FC 26 Ultimate Team Gameplay Feels Inconsistent and Unfair

EA, I honestly don’t know what happened to FC 26.

I am extremely disappointed with the current state of FC 26, especially Ultimate Team. I have been playing FC 25 and was genuinely excited for the next game. I even pre-ordered the Ultimate Plus Edition of FC 27 because I still believe in the franchise and want to support the game.

However, FC 26 has honestly made me question that decision.

The biggest issue for me is the gameplay, especially in Ultimate Team Squad Battles on World Class difficulty.

I completely understand that World Class is supposed to be difficult. I have no problem losing games, and I have no problem with the AI being challenging. That is part of the game.

What I have a problem with is when the difficulty stops feeling challenging and starts feeling unfair and inconsistent.

For example, I can play against a team with a 97-rated squad and win comfortably, and then play against a 90-rated squad and suddenly feel like my players cannot perform basic actions. The opponent becomes extremely difficult to play against, my players become unresponsive, passes go in completely unexpected directions, and simple chances become almost impossible to finish.

This is where the game stops feeling like a football game and starts feeling like the outcome is being influenced by things outside of the player’s control.

The shooting is another huge problem.

On World Class, it sometimes feels like almost every shot I take hits the post or the crossbar. I understand that not every shot should go in, and I completely accept realistic finishing. But when it happens repeatedly throughout games, it stops feeling realistic.

The same applies to passing.

I can aim a pass in a specific direction and my player can send it somewhere completely different. At the same time, the AI can make extremely accurate passes under pressure. This creates a situation where I feel like my own controls are being taken away from me.

And then there is Pace.

How can my player with 99 Pace sometimes be caught or outrun by an opponent with around 80 Pace?

I understand that body type, positioning, acceleration, stamina and other attributes matter. But there are situations where the difference is so extreme that the Pace attribute feels almost meaningless.

The most frustrating part is that I am not asking for the game to be easy.

I want the game to be difficult. I want to be challenged. I want to lose when my opponent plays better than me.

What I don’t want is to lose because my players suddenly stop responding properly, my passes ignore my input, my shots repeatedly hit the post, or an opponent with significantly worse attributes suddenly feels dramatically faster and more effective.

Difficulty should test the player’s skill and decision-making, not the game’s ability to make the player’s team perform worse.

Ultimate Team is built around player ratings, attributes, chemistry, PlayStyles and building the best possible squad. If those attributes can feel irrelevant depending on the situation, then a huge part of the Ultimate Team experience loses its meaning.

I genuinely hope EA takes this feedback seriously.

I have played this franchise for years. I am still willing to support it, which is why I have already pre-ordered FC 27. But FC 26 has made me more frustrated with the game than I have ever been.

Please focus on making the gameplay feel consistent, responsive, competitive and fair.

If I lose because I made a bad decision, I will accept it.

If I lose because my opponent was better, I will accept it.

But when I lose because the game suddenly feels like it is fighting against my own inputs, that is when the experience becomes extremely frustrating.

I don’t want an easier game. I want a fairer one.

Please listen to the community and make the gameplay feel like the player’s decisions actually matter.