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.EA SPORTS FC 26 | Pitch Notes - Gameplay Deep Dive
Check out our full Gameplay Deep Dive video: Gameplay in FC 26 Welcome to the EA SPORTS FC 26 Gameplay Deep Dive Pitch Notes. Our names are Keegan Sabatino, Gigo Navarro, and Thomas Caleffi, designers and producers from the FC Gameplay Team, and together with the whole team we’re excited to share the new Gameplay features coming to FC 26. Our focus this year can be summed up in 3 words: make gameplay better. FC 26 is powered by your feedback, and we aim to make it feel more responsive, rewarding, and enjoyable. We concentrated on three main areas: Competitive and Authentic Gameplay separation Gameplay Fundamentals Feedback-Inspired Features And Updates Let's jump right in. Table of Contents Gameplay in FC 26 Gameplay Fundamentals Dribbling and Movement Goalkeeper Defending Passing and Shooting Attacking and Defensive Positioning Physicality Controlling the Ball and First Touches Online and General Gameplay Responsiveness Competitive and Authentic Gameplay Competitive Gameplay Authentic Gameplay Feedback-Inspired Features Accessibility PlayStyles FC IQ Rush Skill Moves Player Name Bar Across the Pitch Note: the [NG] tag denotes a feature exclusive for the New Generation of consoles (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2) and PC. Competitive and Authentic Gameplay In FC 26, we’ve separated gameplay into two presets: Competitive and Authentic. This split is based on where and how you play FC, and with this change, we’re able to customize the match experience of each mode to suit what you want out of the game. Competitive Gameplay is tuned for added responsiveness and higher player control, 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. We’ll cover both in more detail later in this article. Gameplay Fundamentals Along with separating Competitive and Authentic gameplay, we had the goal of addressing the most requested changes by the community, and the problems that prevent you from having the best football experience. We’ve refined the foundational gameplay mechanics, including Dribbling, Pace, Passing, Tackling, Shooting, Goalkeepers, and Physicality. These refinements apply to both Competitive and Authentic Gameplay. Feedback-Inspired Features/Updates We also wanted to bring some new and updated features that you’ve been requesting, and that are important for us. These range from our new High-Contrast mode, to more Corner Kick Assignments, tweaked Player Roles, and new PlayStyles. Let’s start with the fundamentals. Gameplay Fundamentals Refining Fundamentals Driven By Community Feedback While the split of Competitive and Authentic gameplay will allow us to tweak each individually, there was a great deal of common feedback from the community around the general gameplay of FC. With FC 26 we wanted to address this by focusing on what matters most: the fundamentals. All of the improvements to fundamentals mentioned below apply across both Competitive and Authentic gameplay. Dribbling and Movement - make players more agile and responsive on and off the ball. Goalkeepers - make them more consistent and intelligent. Defending - reduce the quantity of balls that bounce back to the opponent. Passing and Shooting - make it more responsive and improve available options. Attacking and Defensive Positioning - make better runs and provide more support. Physicality - make it more reliable to protect and shield the ball. First Touches and Controlling the Ball - improve the control of trapping the ball. Online and General Gameplay Responsiveness - make the game more consistently responsive for both Online and Offline. Dribbling and Movement One core fundamental is how players move both with and without the ball. Our goal has always been to make players on the pitch feel agile and responsive, so for FC 26 we narrowed in on the community's feedback to provide a more fluid dribbling experience, overall better control with and without the ball, and responsive movement. Dribbling In FC 26, Dynamic Dribbling is a new way to give you better control with increased responsiveness and more consistent outcomes. In order to achieve this, we made the changes below to our dribbling system. Dynamic Dribbling [NG] In FC 26, dribbling has received a significant amount of changes to improve responsiveness and fluidity. Dribble Touch Intervals - re-tuned how close the player keeps the ball to themselves when dribbling. The interval between dribble touches varies between Competitive and Authentic. Player Height - adjusted animation consistency and speed for players based on height to balance the performance between tall and short players. Foot Preference - adjusted dribbling foot preference logic and animation branching logic to allow for more responsive ball control. Dribbling Animation - re-evaluated and re-tuned our dribbling animation library to ensure the consistency, speed, and responsiveness for dribbling were standard across the board. Animation transitions and branching have been improved for increased responsiveness and to diminish the feeling of being ‘locked in’ to animations. Jog Dribble - increased speed of jog dribbling alongside improved logic for ball direction when dribbling to achieve more consistency in their desired speed. Effort Dribble Touches - Effort Touch animations now trigger during drastic dribble turns to ensure faster and authentic turns. We have removed the Agile Dribbling mechanic due to its low usage and to make the Shielding controls more consistent. Removed Agile Dribbling - L2 + R2 || LT + RT Removed