Formal Complaint: Broken Player Career Logic & Immersion in EA FC 26

Dear EA SPORTS Support Team,

I am writing to formally report multiple recurring issues in EA SPORTS FC 26 Player Career Mode that have seriously affected my gameplay experience, immersion, and trust in the game mode’s internal logic.

This report concerns Player Career Mode, not Manager Career Mode. My created player is a striker currently playing for SK Brann, and the issues described below relate to player objectives, agent messages, transfer recommendations, wage logic, news feed logic, teammate AI behavior, and career progression systems.

My player’s current profile and statistics are as follows:

• Overall Rating: 99 OVR
• Position: ST
• Age: 20
• Club: SK Brann
• Form: 9.9
• Squad Rank: 1/24
• Market Value: €335,000,000
• Current Wage: €19,000 per week
• Appearances: 55
• Wins: 53
• Draws: 2
• Losses: 0
• Goals: 159
• Assists: 40
• Yellow Cards: 1
• Red Cards: 0
• Team of the Week: 21
• Player of the Month: 4

Despite these extremely high statistics and completed objectives, the game repeatedly generates messages and news items that do not match the actual performance or career situation of the player.

The main issues are listed below.

1. Incorrect Agent Messages About Board Dissatisfaction

The agent system has repeatedly sent messages suggesting that the club board is not satisfied with my player’s objective progress, even when the relevant objectives have already been completed.

For example, one of the main objectives was to maintain a place in the Starting XI. The requirement was approximately 75%, while my player had already achieved 100% or close to full completion for a long period of time.

This creates a contradiction between the objective screen and the agent message system. The game appears to recognize the objective as completed in one menu, but the agent messaging system behaves as if the objective has not been met.

This is not only confusing, but also damaging to immersion, especially in Player Career Mode where player-agent communication is supposed to reflect the actual career status.

1. False or Illogical Loan Rumours

The game also generates news or agent-related messages suggesting that my player may be loaned out.

This makes no logical sense in the current career context. My player is:

• 99 OVR
• The highest-rated player in the squad
• Ranked 1st in the club
• Scoring at an extraordinary rate
• A regular Starting XI player
• Carrying the team competitively

A loan rumour for such a player is completely unrealistic. It appears to be a generic news or message template being triggered without checking the player’s actual status, rating, importance, or performance.

1. Broken News Feed Logic

The in-game news feed frequently creates headlines or social media-style reactions that are inconsistent with match results and player performance.

One example occurred after an 8–0 win, where the news feed still generated negative coverage about poor manager performance.

Another example occurred when my player received his first yellow card in around 60 matches, and the game treated it as a negative dramatic event, with comments implying serious concern. This is clearly disproportionate and does not reflect the player’s overall disciplinary record.

A single yellow card after such a long clean record should not be treated as a major negative story.

The news system seems to react to isolated events without considering broader context such as:

• Match result
• Player form
• Season performance
• Discipline record
• Team success
• Player importance

This makes the news feed feel random, unrealistic, and immersion-breaking.

1. Wage Logic Does Not Match Player Value or Performance

My player currently has a market value of €335,000,000, yet the current wage is only €19,000 per week.

Previously, the wage was reduced from around €37,000 per week to €19,000 per week because of an injury in the previous season. However, the player has since returned, performed at an elite level, reached 99 OVR, and produced exceptional statistics.

A player valued at €335 million and producing world-class numbers should not be treated by the contract system as if he is a low-level squad player.

This creates a major disconnect between:

• Market value
• Overall rating
• Performance
• Squad importance
• Wage evaluation

The wage and contract logic need to better reflect player status and performance over time.

1. Poor Agent Transfer Recommendations

The agent recommendation system also appears to be unrealistic and poorly aligned with the player’s profile.

For example, while my player is a 99-rated striker with a €335 million market value, the agent recommended clubs such as:

• Cagliari
• Kasımpaşa
• United Tigers SC

Some of these clubs offered wages significantly below what a player of this level should receive. One recommendation showed a requested weekly wage of only around €11,250, which is even lower than the player’s current wage.

