EA SPORTS FC™ 26 | Title Update v1.5.2
EA SPORTS FC 26 Version 1.5.2 is now available on PC and includes the updates below. Career Mode Addressed the following issues: Addressed various stability issues that could have occurred. Want to provide us direct feedback about EA SPORTS FC 26? https://go.ea.com/fc26pfp and let us know what you think, it only takes a few minutes. Thank you for your continued feedback. Throughout the course of the EA SPORTS FC 26 season, we'll provide you with more information and updates if and when they become available. Be sure to follow @EASFCDIRECT on X as well as WhatsApp, and check out the EA SPORTS FC Tracker for the latest news and updates. The EA SPORTS FC Team
Football Ultimate Team™ 26 - UEFA Road to the Final
ROAD TO THE FINAL The pinnacle of European club competition is here. Go the distance in knockout football and see UEFA Road to the Final players level up live as dramatic campaigns from across the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, and Women’s Champions League reach their peak. Play Football Ultimate Team™ now to earn themed rewards through new Live Events, Squad Building Challenges, Evolutions, and more. EVERY MATCH MATTERS Celebrate the teams still fighting for Europe’s top honours across the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, and Women’s Champions League. Represented players will receive live upgrades based on their clubs’ performances in the quarter-finals and beyond, culminating in a final 96 OVR, 3 PlayStyles+, all Roles++, and a five-star Skill Moves and Weak Foot upgrade for the winners. See the upgrade structure below: Win or draw the first quarter-final match One base PlayStyle Win or draw the second quarter-final match One base PlayStyle Qualify for the semi-finals All Roles++ and +1 Skill Moves or Weak Foot Win or draw the first semi-final match +1 OVR Win or draw the second semi-final match +1 OVR Qualify for the final One PlayStyle+ Win the final 96 OVR and five-star Skill Moves and Weak Foot In the event of extra time being played in second-leg matches, wins and draws will be determined after 90 minutes. As a result of the first quarter-final leg already taking place in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, selected UWCL Player Items will receive extra base PlayStyles from day one. GO FOR GLORY Carve your own path to glory in the Road to the Final League, going head-to-head in up to twelve games to earn a spot in the Road to the Final Champions Cup. Win seven games to cement your place in the elite knockout competition, while clubs that fall short are seeded into the Road to the Final Competitors Cup. The Road to the Final Competitors Cup takes place across three knockout rounds, offering rewards for playing 15 games in total and winning the quarter-final, as well as winning the tournament outright. Launching simultaneously, the Road to the Final Champions Cup brings premier knockout competition every day across four nail-biting rounds. Earn new rewards for progressing through the tournament and re-enter after lifting the trophy to do it all again for bigger rewards. Ultimate Gauntlet 14 also launches alongside UEFA Road to the Final, moving to four rounds for the first time, and introducing new Objectives to earn rewards for your Club. EVOLUTIONS INSPIRED BY EUROPE’S GREATEST Discover Evolutions built around UEFA Champions League nostalgia, honouring unforgettable performances such as Arjen Robben’s 89th-minute winner against Borussia Dortmund and Federico Valverde’s recent first-half hat-trick against Manchester City. UWCL SQUAD BUILDING CHALLENGES Follow elite European competition as the UEFA Women’s Champions League takes over during UEFA Road to the Final. Take on Showdown Squad Building Challenges inspired by blockbuster UWCL clashes alongside daily SBCs, including Marquee Matchups to mark both quarter-final second-leg matchdays. Plus, don’t miss a special midweek Upgrade SBC.EA SPORTS FC™ 26 | Title Update v1.5.1
EA SPORTS FC 26 version 1.5.1 will soon be available for all platforms, and it will include: Ultimate Team Addressed the following issues: When adding or swapping Player Items to a Squad or SBC, the filter was using Any by default instead of selecting the position highlighted. Career Mode Made the following changes: Updated some social media posts. Updated the injury duration selection in the Injuries and Suspensions menu. Improved visibility of qualification zones in competition standings in Deeper Sim. Addressed the following issues: Swapping to the Position tab while in Development Plans would cause Role Growth to disappear. Addressed instances of overlapping text. When playing matches in Manager Live, all players on the field were using the same boots. In certain challenges, some leagues were shown as unavailable when attempting to replace teams. Some players were incorrectly displayed as out of position in the match preview screen. Sometimes, Scout reports could provide incorrect attribute values. Clubs Addressed the following issues: Further adjusted Match Rating calculation logic for CAMs to avoid unintentionally high calculations. General, Audio, and Visual Made the following changes: Updated some crests, banners, scarves, flags, scenes, camera angles, overlays, celebrations, text, hair, ad boards and cinematics. Addressed the following issues: Addressed various stability issues that could have occurred. Want to provide us direct feedback about EA SPORTS FC 26? https://go.ea.com/fc26pfp and let us know what you think, it only takes a few minutes. Thanks to those who’ve provided and continue to provide feedback. Throughout the course of the EA SPORTS FC 26 season, we'll provide you with more information and updates if and when they become available. Be sure to follow @EASFCDIRECT on X as well as WhatsApp, and check out the EA SPORTS FC Tracker for the latest news and updates.World Tour Season 6: South Korea and Japan ‘02
