False 9 Role Needs Deeper Movement and New Focus Options

Hello EA FC 26 Team,

First off, thank you for giving the community a platform to share detailed feedback. I’m a long-time FC player who enjoys the tactical side of the game, and I hope this helps make FC 26 even better. Everything below is offered to help the FC IQ system reach its full potential.

False 9 Role Needs Deeper Movement and New Focus Options

Issue
The False 9 FC IQ role currently offers only Attack and Build-Up Focuses, but neither produces the depth or frequency of dropping movements a true false nine is known for. The striker will occasionally check off the back line, but these drops are too shallow and far less frequent than real-world false nines. A genuine false nine should repeatedly drift into midfield, sometimes disappearing from the defensive line to create overloads and confuse centre-backs.

Why this matters

• Lionel Messi – In Barcelona’s Champions League Final vs Manchester United, Messi repeatedly withdrew into midfield to orchestrate play before timing late runs into the box.
  Messi, 2011 Champions League Final - Heat Map

   

• Cesc Fàbregas – In Spain’s Euro 2012 Final vs Italy, Fàbregas went even deeper, spending long stretches alongside or even behind the central midfielders to overload possession and release wide runners.Fabregas, 2012 Euro Final - Heat Map

Even with the Build-Up Focus selected, the False 9 in FC 26 rarely reaches a depth comparable to the CAM – Playmaker Build-Up role and never approaches the extreme Fàbregas pattern. For authentic tactics, the False 9 should at minimum match—ideally exceed—the midfield involvement shown on the CAM Playmaker Build-Up activity map.

Gameplay Impact

• Single-pivot and possession systems that rely on a false nine cannot recreate authentic midfield overloads.
• Wide attackers receive fewer central lanes because centre-backs are never forced to step out and follow the dropping striker.

Suggestions for Improvement

1. Introduce a “Roaming” Focus – allows frequent midfield checks, lateral drifting, and late box arrivals (Messi-style movement).
   

    

2. Introduce a “Versatile” Focus – enables the extreme drops of a Fàbregas-type false nine who can act as a temporary extra pivot and still surge forward when space opens.
   

    

3. Adjust the existing Build-Up Focus to give depth at least equal to the CAM – Playmaker Build-Up role and to trigger drops more often.
4. Add contextual triggers so the False 9 withdraws earlier and deeper when midfield teammates are tightly marked.
5. Ensure deeper positioning also drives quick forward distribution, so the drop isn’t just cosmetic but actually creates the intended overload.

I believe these changes would give players a choice between a Messi-style roaming creator and a Fàbregas-style deep support pivot, letting the False 9 role finally play the way its name promises.

Thanks for reading and for all the work you do to keep improving FC 26. I hope this feedback helps the team refine FC IQ and bring even more tactical depth to the game.