contextual Agile Dribbling and its setting from the menu. Movement We heard feedback that players felt sluggish and heavy, especially when changing directions or when chasing down the ball. Our goal with FC 26 is to make all players more agile and able to accelerate more explosively in any direction, so we continue to tune the relative pace of players to ensure that the fastest players feel like the quickest ones on the pitch. Here’s what we have changed to achieve this: More Agility [NG] Explosive Sprint - increased player agility and explosiveness in every direction. Run Styles - adjusted runs to be more natural and explosive to reflect the pace of an authentic football match. Attacker Vs Defender Speed - improved the speed differentiation between Attackers versus Defenders to achieve an improved balance between the two. Acceleration Types [NG] For FC 26, we’re going back to 3 Acceleration Types to allow for a more predictable pace of play. We felt that three types were easier to understand and created a better acceleration balance. We also separated the formula that determines the Acceleration Types between male and female players in order to provide a better distribution among players. Acceleration Type Changes Explosive Agility minimum 65 (Agility - Strength) >= 10 Acceleration minimum 80 Height has been separated between male and female players Male height maximum 182cm (~6’0”) Female height maximum 162cm (~5’4”) Lengthy Strength minimum 65 (Strength - Agility) >= 4 Acceleration minimum 40 Height has been separated between male and female players Male height minimum 183 cm (~6’1”) Female height minimum 164cm (~5’5”) Controlled - any player that does not meet the other two requirements above. Adjusted the early stages of all three types to be more responsive. Adjusted deceleration of all players to be faster and snappier. Other Changes Jockey - improved Jockey movement to be more agile and responsive. New Jockey animations to improve maneuverability and feel more grounded. Turns - improved animations for all types of turns (drastic turns, swivel turns, etc.) to be faster and more responsive. Low Urgency - improved low urgency and relaxed animations for players not directly involved in the play to be less frantic and have them ready to accelerate when needed. Goalkeeper We received a lot of feedback on goalkeepers, especially regarding their positioning, the place where they deflect the ball, and how they look when doing so. Our goal with Goalkeepers is to make them more consistent and reliable, reducing the frustration they can cause, and improving the balance of skill vs authenticity. Goalkeeper Fundamentals In FC 26, goalkeepers received several improvements, such as how they handle deflections, how they position themselves, and even their decision making, all with the goal of reducing frustration while staying authentic to football. Deflection Control - added a new level of control for save deflections to significantly reduce the amount of deflections going back to opponents. Most deflections will now go out of bounds, toward teammates, or to open space away from opponents. Goalkeeper Senses - refined goalkeeper's ability to read shot trajectories to better reflect real-world save efforts and shot detection. Technical Improvements - improved base systems for goalkeeper handling, more consistent shot-stopping, and more reasonable decision making in one-on-one situations. RL GK Positioning [NG] One of the most significant updates in FC 26 is the introduction of Reinforcement-Learning (RL) Goalkeeper Positioning. This new system uses machine learning to help AI-controlled goalkeepers make more realistic decisions about where to position themselves in the box. By analyzing countless scenarios, the AI can now better cut down angles and react to different types of attacks while adjusting their position more intelligently. It’s important to note that RL Positioning is only active in certain situations, and is only used to position the Goalkeeper. The system is not active when making a save or performing a catch. New Volumetric Animations Animations play a crucial role in how goalkeepers look and feel on the pitch. In FC 26, we’re introducing new volumetric animations for goalkeepers. These animations are based on real-world volumetric motion capture data, resulting in more fluid and realistic movements. This not only enhances the visual authenticity of the game but also ensures that goalkeepers respond more accurately to different types of shots and situations. Be-A-Goalkeeper We could not improve the fundamentals of GKs without touching the Be-A-Goalkeeper (BAG) experience. BAG has received many updates, including new controls and assistance levels, PlayStyles, revamped UI components, and an updated presentation, along with unique camera and audio treatments. Revamped Be-A-Goalkeeper Experience For players who enjoy controlling the goalkeeper directly, the Be-A-Goalkeeper (BAG) mode has received a comprehensive update. Players can also play as keepers in Clubs RUSH. You can also use Goalkeeper PlayStyles when in BAG Mode. New Control Scheme - new controls to give you as much control over your actions from dive direction, claiming crosses with a punch or catch, smothering the ball, or reaction saves. Dive Direction - flicking the Right Stick will prepare your goalkeeper to dive in that direction for a short period. Right Stick Flick Cross Claiming - when there is a cross coming in, you have the ability to request either a catch or punch attempt, timing will matter. Punch (When ball is crossed): ⚪ || B Catch (When ball is