A CONTINENTAL DEBUT The first of its kind in Asia, international football travelled to South Korea and Japan, kicking off with a huge upset as Senegal defeated the reigning champions, France, before Brazil lifted the trophy for a historic fifth time. NEW SILVER SUPERSTARS Returning for the sixth time, World Tour Silver Superstars celebrates the tournament’s victors with seven Brazilian record-breakers, including Ronaldinho, Cafu, and Roberto Carlos. Silver Superstars also honours the tournament hosts with South Korea’s Park Ji-sung and Japan’s Hidetoshi Nakata. The World Tour Silver Superstars League returns from 10 April, bringing themed rewards including Player Packs and more for Season 6. Take your favourite silver Player Items, rated under 75 OVR, and compete against other squads. CHAINED EVOLUTION Unlock a chained Evolution through the Season Ladder for the very first time. Select your eligible player from one of the host nations and begin their upgrade journey across four separate Evolutions and two sets of PlayStyle+ choices. The Evolution chain begins at Level 1 of the standard Season Ladder, unlocking alongside a Pack of quick-start option players from South Korea and Japan to kickstart your journey. Choose from any of the three Evolution paths at each stage to customise the player to the needs of your squad. A more detailed explanation of the Evolution chain can be found below: Level 1 - Season 6 Make Your Idol Chain Step 1 The initial evolution will change your player’s rarity to the World Tour Evolutions rarity which will be required for the evolution chain. Players must be South Korean or Japanese and max 85 OVR to qualify for this step. This evolution leaves players at 85 OVR. Level 3 - Season 6 Make Your Idol Chain Step 2 Step 2 offers three different pathways that you can choose to begin your evolution journey. There are three choices of evolution, focused on Attack, Midfield, and Defense with each choice offering boosts specific to that area of the pitch as well as two playstyles. You can choose any of the three options for your player. This will take players from 85 OVR to 87 OVR. It will also grant players a 4-star Weak Foot and 4-star Skill Moves. Level 3 - Season 6 Make Your Idol Chain First PS+ Choice The next piece of the puzzle is choosing an initial PlayStyle+ option from a player pick granted at level 3 of the season pass. The options are as follows Tiki Taka Incisive Pass Low Driven Shot Technical Jockey Intercept Level 7 - Season 6 Make Your Idol Chain Step 3 Following the choice of a PlayStyle+, users will earn step 3 of the chain at level 7 of the season pass. This will offer another choice focused on either Attack, Midfield, or Defense as well as 3 additional positionally focused PlayStyles. You may choose any of the three options for your player. Step 3 will take player items to 89 OVR from 87 OVR. Level 7 - Season 6 Make Your Idol Chain Second PS+ Choice The next set of PlayStyles+ will be offered at level 7 of the season pass. The options for a second PlayStyle+ are as follows: Finesse First Touch Pinged Pass Rapid Quick Step Anticipate Level 21 - Season 6 Make Your Idol Chain Step 4 This is the final step of the Evolution chain and completes your player’s transformation into a true Idol. Again, you will have the choice of three different pathways for the final step. At this stage players will also be granted additional base PlayStyles along with a 5-star Weak Foot and 5-Star Skill Move boost. This final evolution will also bring the player items to an OVR of 91. WORLD TOUR PLAYER PROGRAMME Season 6 introduces the World Tour Player Programme to EA SPORTS FC™ 26, featuring South Korean, Japanese, and Brazilian players throughout Football Ultimate Team™, available through the Season Ladder, Squad Building Challenges, and Objective rewards. BECOME A TRIPLE THREAT The Triple Threat League brings fast-paced football with two minute halves and first-to-three goal games. Take on up to six matches each day, completing weekly Objectives and earning increasing rewards including Packs and Evolutions throughout the Season. SEASON LADDER AND PREMIUM PASS A new Season brings fresh rewards to the Season Ladder, featuring new World Tour Player Items from the tournament winners and first-time hosts, as well as other themed rewards. The standard Season Ladder includes World Tour Takefusa Kubo and FUT Birthday Hero Landon Donovan. Get the Premium Pass for 500,000 Coins or 1,000 FC Points and earn rewards such as Evolution Cosmetics, Packs, Vanity Items, Evolution Consumables, and FUT Birthday ICONs Oliver Kahn and Rivaldo. Season 6 debuts a comprehensive Evolution chain, as well as Roles++, base PlayStyles, and PlayStyle+.Football Ultimate Team™ 26 - FUT Birthday
