Online Friendlies Should Allow Custom Settings and Legacy Defending Again

Hi everyone,

I would like to share an important issue that has been affecting my experience in FC 26 and previous titles.

In one of the updates released this year, the “Custom” settings option was removed from Online Friendlies, and now only Competitive Mode is available. Because of this change, Legacy Defending can no longer be selected in this mode.

I understand that competitive rules are necessary in modes like Ultimate Team, Rivals, or other ranked matches. However, Online Friendlies is different. This mode exists so that players can play casually with their own friends. It is basically the online version of sitting next to your friend at home and playing together.

When we play locally at home, no one forces us to use competitive settings. We can choose our own gameplay style. Online Friendlies used to offer the same freedom. That is why many of us preferred this mode.

For many years, I have been buying this game mainly to play with my friends through Online Friendlies. My friends live in different cities, so this mode allows us to play as if we were together in the same room. We do not play Ultimate Team. We are not interested in competitive rankings. We just want to enjoy football with our friends.

Before this change, Online Friendlies was perfect for this purpose. We could choose Custom settings and enable Legacy Defending, which fits our playstyle and makes the game more enjoyable for us.

Now, with only Competitive Mode available, Online Friendlies feels almost the same as Ultimate Team or other competitive modes. There is no real difference anymore. This removes the meaning of “Friendlies” for players like us.

Another important point is that when I purchased FC 26, Legacy Defending and Custom settings were available in Online Friendlies. This feature was part of the product I paid for. Removing it later through updates is disappointing and feels unfair to long-time players.

I understand that EA may want to standardize gameplay for esports and competitive balance. However, this should not affect a mode that is designed only for playing with friends. There is no reason to force competitive rules in a private, friendly environment.

If Online Friendlies is going to follow the same rules as Ultimate Team, then it loses its purpose. In that case, everyone might as well just play Ultimate Team.

Many players like me buy this game every year mainly for this mode. It is the main reason we stay loyal to the series. Taking away this freedom makes us question whether it is still worth buying.

I kindly ask EA to consider bringing back the Custom settings option and Legacy Defending in Online Friendlies through a future update. This small change would greatly improve the experience for many loyal players.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope this feedback will be taken seriously.