crossed): ⬜ || X One-on-One Situations - rushing the attacking dribbler, you have the ability to attempt to smother the ball or attempt to make yourself big to block the incoming shot. The direction of this action is based on your movement direction. Rush: △ || Y Ball pickup / smother: ⬜ || X Reaction Save / Make Yourself Big: ⚪ || B Reaction Saves - when the shooter is close or you wish to take the dive timing into your own hands, you can modify your dive direction to play an instant save attempt. Reaction Dive On Demand: R1 + Right Stick Flick || RB + Right Stick Flick Visuals New Dive Direction UI - a new Dive Direction UI that appears when there is potential for a shot. Updated Positioning UI - updated the auto-positioning AR visual. Camera - new 11v11 camera that brings you closer to the action with the ability to manually pan the camera. Camera Pan: L1 + Left Stick direction || LB + Left Stick direction Defending We know how it can feel to time a tackle perfectly only for the ball to go right back to the opponent. So, when working on fundamentals, we spent a lot of time focusing on improving these issues during tackles, interceptions, and blocks. Our goal is to reward you for well-timed challenges or anticipating a pass, and now you’ll be more likely to win the ball cleanly and retain possession in those moments. Tacklebacks, Bouncebacks, and Reboundbacks Tackle Outcomes - improved logic when Stand or Slide tackling the ball to a teammate. Shot Blocks - added a new deflection control system to make blocked shots put the ball away from danger. Interceptions - added a new deflection control system to try to keep possession or move the ball to a teammate when making an interception. Tackled Opponents - opponents will feel the effect of a tackle more severely when dispossessed of the ball by playing a realistic reaction after the tackle, thereby reducing the likelihood of them recovering the ball back right after getting successfully tackled. Defending Tackle Spam - improved logic for spamming tackle, to make the delay after a missed tackle more consistent. Tackle vs Block - when pressing Stand Tackle near the dribbler about to take a shot, the defender will be more likely to try to tackle rather than block. Tackles From Behind - reduced the effectiveness of tackling from behind the dribbler. Tackle Personality - added more player personality for stand tackles Players with a low stand tackle attribute (below 71) can only perform basic stand tackle animations. Players with a medium stand tackle attribute (71-84) can perform most stand tackle animations. Players with a high stand tackle attribute (85+) can perform all stand tackle animations. Passing and Shooting Some of the strongest feedback we got on Passing and Shooting is that they can often feel sluggish, as well as that some shots or pass types are unbalanced. Our goal in FC 26 is to improve the options available to players and ensure that the shot or pass is as responsive as possible. Passing Pass Responsiveness With our focus on core mechanics, we dedicated significant effort to ensuring passes, particularly first-time passes, are as responsive as possible. Passing Angles - rebalanced animation restrictions to allow passing to cover a broader range of angles. Faster Animations - enabled first-touch animations for passes when contextually appropriate, such as short distance passes. Passes Behind - Increased animation coverage for 135° and 180° passes, also allowing backheel passes to play contextually in these scenarios. First-time 135° and 180° through passes are now significantly less accurate to avoid Directed Run-related exploits. Quick Passes - Optimized short-distance, low-power passes to prefer faster, more responsive animations with minimal wind-up. Note that in Competitive Gameplay, first-time pass accuracy is reduced, despite being more responsive. Improved Through Pass Targets We’ve introduced the concept of Passing Lanes for semi-assisted through passes. Aiming at a specific passing lane (the gap between two opponents) ensures the best target selection for the intended receiver within that lane, respecting your aim and intention. Through passes will also now lead receivers more effectively. Other Changes Pass Receiver - improved pass receiver selection, especially for Ground and Through passes. Crosses - adjusted Crosses to lead more in front of the target, along with increased accuracy when in easy contexts. Ground Passes - regular Ground passes will now have a straighter trajectory with less contextual curve. Teammates will now maintain their position to receive ground passes. Lob Passes - Lob passes will have more driven trajectories when the path is unobstructed. Goalkeeper Throws - improved throw targets from the goalkeeper. Clearances - adjusted Clearance logic to make them more responsive. Shooting Shooting Responsiveness To make shooting more fair and rewarding, we’ve enhanced responsiveness. Our goal for this is that when you ask your player to shoot, it happens quickly and as expected. Close-range Shots - shots near the net will use more reactive animations with minimal wind-up. Shooting Angles - rebalanced animation restrictions to enable shooting to cover a broader range of angles. Low Driven Additions and Timed Finishing Removal In FC 26, Low Driven shots will be performed by double-tapping the shot button. Low Driven is now a global* shot modifier instead of being contextual based on your shot power. With the new button mapping, we had the opportunity to extend the Low-Driven mechanic across all shot types* by pressing the Shot button again after