START THE PARTY Unwrap Heroes, ICONs and 5-Star upgrades as Football Ultimate Team™ turns 17. Party with standout players that defined your season and create your own FUT Birthday baller with brand-new Evolutions. Play Football Ultimate Team™ now to earn themed rewards through new Live Events, Squad Building Challenges, Evolutions, and more. SERIE A SUPERSTARS FUT Birthday welcomes some VIPs to the party as ICON Gabriel Batistuta and Heroes Andrea Barzagli, Mario Mandžukić, and Esteban Cambiasso join FC 26. Fiorentina’s top scorer in Serie A, Gabriel Batistuta, became a legend in Tuscany, netting well over a hundred goals and lifting the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana before a move to Roma where he helped secure the club’s third Scudetto. No stranger to silverware, Andrea Barzagli moved from Sicily to pick up a Bundesliga title with VfL Wolfsburg before returning to dominate Serie A as part of the Juventus back line and earned international honours with Italy. Towering forward, Mario Mandžukić struck fear in the hearts of defenders as he contributed to FC Bayern’s 2012/13 treble win during his first season at the club, scoring the first goal in the Champions League final to best rivals Borussia Dortmund. Taking his talents to Turin, he collected multiple titles with Juventus. Inter Milan stalwart, Esteban Cambiasso, racked up more than 300 appearances for Internazionale, earning a score of domestic trophies and lifting the Champions League in 2010. TURN UP THE HEAT FUT Birthday Bakery gives you the ingredients to customise FUT Birthday Player Items to your own style for the very first time. Initially, FUT Birthday Player Items from Packs (excluding FUT Birthday ICONs and Heroes) won’t have any assigned PlayStyles or PlayStyle+, giving you the opportunity to build your FUT Birthday player to best fit your squad requirements or preferred style of play through FUT Birthday Bakery Evolutions. The experience will be split into three different Evolution tabs: PlayStyles Bakery Unlimited entries PlayStyle+ Bakery Entries limited to one repeat for each PlayStyle+ with a six-day cooldown Premium PlayStyle+ Bakery Unlimited entries 100 FC Points or 15,000 Coins per entry with no cooldown With thirty PlayStyles to choose from, combine a selection of your favourites to create a truly unique player for your squad and complete themed Objectives to earn select PlayStyle+ for your FUT Birthday players. All three Evolution tabs will remain available following FUT Birthday, giving you plenty of time to upgrade. FOOTBALL FESTIVITIES Beginning with FUT Birthday Fiesta I, compete in rounds of tournament football, completing Objectives to qualify for FUT Fiesta II on 7 March. The celebrations carry on into European nights with a Champions League-themed Flash Live Event for each week, before the FUT Birthday Festivities Exhibition kicks off in Week 2. Additionally, FUT Birthday will drop two themed Flash Rush events on 7 March and 14 March. DAILY EVOLUTIONS Head over to FUT for a new Evolution for every day of FUT Birthday, with Evolution consumables and cosmetics earned by completing Objectives, as well as the return of retro FUT Birthday Evolutions. FUT Birthday invites more players to the party, increasing the amount of players eligible for Evolutions and bringing more Skill Move and Weak Foot Evolutions to improve your players’ technical ability. SQUAD BUILDING CELEBRATIONS Take on nostalgia-packed SBCs with seven dedicated Squad Building Challenges for FUT Birthday ICONs and Heroes, including Mandžukić in Week 1 and Cambiasso in Week 2. Additionally, Flashbacks, Showdowns, Moments, World Tour, and more themed SBCs keep the party going well into the night. FUT BIRTHDAY BAKERY FAQs Q. Can I use any Player Item in the Birthday Bakery Evolutions? No - This Evolution experience is only for FUT Birthday Player Items (excluding FUT Birthday ICONs and Heroes). Q. I applied an Evolution rarity cosmetic on a FUT Birthday Player Item, can I still use the player in the Birthday Bakery Evolutions? No - The FUT Birthday Player Item needs to remain on the FUT Birthday rarity. Q. What happens when I submit a tradable FUT Birthday Player Item into the Birthday Bakery Evolutions? Your FUT Birthday Player Item would become untradeable and you would be unable to list them on the Transfer Market. Q. Will the Birthday Bakery Tabs expire at the end of FUT Birthday? No - Birthday Bakery will remain live following FUT Birthday to ensure you can keep adding new PlayStyles and PlayStyle+ to FUT Birthday Player Items. Q. How do I obtain FUT Birthday Player Items? FUT Birthday Player Items are included in the Ultimate Team pool of Items for Packs from 6 March to 13 March for Team 1, and 13 March to 20 March for Team 2. Q. Will there be any Cosmetic Evolutions that give the FUT Birthday item rarity? No - There are no Cosmetic Evolutions available that will grant non-FUT Birthday players the FUT Birthday item rarity. FUT Birthday Evolution item shells from Evolutions during the Campaign are not eligible for the Bakery.EA SPORTS FC™ 26 | Title Update v1.5.0 Pitch Notes
