're unlikely to build up much of a cushion to protect against any long spells without a win.

The free spins bonus round delivers just 10 spins, but has a multiplier that rises (to 6x) every two spins. There's also a sticky wild Brazilian football placed squarely in the middle of the reels. Hit the big time on your final spin, and you could be cashing out a very nice prize.

In fact, the jackpot during standard play is not bad either. It's possible to win 100x your total bet by landing 5 Football Carnival logos and, given the huge size of the maximum bet, this means you could score tens of thousands of AUD.

We like Football Carnival – with a huge jackpot and an exciting bonus round, it's very difficult not to – but the ease with which you can deplete your bankroll isn't a good thing for a game with such a high maximum bet.

If you're getting excited for Rio 2024 or find yourself missing the World Cup, it's definitely a fun game to try. Just make sure you set a reasonable limit for yourself, maybe by trying the game in practice mode before you stump up any real cash.

The Brazil World Cup and the Rio 2016 Olympics may be behind us, but this colourful slot offers enough fun to come back to time and time again. The stacked reels are a nice change from the norm and the jackpot stands at tens of thousands of AUD. And the bonus round of 10 free spins with a multiplier that increases every two spins, all the way up to 6x, isn't bad either. Best suited to football – or soccer depending on where you're playing from – fans obviously, but this is a compelling little high variance game.