Bring Authentic Gameplay and Kick-Off formats to Online Friendlies.

Platform: PC, Playstation, XBOX

Game mode: Online Friendlies

I've been playing FIFA/EA FC since FIFA 2000, and over the years I've gone from playing the game almost exclusively to barely playing it anymore.

The main reason is the gameplay. The increasingly fast, arcade-like style no longer feels like the football game I used to enjoy. I still enjoy football games, but I want something that feels closer to actual football: slower build-up, more realistic player movement, meaningful positioning and less emphasis on constant high-speed action (especially with 90+ OVR players, which force you to use the meta to win).

Interestingly, EA already introduced a solution for this with Authentic Gameplay for Career Mode and offline gameplay.

My suggestion: Please make Authentic Gameplay available in Online Friendlies.

I don't understand why a gameplay preset that exists specifically to create a more realistic football experience is restricted from online friendlies, especially when Online Friendlies are one of the best places for players who simply want to play realistic matches against their friends. This would not require creating an entirely new game mode. It would simply give players the option to select Competitive Gameplay, Authentic Gameplay when setting up an Online Friendly.

Take this one step further: bring Kick-Off's new formats online

I would also love to see the new match formats available in Kick-Off become selectable in Online Friendlies. For example, being able to play:
- Champions League group-stage style competitions
- Champions League knockout rounds
- Two-legged ties
- Penalty shootouts
- Other tournament/competition formats already available in Kick-Off

It would give Online Friendlies a completely different level of replayability.

Why I think this matters:
There is clearly a group of players who don't want to play Ultimate Team-style football every time they play online. Some of us simply want to sit down with a friend and play a realistic football match.

I actually found myself moving away from EA FC and towards community-created football management/career experiences because they give me the feeling of managing and playing in a more authentic football environment.

I (and many others) would genuinely come back to playing EA FC with friends much more often if Online Friendlies allowed us to combine Authentic Gameplay + real football competition formats + our own teams.

EA already has the gameplay preset and many of the competition mechanics. It feels like the pieces are already there; they simply aren't available together in Online Friendlies.

Please give us the choice.
Not every player wants the fastest possible gameplay.

Some of us just want to play football.