Title Update 1.5.0 is coming soon to EA SPORTS FC™ 26, bringing changes to gameplay and updates to multiple modes inspired by feedback from the community. Table Of Contents: Gameplay Career Clubs Gameplay Over the past few weeks, we’ve been closely following conversations across Discord polls, feedback posts, and social channels. We appreciate the time and detail the community has shared around Passing and Shooting PlayStyles. As a result, this update focuses on reducing the overall impact of certain PlayStyles and shifting more influence towards players’ core attributes. The following changes have been made that affect PlayStyles, Passing, And Shooting: Passing Improved accuracy and speed of ground passing, with impact being most noticeable on players with higher passing attributes. Added the ability for players without the Incisive Pass PlayStyle but with high attributes in Short Pass, Long Pass, and Curve to contextually curve through balls. ㅤ Reduced the accuracy of lofted passes. By lofted passes, we are referring to double tapping the ground pass or through pass button Power Shot Improved the trajectory of Power Shots to increase the potential of scoring from longer ranges. Increased Power Shot accuracy when taken with the Power Shot PlayStyle and PlayStyle+ Chip Shot Tuned Chip Shots to be less likely to go wide. Increased accuracy of Chip Shots. Players with the Chip Shot PlayStyle perform Chip Shots with additional accuracy. Tiki Taka PlayStyle To avoid overly accurate passing and decrease some of the gap between passing with and without PlayStyles, the accuracy of ground and first-time passes with the Tiki Taka PlayStyle has been reduced. Ground passes performed with Tiki Taka PlayStyle still benefit from the overall improvements in accuracy and speed listed above, ensuring the PlayStyle remains a useful attacking option. ㅤ Inventive PlayStyle The accuracy of lofted ground and through passes using the Inventive PlayStyle and Inventive PlayStyle+ has been slightly increased. This is to slightly compensate for the accuracy reduction to lofted passes mentioned in the passing section. With the PlayStyle+, lofted passes will still be slightly less accurate than before the patch By lofted passes, we are referring to double tapping the ground pass or through pass button Additional Gameplay Updates We’ve also made two updates to address certain areas of gameplay brought to our attention by the community. Skill Moves Increased the speed of Fake Shot, Heel Chop, and Feint and Exit by 5% ㅤ Positioning Addressed an issue where attacking players could remain stationary after repositioning Career New Career content will be released over the next few weeks, including new Live Starting Points and ICONs in Player Career. Season 6 kicks off with adding Ronaldinho, Gareth Bale, Fernando Torres, and Aya Miyama to the rotation, with more ICONs to come in future weeks. Alongside new content, we’ve also made the following changes regarding Live Starting points, Dynamic Development Plans, and player contracts: Introduced Dynamic Development Plans to Career to more closely reflect a player’s role When starting a new save, Training Plans will be automatically pre-selected based on the player’s closest available role For example, if a striker has a Target Forward role, that striker will be assigned to a Target Forward development plan rather than the default option Dynamic Development Plans will adapt to Tactic changes to further aid player development across the season and ensure that players develop in line with your vision without constant manual update Added a new visual Pitch Wear setting when starting a new save This reflects seasonal weather conditions but will be to OFF by default Improved player contract extension behaviour when using the Normal setting Players with less than a year on their contract will already be open to negotiation when you join a new club At the start of a new season, around 50% of players with expiring contracts will be open to negotiation If you start a Live Starting Point or switch to a new job mid-season, more players will be open to negotiation as you get closer to the end of the season Clubs The following Archetype changes have been made in Clubs, these changes will go live in a server release after Title Update 1.5.0: Archetype Level Cap Increased the cap from 80 to 90 Archetype Max Attributes Increased the maximum range of Archetype-specific attributes Archetype Customisable PlayStyle Slots Increased from 7 to 8, unlocked at level 90 Thanks for checking out our latest Pitch Notes. We can’t wait for you to experience all the new changes and additions coming to EA SPORTS FC™ 26. – The EA SPORTS FC TeamFootball Ultimate Team™ 26 - Knockout Royalty
EARN THE CROWN Face off in thrilling tournament football as Knockout Royalty debuts in Football Ultimate Team™. Celebrate clutch players from past and present competitions that have risen to the occasion, including new Heroes and ICONs that turned it on in the moments that mattered. Play Football Ultimate Team™ now and become Knockout Royalty, earning themed rewards through new Live Events, Squad Building Challenges, and more. GO ROUND FOR ROUND A new series of chained Tournaments challenge you to become Knockout Royalty, with three consecutive knockout competitions standing between you and the crown. Earn a Knockout Royalty Player Item by completing the relevant Objective and kick off your campaign in the first Tournament. Embody the spirit of serial winners, winning the Quarter-Final of the first Tournament to unlock qualification to the second, then win the Semi-Final of the second Tournament to earn a spot in the third and final Tournament. Win this to get top rewards and crown your Club Knockout Royalty. Head-to-head competition continues with the eleventh iteration of Ultimate Gauntlet, with enhanced rewards for winning the Tournament outright. CLUTCH CLASSICS Some players are just built different. Knockout Royalty gives ICON and Hero status to six kings of cup competition. England legend and hat-trick hero of the historic 1966 final, Geoff Hurst joins as a Knockout Royalty ICON Player Item. Brazilian midfielder Dunga also headlines as a new ICON, having captained the