powering up your shot. Low Driven Lace Shot ⚪ (Hold to power up) + ⚪ || B (Hold to power up) + B Low Driven Finesse R1 + ⚪ (Hold to power up) + ⚪ || RB + B (Hold to power up) + B Low Driven Trivela L2 + ⚪ (Hold to power up) + ⚪ || LT + B (Hold to power up) + B Low Driven Flair Shot L2 + ⚪ (Hold to power up) + ⚪ || LT + B (Hold to power up) + B Low Driven Power Shot L1 + R1 + ⚪ (Hold to power up) + ⚪ || LB + RB + B (Hold to power up) + B Low Driven Volley In Air Shot - ⚪ (Hold to power up) + ⚪ || B (Hold to power up) + B Low Driven Header In Air Jump - ⚪ (Hold to power up) + ⚪ || B (Hold to power up) + B * Except for Chip Shots. Due to the changes to Low Driven, Timed Finishing has been removed. In general, we felt Timed Finishing didn't add meaningful skill depth and proved difficult to balance. It disproportionately rewarded long-range shots and felt inconsistent in high-pressure moments. Removing it allows us to balance shooting to produce more consistent outcomes. This change allows for more skill differentiation through Precision Shooting, where timing, aim, power control, and shot selection help build a more noticeable skill gap. Trivela Shots and Gamechanger PlayStyle Trivela shots will now be connected to the new Gamechanger PlayStyle. A player without this PlayStyle will not be able to perform trivelas. While visually impressive and powerful, Trivela Shots became overused by players across all positions, often leading to unrealistic and exploitable scoring patterns. Our goal with this change is to balance the shooting mechanics of the game, especially in Competitive Gameplay. GameChanger PlayStyle - Trivela Shots can only be performed by players with this PlayStyle or PlayStyle+ If a player doesn’t have the Gamechanger Playstyle or PlayStyle+, attempting a Trivela Shot will default to a lace shot instead. See the PlayStyle Section for more details on the new Gamechanger PlayStyle. Attacking and Defensive Positioning You’ve been asking us to increase fluid attacking movement, while also having a logical defensive structure, for a more fun and dynamic match. Our goal in FC 26 is to make your teammates’s positioning more flexible, regardless of Role, allowing them to make more runs and provide you with more supporting options as you progress up the pitch. Attacking Positioning Player Support - reevaluated the positioning logic to provide better supporting options for the ball carrier, trying to always have someone available as a passing option. Attacking Runs - made several changes to the attacking runs logic: Increased the number of attacking runs by players, to lower reliance on triggered runs. Attacking runs more consistently run into open space. All players will be more likely to make the best attacking run options instead of strictly following what their player Role dictates. Ex. a Winger can cut into the box if the opportunity arises, where before they would wait out wide. Ex: a Wingback can move forward if there is open space in front of them. Balanced Build Up - teams will have a more balanced approach, giving you run options as well as close-support options. Offside Runs - improved attacker’s ability to stay onside, and the speed in which they come back when offside. Defending Positioning [NG] Player marking - adjusted positioning of defenders to now man mark opponents when close and inside the box. Defensive Line Height - the defensive line will not automatically push up as far when trying to keep players offside. Physicality Protecting the ball and keeping it is an essential part of football, and we agree that this is an area with lots of room for improvement. Our goal is to give you added consistency with the shield button, allowing you to protect the ball, be it when receiving a pass, when the opponent presses against you when controlling the ball, or when bumping a marker with your shoulder as you dribble to make a bit of space. Shielding Improvements In FC 26, Shielding has been fully reworked to provide you with more consistent options and extra authentic physicality across the pitch. Shield Trapping - our objective was to give players a new tool when trapping the ball and wanting to stand their ground instead of immediately moving. Improved positioning when receiving the ball and Shielding Hold L2 || Hold LT. Increased Strength-based differentiation when Shield trapping. Prioritized getting in the way of incoming opponents instead of getting the perfect touch on the ball. Rebalanced and improved outcomes of several scenarios and timings when starting to Shield before and after receiving the ball. New Shielding trap animations, to increase shielding coverage and effectiveness Shield Dribbling - Shielding has been fully reworked to make it more consistent and better at respecting your input. Improved consistency of player positioning relative to the ball when Shielding. Improved transition from Shielding to Sprint. Re-tuned how long you can Shield depending on how much short-term fatigue you have. New Shielding movement animations. Shield Entries We added multiple new ways to perform one-off Shield actions while moving. These actions can be used to quickly and physically get in front of the opponent before going into a rapid burst of speed, or they can be a way to start shielding when out of position. Dribbling Shoulder Challenges - new type of Shielding action that allows you to better protect the ball while dribbling. Physics - improved physics effects for both the shielder and the shieldee, to accentuate the physicality of the action. New Animations - multiple new animations added for Step-ins, Seal