PC – Controller not detected in first match, orange cursor appears

On PC, when launching the game, the Xbox controller works perfectly in menus.
However, in the first match played after launching FC 26, the controller is not detected.
The player cursor turns orange, indicating keyboard-only input.

After restarting the game, the controller works perfectly in matches.
This happens consistently on the first match only.

This issue forces me to restart FC 26 during the first match of the day,
which results in an automatic loss (DNF) once per day in Ultimate Team.