Seleção to consecutive international finals before returning as coach to deliver Copa América glory. Gilberto Silva gains Hero status, as the Arsenal Invincible collected trophies at both international and club level. He’s joined by Oliver Bierhoff, whose Golden Goal cemented Germany’s victory at Euro 96, Roy Makaay, a domestic double winner with FC Bayern, and German trophy magnet Uli Hoeneß, who built a reputation steeped in silverware for both club and country. These players boast two PlayStyles+ and sit alongside current players that have delivered moments of knockout gold, including decisive goals, key assists, and match-winning performances. WRAPPED IN ROYALTY Earn a host of Knockout Royalty-themed rewards through seven Knockout Royalty Player SBCs including Knockout Royalty Hero Gilberto Silva and Knockout Royalty ICON Giorgio Chiellini. Additionally, Knockout Royalty brings three new Puzzle SBCs, an ICON Player Pick SBC including Winter Wildcards Henry and Winter Wildcards Vieira, and more. EMPOWERING EVOLUTIONS Build up your squad players with seven new Evolutions and two Special Cosmetic Evolutions.Football Ultimate Team™ 26 - Fantasy FC FPL Live
FANTASY PREMIER LEAGUE X FANTASY FC Fantasy FC expands for Week 2, teaming up with Fantasy Premier League for the very first time to deliver real-world fantasy football to Football Ultimate Team™ as select players upgrade based on their Fantasy Premier League performances in Matchweek 29. REAL-WORLD FANTASY FOOTBALL Each Fantasy FC ‘Live’ player is linked to one of ten real-world Premier League fixtures from Tuesday, March 3 to Thursday, March 5. Everton vs. Burnley – Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall AFC Bournemouth vs. Brentford – Álex Jiménez Tottenham Hotspur vs. Crystal Palace – Mathys Tel Leeds United vs. Sunderland – Brenden Aaronson Fulham vs. West Ham – Raúl Jiménez Wolves vs. Liverpool – Milos Kerkez Newcastle United vs. Manchester United – Amad Diallo Brighton vs. Arsenal – Leandro Trossard Aston Villa vs. Chelsea – Robert Sánchez Manchester City vs. Nottingham Forest – Matheus Nunes PERMANENT UPGRADES FOR STANDOUT PERFORMERS Each of the ten eligible players will have their own linked Objective in-game. Play the Fantasy FC Rush Event and complete up to two linked Objectives to select your “Live” players before 3 March. Follow the Premier League midweek fixtures played between 3 March and 5 March, as Fantasy Premier League stats directly inform permanent in-game upgrades. See the Fantasy FC x FPL Live player upgrade structure below: Fantasy Premier League Points Upgrade 0 – 1 Point Plus 1 OVR and an additional Role++ 2 – 3 Points Plus 2 OVR, and all Roles++ for main position 4 – 5 Points Plus 3 OVR, all Roles++ for all positions, a 2nd PlayStyle+, and 1 base PlayStyle 6 – 7 Points Plus 4 OVR, all Roles++ for all positions, a 2nd PlayStyle+, and 2 base PlayStyles 8+ Points Plus 5 OVR, all Roles++ for all positions, a 2nd PlayStyle+, 2 base PlayStyles, and 5-Star Skill Moves or Weak Foot FANTASY FC LIVE FAQ Q. How do I receive a Fantasy FC ‘Live’ player? Play in the Fantasy FC Flash Rush Event, available between 28 February and 3 March, with a player from the club of the FFC Live player you wish to select. For example, to receive a‘Live’ Mathys Tel, you will need to play a game in the Fantasy FC Rush Event with any player from the Tottenham Hotspur men’s team. You can earn a maximum of two“Live” players before the Objective Group becomes locked. Q. How do ‘Live’ players score points? Players receive Fantasy Premier League points based on a variety of in-game actions. Action Points For playing up to 60 minutes 1 For playing 60 minutes or more (excluding stoppage time) 2 For each goal scored by a goalkeeper 10 For each goal scored by a defender 6 For each goal scored by a midfielder 5 For each goal scored by a forward 4 For each goal assist 3 For a clean sheet by a goalkeeper or defender 4 For a clean sheet by a midfielder 1 For every 3 shot saves by a goalkeeper 1 For accumulating 10 or more clearances, blocked shots, interceptions (CBI) and tackles (defenders) 2 For accumulating 12 or more clearances, blocked shots, interceptions (CBI), tackles and recoveries (midfielders & forwards) 2 For each penalty save 5 For each penalty miss -1 Bonus points for the best players in a match 1 - 3 For every 2 goals conceded by a goalkeeper or defender -1 For each yellow card -1 For each red card -3 For each own goal -2 Visit the Fantasy Premier League website to see a comprehensive breakdown of the scoring system. Q. What if one of my ‘Live’ players does not play? The player will receive the upgrade for 0 – 1 Fantasy Premier League points only.EA SPORTS FC™ 26 | Pitch Notes - Gameplay Responsiveness Update
