Forum Discussion

New Rookie

2 months ago

NHL26 Failed to find opponent

I am deployed and for some reason I cannot get matched up with an opponent in Online Vs. I tried CHEL and had the same issue. My other games are working for online play.

New Veteran

1 month ago

That message means you’ve been assigned a private IP address by the hotel’s network, which is causing a handshake issue with the game servers.

The 172.x.x.x range is reserved for internal networks. Here is a breakdown of what is likely going wrong:

1. Strict NAT Type

Hotels usually "hide" hundreds of guests behind a single public IP address. This creates a Strict NAT, which acts like a wall. Game servers often can't "see" your specific device through that wall, leading to connection drops or the inability to join matches.

2. Port Blocking

Hotel IT admins often block specific "ports" to save bandwidth or for security. While they allow standard web browsing, they might block the specific ports EA games need to communicate, making it impossible for the game to stay connected.

3. Double NAT

Because the hotel has its own internal routing (the 172 IP) before it even hits the actual internet, your data is being translated twice. This "Double NAT" often causes games to time out because the data takes too long or gets lost in the internal layers of the hotel's hardware.

What can you do?

As the forum staff mentioned, they can't change the hotel's hardware settings, but you have a few options:

Mobile Hotspot: If you have a decent data plan, using your phone as a hotspot is almost always better for gaming than hotel Wi-Fi. It gives you a much more "direct" connection to the internet.

Use a VPN: A VPN can sometimes bypass the hotel's port restrictions by "tunneling" your traffic. However, this might slightly increase your ping (lag).

Wired Connection: If the hotel room has an Ethernet port (LAN), try a cable. Sometimes the wired network has fewer restrictions than the guest Wi-Fi.

hootiehome
New Rookie
1 month ago
Thanks Fox. I have tried all of these.
Mobile hotspot allowed me to connect to an opponent once, but has stopped working for some reason. But the connection that one time was pretty slow anyway, and the game play was a bit laggy.
I do have a VPN with port forwading, but the Xbox would not connect to the interent with it turned on. I'll try to get the exact wording of the error.
The hotel does have a wired LAN port, which I am using. With it I am able to play multiplayer on Halo, however, NHL26 still will not find an opponent.
- EA_Aljo
  Community Manager
  1 month ago
  Apologies for all the frustration with this. Unfortunately, I think it'll continue to happen until you can get off the 172 IP. Can you tell me what the NAT setting is? You can see this under the network settings on your console.
  - hootiehome
    New Rookie
    1 month ago
    I ran the NAT test while plugged into the hotel LAN port and it says my NAT Type is Moderate. I next connected to WiFi via my laptop and the NAT type changes to Open. Of note, when connected via my laptop my IP now starts with 192.
    Back to the 172 IP, why is the eSim I got for my phone using that? I thought it was a hotel thing.
hootiehome
New Rookie
1 month ago
Fox, the error I get when connected to my laptop using a VPN is "Can't get an IP address".
- FoxHoundTiger
  New Veteran
  1 month ago
  Here are the steps to fix this:
  1. Change the VPN Protocol
  This is the most common fix. Open your VPN app's settings and look for Protocol or Connection.
  If it is set to "Automatic," manually switch it to WireGuard or OpenVPN (UDP or TCP).
  Different protocols use different methods to request IP addresses, and switching often bypasses the glitch.
  2. Flush DNS and Reset Network Stack
  Windows might be holding onto outdated or corrupt routing information.
  Type cmd in the Windows search bar, right-click it, and select Run as Administrator.
  Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
  Type netsh winsock reset and press Enter.
  Restart your computer.
  3. Cycle the Virtual Network Adapter
  The VPN creates a virtual "TAP" or "TUN" adapter that can sometimes hang.
  Press Win + R, type ncpa.cpl, and press Enter.
  Find the adapter associated with your VPN (it usually has the VPN's name in it).
  Right-click it, select Disable, wait 10 seconds, then right-click again and select Enable.
  4. Disable IPv6
  Some VPNs struggle when Windows tries to prioritize an IPv6 address over the VPN's IPv4 tunnel.
  Go back to the ncpa.cpl window from the previous step.
  Right-click your primary connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and select Properties.
  Uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).
  Click OK and try connecting the VPN again.
  5. Check Firewall/Antivirus
  Third-party security suites (like Norton, Bitdefender, or McAfee) can sometimes block the "handshake" required to assign an IP. Try disabling your firewall briefly to see if the VPN connects.
  Final Tip:
  If the issue persists, reinstalling the VPN client is often the best move. It forces Windows to reinstall the virtual drivers, which fixes most underlying configuration errors.
  hopefully you can get back online and enjoy the rest of your Friday!