Outs, and Shield Turns. Enforcer PlayStyle - new animations added for players with the new Enforcer PlayStyle and PlayStyle+. Contested Boxouts On top of all the improvements to physicality in FC 26, we are adding a new mechanic called Contested Box Outs. Stronger players are able to keep opponents away when fighting for an incoming air ball. This allows players to use Shield when in front of their opponent, triggering a strong physical action that provides more space to either trap the ball or set up for a header. The effectiveness of the Box Out is based on the Strength difference between the two players. It can only be triggered if your player is in a good position when waiting for the ball. Following a Box Out, you can transition into any action to allow a fluid continuation of play. Other Physics Changes We’ve spent a lot of time ensuring that we’ve reduced physics-based frustrating scenarios that could sometimes occur. Jumping over fallen players will now be much more reliable and effective.. Players getting stuck together when stumbling will be moved to the side to allow them to detach and continue play. When trying to avoid other players, we have made them more slippery. This is so that player avoidance doesn’t cause players to get stuck on each other. Controlling the Ball and First Touches Similar to physicality and defending, first touches could have been frustrating in the past when they felt sluggish, non-urgent, or when they fell back to the opponent. Our goal with these improvements is to make players feel more agile and in control of the ball, especially when trapping it. Controlling the Ball - Responsiveness First Touch Responsiveness - significantly improved responsiveness of first touch ball control to seamlessly transition into dribbling right after contact with the ball. Ball Control - refined players’ ability to control the ball after a pass or interception to maintain possession. Factors influencing the difficulty of a first touch include ball speed relative to the player's speed, ball height, requested exit angle, opponent pressure, the part of the body used for the touch, the extent of stretching, and player attributes such as Ball Control, Interceptions, and Composure. First Touch Precision - when receiving or intercepting a pass, holding L2 || LT will greatly improve the players ability to control the ball at the trade-off of player’s move speed. Earlier timing of this input will result in increased control. Flick Ups - improved flicking actions when receiving an aerial ball in all directions to be more consistent and predictable. Consecutive Flick Ups will progressively become less effective to prevent exploits. Loose and Contested Balls Player Urgency - new ability to increase players' urgency when attempting to reach a loose ball or contested ball by pressing Sprint R2 || RT. Holding Sprint prompts immediate acceleration toward the contact point. Without the Sprint input, the response might be less immediate, highlighting the importance of your reaction time in critical moments. Online and General Gameplay Responsiveness Our goal is to make the game more consistent and to continue investigating community feedback related to online/offline responsiveness via the Gameplay Responsiveness initiative. For more information on our Responsiveness initiative, check out the Pitch Notes below: ] https://www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-fc/fc-26/news/pitch-notes-fc26-gameplay-responsiveness-update The Deep Dive contains a lot of information, such as our investigation to better understand the player experience, our learnings, and some steps we are taking to improve. Here’s some more information on responsiveness changes in FC 26 that are related to the Fundamentals refresh: Gameplay Animation Improvements Animation transitions and branching have been re-evaluated and retuned across most areas of Gameplay to improve consistency and responsiveness. Adjusted the following areas across all animations to make them more internally consistent: time to contact ball, ball trajectories better aligned with animation, pose fidelity, and animation exit speed. Improved selection of animations to better match the player’s current speed and animation speed. Relaxed the coverage required for animations, allowing them to start faster in many situations. Fatigue Redesigned When investigating responsiveness, one common piece of feedback was that players would sometimes not feel the same across the course of a match. For Competitive Gameplay purposes, we decided to redesign some elements of the Fatigue system. Our goal with this change is responsiveness; a player should always feel and play well when you are controlling them. Note: the changes below only apply to Competitive tuning, though Clubs has a slightly different design. Short- and long-term fatigue only affects AI-controlled players User-controlled players are NOT AFFECTED while being controlled. CPU-controlled players in Competitive tuning are also not affected by fatigue. An example is when playing Squad Battles. When controlling a player, the effect of fatigue on different attributes (including Sprint Speed and Acceleration) is not in effect. Meaning a user-controlled player acts as if they have full stamina when controlled. For AI players, they will have a reduction in Sprint Speed and Acceleration when fatigued (proportional to the fatigue level). Relentless and Relentless+ PlayStyles have been changed to increase how quickly your short-term fatigue recovers (more details in the PlayStyles section). For Authentic Gameplay, fatigue works as before. For