FC Feedback Report Hey everyone, as part of the new FC Feedback Hub we’ll be keeping you close to our development process with detailed reports, making sure you know what feedback we’re working on. For our first update, we wanted to focus on something we know is important to you: Gameplay Responsiveness. We’ve heard your feedback, and our teams have been working on making EA SPORTS FC 26 our most responsive title yet. In this article, we’ll cover what we’re doing to address your feedback around online responsiveness, and the new additions to FC 26 intended to improve overall gameplay performance. Let’s dive in. Understanding Delay Delay refers to the link between a player's action, like pressing a button or moving a stick, and the corresponding response in the game. Delay can stem from various sources, including online connection quality issues, elevated ping due to distance from an FC Game Data Center, complexities in the input processing and animation systems, or even delays in displays. We know that delay disrupts the seamless connection between the player and the game, making the experience feel unresponsive and frustrating. And let’s face it, when a game doesn’t feel responsive, it’s simply not fun. Addressing your concerns about delay has been a top priority for us as we head into EA SPORTS FC 26 launch. What We’ve Been Testing Our Gameplay Responsiveness testing goes back to 2019, where we ran a number of in-depth tests on infrastructure and player connections, and created tools to help us better understand what you were experiencing. Heading into FC 26, we set our focus on testing directly with FC Design Council members, FC Pro Players, members of our community, and members of our internal teams. For example, members of our development team met directly with FC players in Europe to test gameplay responsiveness on their own personal setups. We tested at their houses and team headquarters in Spain and the UK for extensive online modes research in FC 25. You can see what this looked like below. We’ve also been testing responsiveness with members of our Design Council remotely, collecting connection quality data from players all around the world. And while all of this has been happening, we’ve been running regular tests with a dedicated internal team of core players across our QV and development teams to feedback on responsiveness problems. What We Learned FC players are really good at detecting even the smallest delay issues. Delays of even 1 frame can result in a noticeably unresponsive experience. When diving into the details, we’ve noticed players experience delay in significantly different ways. What you refer to as delay can be experienced in both Offline and Online play, in most cases. When playing with good connection quality, or in offline play, these are the main reasons that can create a sense of gameplay unresponsiveness: Animation Selection Variability to create authenticity Contexts with limited coverage Animation system bugs Time between button press and when the simulation processes the input. In poor connection quality conditions, there are many more variables that could create unresponsive Gameplay. The most common ones include: Ethernet vs WiFi Currently more than half of FC players play online through WiFi. WiFi often introduces serious inconsistencies in connection quality, such as Jitter and Packet loss, which could result in delayed actions in Gameplay. Even WiFi with strong signal strength and high quality signal can create inconsistencies. We recommend always using an ethernet cable when possible for a generally much smoother connection. High Ping Ping measures the time it takes for game data to travel between your console or PC to the EA SPORTS FC™ Game Data Center and back. Lower ping usually means faster data transfer and a more responsive gameplay experience. Your ping can vary based on your internet provider and your physical location, and it is not based strictly on your physical distance from an FC Game Data Center. A close physical distance to our FC Game Data Centers cannot guarantee a low ping experience by default, because factors such as how your internet service provider physically routes traffic can impact your ping. We are always monitoring the performance of our FC Game Data Centers. Working with providers, ISPs and our internal teams to provide the best experience we can to our players around the world. Internet Bandwidth With a low bandwidth internet connection, other activities using the same network can negatively influence game performance. From automatic video uploads from a console to streaming content from other devices, there are many factors that could introduce delay. To learn more about your Connection Quality and how it may be influencing your gameplay experience when playing online in EA SPORTS FC, you can check out our Connection Quality Report. The Connection Quality Report is a tool intended to help you better understand the quality of your connection using data from applicable EA SPORTS FC online matches that you’ve played. How your display FC can also massively impact overall game responsiveness. TV or Monitor Settings A TV outside of Game Mode can introduce anywhere from 20 to over 100ms of delay to the gameplay experience, making it feel like you’re playing in a poor connection environment. We always recommend using Game Mode if available on your TV, or use a gaming monitor. High quality cables can also help reduce how long it takes visual signal to be processed, and third party devices like external capture cards can also add noticeable delay. In broad terms, the speed at which your screen can display the game is critical to the feeling of responsiveness or unresponsiveness. If your display has a noticeable delay or can’t maintain a consistent response time, you may feel a delay no matter what your other conditions are. Different Player Motivations Another important learning is that FC players enjoy both a more responsive and consistent experience, but also a more tactical, composed and authentic experience. We’ve tried to balance a single gameplay experience for both types of motivations in the past, but based on your feedback we’ve decided to tailor the experience separately. In FC 26, we are creating two types of