This makes the agent system feel broken. A 99 OVR, €335 million striker should not be receiving recommendations that resemble low-tier or irrelevant moves, especially when major clubs such as Manchester United are also available and have already had their objectives completed.

The recommendation system should consider:

• Player OVR
• Market value
• Current wage
• Position
• Career stage
• Club reputation
• Player performance
• Completed transfer objectives

At the moment, the system appears to generate recommendations without properly filtering for career realism.

1. Objective Design Does Not Always Match Player Role

Some contract objectives also feel poorly matched to the player’s role.

My player is a striker/poacher, yet some club objectives emphasize unrelated actions such as:

• Flair passes
• Excessive assists
• Specific pass types
• Other role-inconsistent requirements

For example, a striker who has already scored far beyond the required goal target should not have their career progression blocked or distorted by objectives that do not fit the actual role.

This is especially frustrating when the player is performing extremely well in the primary responsibilities of the position.

A striker should primarily be evaluated on striker-relevant metrics such as:

• Goals
• Shots on target
• Conversion rate
• Match rating
• Starting XI status
• Attacking contribution
• Team results

Optional objectives are acceptable, but they should not create unrealistic pressure or distort the player’s career path.

1. Timeline Issues With Norwegian League and European Competitions

There is also a structural issue with the calendar when playing in Norway.

The Norwegian league season runs on a different calendar compared to major European competitions. As a result, my player was able to help SK Brann qualify for the Champions League, but because of the timing of the league and transfer windows, the game’s career progression creates an awkward situation where the player may transfer before fully participating in the Champions League campaign.

This makes the achievement feel incomplete. The game should handle alternate league calendars more carefully, especially when European qualification is involved.

1. Squad Context Shows the Player Is Clearly Carrying the Club

In the squad hub, most SK Brann teammates are rated around the 60s to low 70s, while my player is rated 99 OVR.

This means the player is dramatically above the level of the squad. Despite this, the game’s agent, board, and news systems still sometimes behave as if the player is replaceable, underperforming, or not secure.

This contradicts the squad context shown by the game itself.

The systems should recognize when a player is clearly the best player at the club and adjust messaging accordingly.

1. Teammate AI Issues in Player Career Mode

There are also moments where teammate AI behaves irrationally, including situations where teammates interfere with or take the ball from the player in ways that make no football sense.

This is especially frustrating in Player Career Mode because the user controls only one player. Poor teammate AI can directly damage the experience when the player is making intelligent runs or carrying the team.

While some AI mistakes are understandable, repeated irrational teammate behavior makes the mode feel unfair and poorly tuned.

Requested Action

I respectfully request that EA SPORTS review the following systems in Player Career Mode:

1. Agent message logic
2. Board satisfaction/objective tracking
3. Loan rumour generation
4. Career news feed context
5. Wage and market value alignment
6. Agent club recommendation filtering
7. Role-based objective generation
8. Alternate league calendar handling
9. Teammate AI behavior in Player Career Mode

These issues are not minor cosmetic problems. They directly affect the realism, immersion, and emotional investment of Player Career Mode.

The game currently displays data proving that the player is performing at an elite level, but several internal systems continue to generate messages and scenarios that contradict that data.

I have screenshots available showing the player’s statistics, objectives, wage, market value, agent recommendations, squad rating comparison, and related news feed issues. I am prepared to provide them as evidence if required.

Please escalate this report to the development or QA team responsible for Player Career Mode.

Thank you for your time. I hope these issues can be reviewed and addressed in a future update, as Player Career Mode remains one of the most important modes for players who enjoy long-term single-player football progression.

Sincerely,
Chino Phuriphat
EA SPORTS FC 26 Player Career Mode user
Platform: PlayStation 5 / PS5 Pro
Mode: Player Career Mode