Clubs, short-term fatigue works as before, however, long-term fatigue doesn’t accumulate for any player. For example, when short-term stamina depletes, the player is slower when running until the fatigue bar recovers. Note: this design is subject to change. Inputs, Indicators, and Overlays Improved the Input Processing System. More info in the Responsiveness Deep Dive: https://www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-fc/fc-26/news/pitch-notes-fc26-gameplay-responsiveness-update Fixed Skill Move detection issues. We made the Player Indicator more responsive during gameplay. Created a new overlay to better display connection status (visuals subject to change): Competitive and Authentic Gameplay Let’s dive into one of the most significant changes we’ve ever done to gameplay - splitting it into two separate experiences based on how and where you play the game. Online modes like Football Ultimate Team and Clubs will have their own gameplay type called Competitive Gameplay, while offline modes like Manager Career and Player Career will use Authentic Gameplay as default. This change is a direct result of your feedback, from the comments, posts, and threads, to the hours of conversations we’ve had with the community about how our game could improve. And yes, this means that we can tweak, tune, and change the gameplay for each type without affecting the other. If we add a more realistic feature like slower skill moves, we can make sure they only happen in Authentic, while something like removing the fatigue from user-controlled players can be tailored to Football Ultimate Team. We know that Online and Offline players have different priorities, and we want to showcase that by creating two enjoyable, separate ways to play FC 26. Competitive Gameplay Made for FUT and Clubs Competitive Gameplay is mandatory/locked in FUT, Clubs, Online Seasons, and Online Friendlies. It is optional in Kick-Off and Career Mode. Our goal with Competitive Gameplay is to create a more skill-driven competitive experience by reducing the impact of randomness and assistance. This is an experience tailored for those who enjoy fast-paced, responsive gameplay. The changes to Competitive Gameplay aim to deliver on the three “competitive community” priorities: Responsiveness, Consistency, and Control. Here are the main differences in Competitive Gameplay: All GK deflections try to get away from danger, reducing rebound goals Reduced tackles/blocks/interceptions bouncing back to your opponent Less AI defending, resulting in looser defensive lines Fewer auto tackles and auto blocks Redesigned Fatigue feature More responsive and smoother transitions in and out of specific animations Increased passing speed and responsiveness Tighter control and more speed while dribbling, and skill moves are faster Increased variability on crosses, to favour player skill over repetitive wide play Increased heading error relative to Authentic Increase variability in Corner Kicks outcomes, with fewer attacking players involved by default Less authentic visuals when avoiding a ball, to resolve these situations more effectively Players get up quickly after being tackled to the ground Players show no reaction animations when hit by a fast incoming ball Note that while some of the effects above were mentioned in the Fundamentals section, they were increased/tuned up for Competitive gameplay. We also created a new UT Competitive Camera that is exclusive to the Ultimate Team Stadiums. This camera provides a way to see more of the pitch, while still showing off the stadium and its atmosphere. This camera is on a rail, ensuring more predictable pad angle behavior to aid Competitive Gameplay. Authentic Gameplay Bringing Realism and Choice to EA SPORTS FC Authentic Gameplay is the default for Manager and Player Career Mode and optional in Kick Off. You’ll still be able to toggle between both presets in Kick Off and Career to tailor your gameplay experience. Authentic gameplay is not playable in Ultimate Team or Clubs. Our goal with Authentic Gameplay is to create a true-to-football experience with a heavy emphasis on realism, strategy, and immersion. This is an experience tailored for those who enjoy methodical and less predictable gameplay. What allows us to achieve the above is not just the Competitive mechanic toggle, but also the Authentic Gameplay Sliders. We have carefully tuned them to accomplish that true-to-football experience with a heavy focus on realism and immersion. Weather Effects are also turned on by default. The changes to Authentic Gameplay aim to deliver on three authentic community priorities: Immersion, Realism, and Less Predictability. The main differences in Authentic Gameplay are: Authentic Sliders Weather Effects, including Wind, Rain, and Snow Lower speeds for dribbling and skill moves More physics-based GK rebounds, blocks, and bounces More realistic tackle accuracy Greater AI defending enabled, with tighter defensive lines and defenders reacting realistically when a ball is nearby More realistic and tighter positioning in midfield More realistic header passing and shooting accuracy Corner kicks and Crossing tuned to match real-world success rates Players avoiding a ball might occasionally be hit by it instead More realistic animation transitions Human-like reactions and get up animations Authenticity Features Toggle This setting activates a set of features that are specifically designed to support the Authentic gameplay type, such as the increased influence of physics in ball movement, or the increased assistance with AI defending. This toggle is locked