Gameplay, Competitive and Authentic. Competitive Gameplay is tuned for consistent responsiveness, mainly focused on online modes like Ultimate Team and Clubs. Authentic Gameplay is tuned for higher realism and true-to-life match tempo/speed in offline modes, like Career Mode. For both gameplay types, and with your feedback in mind, we’re improving our Fundamentals with the objective to make them more responsive and consistent in FC 26. What’s New For FC 26 Responsiveness As you may have noticed in the FC 26 reveal trailer, we’ve focused on new gameplay fundamentals to improve responsiveness at all levels. We wanted to make sure we directly addressed your feedback and the things we’ve learned through testing to deliver the most impactful changes. Animation variability meant to create authenticity FC strives to visually reflect the real world game, and to make this possible our Gameplay engine was designed to use realistic animations. Realistic motion capture/volumetric animations are all unique by nature. In FC, many factors like ball distance from the player, movement input angle, and player speed will dictate what animation is chosen and how it plays in the game. This combination of factors ensure Gameplay variety, depth and authenticity. In summary, in our gameplay engine, there is variety, and no play is the same. This is to create a seamless, and authentic experience. We are continuing to work on finding the right balance between gameplay animation depth and variety, and consistent expected behaviors, that are always responsive to player input. More details on how we are addressing these problems will be part of the Gameplay Pitch Notes, for example: Animation transitions and branching have been reevaluated and re-tuned across most areas of gameplay to improve consistency and responsiveness. Increased Animation Coverage Animations play an important role for a football game to be authentic. Every year we add new animations to refresh the experience, create variety, and to fill any coverage gaps. Some contexts may have had limited animation coverage in the past. This caused our system to use a longer animation or delay starting an animation while attempting to position the player in a way that would accommodate the best possible animation. We’ve focused on improving the coverage for scenarios where it's reasonable to expect a responsive action. To clarify, we have strict game performance checks that ensure the game runs smoothly regardless of the amount of animations that exist in the database. This year we have added hundreds of new animations meant to enable players to perform actions faster than ever. Addressed Animation System Bugs In some cases, the systems that decide what animations should play can experience bugs. These are arguably the most complicated systems in a Gameplay engine, since they need to solve every combination of player requests with the available animations, while keeping high quality visuals. For example: Expecting the player to get to the ball as early as possible to prevent the opponent getting to it first, but the player taking an inefficient or curved path to the ball that introduces just enough delay for the opponent to win the ball. Expecting an immediate right foot shot to prevent getting tackled, but the player decides to use their left foot instead, delaying the shot for a couple of frames. With a focus on Fundamentals, this year we’ve fixed dozens of problems related to the Animation System and its responsiveness. Time between button press and when our simulation processes the input We looked closely at every stage of the input processing system and identified a few opportunities to improve our input latency. We were able to improve input latency by one frame in some cases of first time passes and shot requests. Combined with the animation improvements mentioned above, these scenarios are more likely to play out as first time passes or shots in FC 26, as opposed to taking a touch that feels unresponsive. We’ve improved our input systems with the aim of ensuring that all inputs are processed immediately. We also improved the responsiveness of the on screen player switch indicator visual feedback, giving the user more immediate feedback on which player they are controlling and allowing for more responsive reactions to the play. We’ll share more about these updates in more detail in our upcoming FC 26 Gameplay Deep Dive, which will be live on July 22. Stay tuned! What’s Next In the lead up to FC 26 launch, we’re continuing to meet with members of our Design Council to help us find additional cases related to gameplay responsiveness. This will remain a priority for our teams to make FC feel more responsive than ever, based on your feedback. Be sure to keep an eye out for more details on FC 26 across our upcoming Deep Dives. Community Feedback Your feedback is extremely helpful for our teams as we continue to prioritize making FC feel responsive and rewarding overall. We want to hear from you. As part of FC Feedback, we’ve created a new discussion thread in our game-feedback channel in our official EA SPORTS FC Discord server. Our team will be monitoring this discussion, and will be passing along relevant feedback directly to our Dev teams to review. Join the discussion now. You can also continue providing feedback through our FC Player Feedback Portal in a more structured format to send your feedback directly to our Devs. Learn more here.Football Ultimate Team™ 26 - Fantasy FC
