EA SPORTS FC 26 PC – Input Freezing during gameplay

I am experiencing an input freezing issue in EA SPORTS FC 26 on PC.

During matches, seemingly at random, the game stops properly registering my inputs for approximately 4–5 seconds. When this happens, the player I am controlling continues performing the last action or maintaining the last direction that was registered. For example, if I am running forward when the issue starts, the player will continue running forward for several seconds, and I am unable to properly stop, change direction, pass, shoot, or perform other actions.

The rest of the game continues running completely normally during the freeze. Other players keep moving, the ball remains in play, animations and the match clock continue normally, and there are no noticeable performance drops or game freezes. The issue only affects the processing of inputs within EA SPORTS FC 26.

I have performed several tests to rule out a hardware issue:

• The problem occurs when using a DualShock 4 controller.
• It also happens when using only a keyboard, even with the controller completely disconnected.
• I tested my controller using an external controller testing program at the exact moment the issue occurred, and the controller continued working and registering all inputs correctly.
• The issue happens whether the controller is connected via Bluetooth or USB cable.
• It also happens while playing offline Career Mode, so it does not appear to be related to my internet connection or EA servers.
• During the input freeze, Alt + Tab works perfectly and Windows continues responding normally.
• The rest of the match continues running normally while the inputs stop being processed.
• Pressing ESC during the freeze usually does not work immediately. In some cases, it only registers if I press it repeatedly.
• I have already tried limiting the game to 60 FPS and enabling V-Sync, but the issue still occurs exactly the same way.
• I also uninstalled the game and installed again and nothing happened, the same issue.

Based on all these tests, the issue appears to be specific to EA SPORTS FC 26 on PC and seems to be related to how the game processes keyboard and controller inputs internally.

The behaviour also matches reports from other players experiencing temporary input freezes where the match continues running normally, but the game stops registering inputs for several seconds.

I would appreciate any help or information regarding a possible fix for this issue, as it makes the game extremely difficult to play.