Football or...?

So I played around 30 Rivals matches since last night. I was in Division 2, but at the start of the new season I got placed at the bottom of Division 4. I won a few matches last week and got somewhere around mid-division.

One very, very strange thing: out of all these ~30 matches, I didn’t play more than 4 at home. However you look at it, that’s odd. Someone will probably say the stadium doesn’t matter—but it does. This year it feels like everything is influenced by the stadium and even how the camera looks.

Besides the fact that having only 4 home matches is strange, the game feels extremely predetermined. Opponents seem to have a boost, my defenders don’t position properly no matter what system I use, and I kept winning only the matches that would have meant relegation—usually when I was playing at home.

What’s even stranger is that in those matches on my stadium, it felt from the very start like I was going to win. My players felt better, passes were working—it felt like a boost similar to “Mystery Ball.” I’m saying this especially because my pitch lines and net are white, but in those matches they appeared in different color combinations (for example: red nets, green lines).

I managed to get promoted from Division 5 to 4, but this just can’t continue like this.

Let’s say the game isn’t scripted to decide who wins—then at the very least, it has some very serious issues that EA needs to fix:

1. You can’t have a player playing less than 10% of matches at home—it should be closer to 50%.

2. Gameplay needs to be consistent and depend on the player’s tactics. You can’t have the same passes go straight to the opponent in one match, and become perfect assists in another.

3. You can use L1/R1 or whatever you want for passing—if the system decides the ball goes to the opponent or in a different direction, that’s what happens. Even with PlayStyles+.

4. If I take 30 shots and only score 3, it should mean I need to improve my finishing—but that’s not the case. It feels scripted, especially when I hit the post 5 times, while my opponent scores 3 goals from 3 weak shots.

5. Midfielders, especially defensive ones, should track back with attackers whether I control them or not—not just watch the play. This applies across the pitch. It feels like table football.

6. Attackers constantly run into offside positions and hide behind defenders. Where’s the logic? They should attack open spaces and be available for quick combinations.

7. If you set wide midfielders as “inside forwards,” they should move into the box while attacking—not drift there during defense. Defensively, they should hold their positions, especially on “balanced.”

8. Defender passing has way too much error. In real life, defenders don’t constantly misplace simple passes in their own half leading to goals. You should be able to make a mistake without conceding immediately.

9. From corners, the attacking team usually scores—or doesn’t—but conceding from your own corner should be under 1%. In-game, you concede far too often, way more than you score. You get caught on counters because players don’t protect—they run back to their positions. Which leads to the next point:

10. The AI is terrible. You’re fighting your own uncontrolled players more than your opponent.

11. Drop the obsession with last-minute goals at the end of each half. It happens in real life, but not this often. It feels forced—especially when you concede despite doing everything right.

12. Drop the obsession with comebacks. If I’m leading 5–0 and still controlling the game, I shouldn’t lose. The game tries too hard to “balance” things, and if the opponent doesn’t quit, in 75% of cases they come back because suddenly nothing works for you. No wonder people start wasting time.

13. Make gameplay less dependent on weird animations and more on player input. The AI should help, not sabotage. It should feel like real football—not table football with constant 10–9 scorelines. Matches like PSG vs Bayern 5–4 are exceptions, not the rule.

14. Create a real balance so players can play without frustration and actually improve. Boosting Division 10 players artificially won’t help them learn the game—it just teaches them to rely on the system.

This game has a lot that needs fixing, and many valid concerns are being ignored. At this point, it feels like the experience is getting worse instead of better.

Right now, you genuinely feel scammed. You buy the game at launch for a high price, then you buy the season pass and maybe FC Points for packs (because you think you’re losing due to not having the best players), and in return you get a game that feels predetermined.
I’m honestly curious whether there’s any case here for consumer protection or even legal action.