when in Authentic Gameplay, but can be turned on/off when customizing your gameplay type. It cannot be turned on in Competitive New Sliders Additionally, we heard our Career Mode Community and have introduced 5 new sliders to further enhance the authenticity of gameplay. Here’s the breakdown: Header Shot Error - Increases/reduces the amount of error applied to a user/CPU team’s headed shots. Header Pass Error - Increases/reduces the amount of error applied to a user/CPU team’s headed passes. Intercept Error - Increases/reduces the amount of error applied to a user/CPU team’s ability to control the ball when intercepting passes. Ball Deflection Error - Increases/reduces the impact of physics on a user/CPU team’s ball deflection. The higher the number, the more the outcome will be driven by physics interactions. Tackle Assistance - Increases/reduces the user/CPU team’s tackling assistance. The higher the number, the more forgiving the tackles will be. Note: Error refers to an action not being performed as perfectly as possible. Team’s Playing Styles improvements We’ve made improvements to the playing styles of CPU Teams to make them more unique, and to stand out in both attack and defence. Attack CPU opponents will now make smarter and more varied decisions when it comes to passing, crossing, dribbling, and other gameplay areas. For example, some teams prefer to cross into the box more often, while others utilize slow buildup or fast tiki-taka attacking plays. Defence The CPU will know better when and how to defend, press the player, stay back, or use double contain. For example, specific teams will try to overwhelm you by pressing with multiple players at once, while others will just sit back and then press you aggressively when you get close.EA SPORTS FC 26 Version 1.4.3 Update Notes
EA SPORTS FC 26 v1.4.3 is dropping soon for the XB1/XBSX/PS4/PS5/PC versions of FC 26 and includes the updates below. Gameplay Addressed the following issue: Addressed an issue where shots taken with the Finesse Shot PlayStyle and PlayStyle+ were sometimes unexpectedly slow. 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. The EA SPORTS FC TeamEA SPORTS FC 26 Version 1.4.2 Update Notes
EA SPORTS FC 26 v1.4.2 is now live for the PC/PS4/PS5/XB1 and XBX|S versions and will soon be able for the Switch / Switch 2 versions. Gameplay Made the following updates: Addressed an issue where the goalkeeper could've deflected the ball too accurately during an anticipation save. Inaccurate knuckle ball shots could have occurred more often than intended. Career Mode Made the following changes: Added a new Contract Extension setting under Transfer & Scouting that enables you to choose how open players might be to contract extensions. Updated visuals and animations for scheduling loading screen. Added a new Social Media panel that surfaces active Challenge Objectives during challenge scenarios. Addressed the following issues: After requesting a transfer, players could not have always been offered new contacts. In Live Start Points, women’s teams were unintentionally present in some leagues. Clubs Goalkeepers were sometimes holding the ball for longer than intended when a pass was requested. Once emptied, short-term stamina could have previously only been recovered if players became idle. General, Audio, and Visual Made the following changes: Updated some badges, logos, hair, boots, star heads, lighting, kits, tattoos, 2D portraits, scarves, banners, cameras, button callouts, overlays and TIFOs 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. The EA SPORTS FC TeamFootball Ultimate Team™ 26 - Future Stars
GENERATIONAL TALENT Future Stars is back with a bang, as wonderkids, Désiré Doué, Estêvão, and Alyssa Thompson, are joined by a selection of standout youngsters dominating conversations across The World’s Game alongside Heroes and ICONs for players who exceeded expectations from day one. Build the future of your Football Ultimate Team™ by competing in new Live Events, taking on fresh Squad Building Challenges, creating your own Future Stars Academy Player, and more. BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE For the first time ever, Future Stars welcomes Heroes into the celebration of young excellence, shining a light on footballers who lit up the pitch early in their careers and quickly became household figures. Leading the charge, Micah Richards and Cesc Fàbregas join EA SPORTS FC™ 26 as brand-new Future Stars Heroes, with Richards available as an SBC reward from the opening day of Future Stars. Micah Richards Making his international debut as the youngest ever defender to receive an England callup, Micah Richards immediately made headlines during his first senior season for Manchester City. Racking up over 200 appearances for the Sky Blues, Richards lifted a Premier League and FA Cup trophy alongside featuring in the 2012 Olympic team. Following a brief stint in Italy, Richards returned to England, pulling on the captain’s armband for Aston Villa. Cesc Fàbregas Legendary midfielder turned manager, Cesc Fàbregas rose through the ranks at La Masia before boldly leaving Spanish shores at the age of 17 to join Arsenal and quickly break into the first team and lifting the FA Cup. Returning to his boyhood club, Fàbregas collected scores of trophies before continuing his run of league titles and European silverware at Chelsea as well as lifting three international trophies as part of the Spanish golden generation. CREATE YOUR FUTURE STARS ACADEMY PLAYER Future Stars Academy returns in EA SPORTS FC™ 26. Follow the steps below to turn a present-day