STATS BECOME STARS Fantasy FC rewards on-pitch performances with in-game upgrades improving OVRs, PlayStyles, and more for players racking up goals, assists, clean sheets, and other key metrics. Play Football Ultimate Team™ now to earn themed rewards through new Live Events, Squad Building Challenges, Evolutions, and more. COMPETE WITH YOUR ULTIMATE FANTASY TEAM The Fantasy FC League returns in EA SPORTS FC™ 26, featuring 20 Challenge rewards, with every win unlocking a new one. With 24 entries available across three separate drops, meet the squad requirements and make your games count to earn Packs, Evolutions, and Player Items, including Víctor Ibarbo, for reaching 20 wins. The Fantasy FC Cup brings two weeks of competition with unlimited entries. Build your squad to meet the event and Objective requirements to earn SP, Celebrations, Packs, and Fantasy FC Hidemasa Morita. That’s not all, make sure you tailor your squad to the competition, as the Fantasy FC Cup uses the Long Range game mode, rewarding goals scored from a distance as double. World Tour Silver Superstars League also makes a return for Fantasy FC, dialing up the France ’98 nostalgia during the second week with themed rewards including a Stadium Theme, Anthem, and Crests, alongside exclusive French player Packs and more. Also launching in Week 2, Ultimate Gauntlet 12 brings more themed rewards, including Fantasy FC Odsonne Édouard. OPTA-DRIVEN UPGRADES Fantasy FC Player Items gain boosts inspired by on-pitch action and driven by Opta data tracking both clubs and individuals. Going beyond wins, losses, and clean sheets, Fantasy FC rewards stat-backed players who prove their worth to the team through defensive and attacking contributions, among other key criteria. FANTASY PREMIER LEAGUE X FANTASY FC Look out for more information next week as Fantasy FC collides with Fantasy Premier League to bring real-world fantasy football into Football Ultimate Team™, upgrading select players based on their Fantasy Premier League performances for Matchweek 29. FANTASY FC FAQ Q. What if my player already has the maximum PlayStyles+? If the player already has two PlayStyles+ and they achieve the 1 Goal/Assist or Clean Sheet Upgrades, they will instead receive two regular PlayStyles. If the player already has three PlayStyles+ and they achieve a secondary Seasonal Upgrade, they will receive one additional regular PlayStyle. Q. When does player tracking begin from? Player tracking begins from the date the player is first available in Football Ultimate Team. For example, if a player is released on February 26th and their team plays on the same day, that game will count as the first game. Q. What counts as a Clean Sheet? The Clean Sheet upgrade is awarded to Goalkeepers, Defenders and CDMs. The player will receive this upgrade if the team keeps a clean sheet and the player has played for at least 60 minutes. If the player is subbed off after 60 minutes whilst a clean sheet is intact, they will receive the upgrade even if the team concedes after the player has been subbed off. If the player is sent off after 60 minutes and the team then concedes, they will not receive the clean sheet. Q. Does my player have to play to achieve the Team Points or Team Goals upgrade? No - the player’s participation is not relevant in achieving this upgrade. Q. What is the source of truth for goals and assists? Only goals and assists officially awarded by Opta will count towards the upgrades. Q. What counts for Defensive Actions and Attacking Actions? Both Defensive & Attacking Actions will accumulate over the player’s next 4 league games. Defensive actions are Saves, Clearances, Blocks & Interceptions. Attacking Actions are Shots on Target & Key Passes. For clarity, an Assist will also count towards a Player’s Key Pass statistic. To achieve these upgrades, a player needs a total of 12 Defensive Actions or 6 Attacking Actions in the four-game period. For example, if a defensive player achieves 6 Clearances, 6 Blocks & 0 Interceptions over their next four league games, the player will receive the upgrade. Only Defensive and Attacking Actions tracked by Opta will count towards the upgrades. Q. Which games count as part of the upgrades? Domestic League games only will count towards all non-seasonal upgrades. Cup games will only count towards the ‘Player wins the main domestic cup’ seasonal upgrade. Q. Which cups count as the main domestic cups? FA Cup (Men’s and Women’s) DFB Pokal (Men’s and Women’s) Coupe de France (Men’s and Women’s) Copa del Rey Copa de la Reina Coppa Italia KNVB Cup Taça de Portugal Turkish Cup Kings Cup Q. What clubs will the Heroes upgrades be based on? Yaya Touré - Man City Jaap Stam - Ajax Saeed Al Owairan - Al Shabab Antonio Di Natale - Udinese Paulo Futre - FC Porto Tomas Brolin - Leeds United Tomáš Rosický - Borussia Dortmund Clint Dempsey - Tottenham Mohammed Noor - Al Ittihad Jill Scott - Man City Gervinho - Arsenal Víctor Ibarbo – Cagliari Q. What is the Fantasy FC League? The Fantasy FC League will launch on 22 February. Entries will be limited, so every game counts and in FC 26 every win earns a new reward. Start with an initial 8 available entries. Refreshes occur on 26 February and 2 March to offer all players a maximum of 24 games. Any entries that remain unused before a refresh will be forfeited. Q. What is the Fantasy FC Cup? The Fantasy FC Cup features unlimited matches, different rewards, and different Entry Requirements. The Fantasy FC Cup launches on 20 February and runs for two weeks.