prodigy into a ready-made superstar with the Future Stars Academy Evolution chain. Choose your Player Pick any eligible player born on or after 30 January, 2004 (21 or under) to become your academy prospect. Optional: Use one of the 11 Starter Players from the Future Stars Academy Pack to get started quickly. Sign your Player to the Academy Evolution: Future Stars Academy Contract (available from 30 January) Grants the Future Stars Academy rarity Provides full Chemistry in position All future Academy Evolutions require this rarity Do not change the player’s rarity or you may lock yourself out of later steps A second Future Stars Academy Contract Evolution will be obtainable through the Future Stars Youth Cup Objective starting 6 February, 2026 Make your Debut Evolution: Future Stars Academy Debut (available from 30 January) Choose one position-based path to upgrade your player to 86 OVR: Future Stars Academy Debut – DEF Future Stars Academy Debut – MID Future Stars Academy Debut – ATK Each path provides upgrades aligned to that position group. Unlock Future Stars Academy Roles Grants Role++ in all applicable outfield positions: LB, RB, CB, CDM, CM, LM, LW, RM, RW, CAM, ST Available Available from 30 January, once your player is signed to the Academy Helps define how your Academy player performs across different roles on the pitch First XI Upgrade Evolution: Future Stars Academy First XI Position-specific Evolutions unlocked after Debut Takes your player from 86 OVR → 88 OVR Become a Club Legend Finish your Academy journey with one of the following Evolutions: Future Stars Club Legend – DEF Future Stars Club Legend – MID Future Stars Club Legend – ATK These final Evolutions upgrade your player from 88 OVR → 90 OVR, completing their transformation into a true club legend. Plus, complete the Standard Scouting Report (live from 30 January) and Advanced Scouting Report (live from 1 February) Objectives to earn Evolution Consumables that let you uniquely customise your Academy player with Weak Foot, Skill Move, PlayStyle, and PlayStyle+ upgrades. FUTURE STARS YOUTH LEAGUE Compete in the Future Stars Youth League throughout the campaign and the Future Stars Youth Cup, kicking off in Week 2, and complete play and win Objectives to earn Pack and Evolution rewards. Completing the Youth Cup Objective group unlocks the Future Stars Academy Contract Evolution that allows for a second Academy player to be created. Ultimate Gauntlet also returns for its tenth iteration during Future Stars and Flash Rush events brings the Future Stars Academy Evolution and Future Stars focus. NEW SQUAD BUILDING CHALLENGES A host of SBCs deliver a variety of rewards throughout the campaign including Future Stars Player Items. Future Stars will feature themed Challenge SBCs, ICON and Hero SBCs, Flashback SBCs and much more. FUTURE STARS ACADEMY EVOLUTION FAQ Q: How many players can I take through the Future Stars Academy in FC 26? For the first time ever, you can complete the Future Stars Academy path twice.The second opportunity to take someone through the Academy Path releases in Week 2, with the extra Future Stars Academy Contract Evolution available as a reward for the Youth Cup Objectives. All Academy Evolutions and Scouting Report rewards are repeatable once, allowing you to fully evolve two different players from start to finish. Q: Which players are eligible for the Future Stars Academy? For the first time ever, you can complete the Future Stars Academy path twice.The second opportunity to take someone through the Academy Path releases in Week 2, with the extra Future Stars Academy Contract Evolution available as a reward for the Youth Cup Objectives. All Academy Evolutions and Scouting Report rewards are repeatable once, allowing you to fully evolve two different players from start to finish. Q: Do I need to complete the Evolutions in order? You can use any player aged 21 or under, including players born on or after 30 January, 2004. You may also choose to start with one of the 11 starter players provided via the optional Future Stars Academy pack. Q: Which Silver PlayStyles can I earn from the Standard Scouting Report? The Silver PlayStyle Pack contains the following 17 PlayStyles: Tiki Taka Trickster Gamechanger Bruiser Low Driven Aerial Fortress Whipped Pass Slide Tackle Dead Ball Relentless Precision Header Chip Shot Acrobatic Power Shot Inventive Long Throw Block You can apply these PlayStyles to your active Future Stars Academy player via Evo consumables. Q: Which PlayStyle+ upgrades are available in the Academy? From Academy PlayStyle+ Pack #1, you can choose one of: Incisive Pass Rapid Quick Step Intercept Finesse Shot Anticipate From Academy PlayStyle+ Pack #2, you can choose one of: Pinged Pass Technical First Touch Jockey Press Proven Long Ball Pass Each PlayStyle+ pack is repeatable once, allowing both Academy players to receive two PlayStyle+ upgrades. Q: Do I need to complete Scouting Report objectives before finishing the Academy path? Yes. To progress through the full Academy journey and reach the Club Legend stage, your player must have: All required Scouting Report upgrades applied The Future Stars Academy rarity active If these conditions aren’t met, your player will not be eligible for the final Academy Evolutions. Important note: When completing the Academy path on a second player, you do not need to complete the Scouting Report objectives again. The Evolutions earned directly from those objectives are repeatable and can be completed twice, allowing you to apply them to another eligible player without redoing the objectives.
