Let’s all be honest with ourselves - EA FC 26 is terribly bad.
I am going to outline some points below in which I believe makes this year’s game horrible to play. Feel free to give your opinions on these points as well, as I’m genuinely curious to see if anyone else is on the same wavelength as me. Keep in mind these are my own opinions from playing the game quite a bit since early access launched. I’ll also add that I’m a Division 5 player on Ultimate Team - offline I play Legendary. Nothing special by any means, just a casual player. 1). Defending: This year, defending and the point I’ll detail in point 2 of this list are the main factors as to why this game is so terrible to play. If you’re left-stick dribbling, it is impossible to win the ball from an opponent. It just seems like the speed of tackling animations is too slow to handle the dribbling animations. Rarely am I able to time a tackle perfectly and win the ball cleanly and fairly. Vice-versa if I’m on the attack, as all I need to do is some tiki taka passing and left-stick dribbling to be through on goal. AI defending is equally as bad, with defenders making alien runs tracking back nowhere near the passage of play, leaving players wide open to receive a pass. Does anyone else get that weird animation when committing a defender to a challenge, the attacker can manage to get past, but your defender is trapped in a force field (like 2 opposing sides of a magnet) and can’t not within a yard of the player? 2). Too many goals: I don’t think I’ve played a game of UT this year which didn’t have a minimum of 8 goals. I had a Rivals game end 11-9 yesterday (I will attach the proof)… 20 goals in one game of FIFA? Come on man. It is way too “arcade-y”. Pass, dribble, shoot, score. On repeat. Is anyone like me that enjoys a well fought, well defended 1-0 or even a 0-0 which is hard to split? I understand it’s not meant to be super realistic, but the amount of goals, whether nicely worked or just plain BS, makes this game so boring and predictable. 3). Goalkeepers: Where do I start with goalkeepers, man? Again, I don’t think EA nailed the goalkeeper animations this year. Any keeper without the ‘footwork’ play style? Good luck getting anywhere near a low-driven, or for that matter, any shot aimed below the belt line. I feel like one game, your keeper can feel like a prime Buffon, then the next can’t get a hand to anything that comes his way. I think this has to tie in with the high scoring model for UT, which EA seem to be promoting and not willing to change. Very frustrating. Even the goalkeeper save / deflection animations are way off, like when a keeper saves a pretty tame shot and it ends up flying into row Z at a million miles per hour. 4). Kick off goals: Yeah, I’ll leave it at that. 5). Patches: This one I’m most interested in to hear your different opinions on. I just feel like you can play the game for a while and get used to the way it plays, but when a patch or a gameplay update is released, it feels like a brand new, totally different version of the game. Nothing ever feels the same and is drastically different to what you’ve been used to for the previous however long of playing, so you need to spend ages trying to figure out how to adapt as the change feels so drastic. To me, it feels more like an overhaul of changes, rather than subtle tweaks to genuinely improve the gameplay experience. Formations and custom tactics take the biggest hit for me with this one, and a full rebuild is required almost always. [CM edit - formatting]Pro Clubs Custom Tactics For 2 players that works!
For so long, this game has frustrated my buddy and I as it has felt like whatever tactic we have tried has not worked as the bots are so **bleep** awful in this game but we have finally found something for those of us who only have 2 human controlled players so please do give this a try. GLK Sweeper Keeper LB and RB Fullback Versatile CBs Defend Defend CDM1 Deep Lying Playmaker on Build Up CDM2 Box Crasher Balanced RAM and LAM on Half Winger Attack CAM Human on Playmaker Balanced or Roaming ST Human on Advanced Forward Support Defensive Line 61 High (the bots will pressure the ball without being too high, instead of standing around picking their butts)) Passing Style Short Passing (Bots will be less likely to just whack it up the field mindlessly) This formation played amazing for us and we played a team where they were clearly controlling their bots with first time passing and skill moves (which is bullcrap as the bots should not be controlled by humans when you have 'Any' switched off). We scored 12 goals in 2.5 games (the middle game we were 3-0 up and they quit at half-time) and yes we only got to Div 3 so far but it clearly seems to work. Our team's skill rating is in the 1700s and we are only Reputation 3 but this version of custom tactics worked so well that we will use it going forward. The game no longer gives you opponents that are in your Division and clearly bases your opponents on your teams Skill Rating (again bullcrap, you should play the teams in your division), but it was night and day from the other formations we have tried so please, feel free to try it. Hopefully it will work for those who also play with 2 humans in Clubs. Thanks for reading.
FC 26 PRO CLUBS THREAD AND DISCUSSION ( IMPORTANT )
this will be a repost from my fifa 22 forums post, fifa 24 forums post and fifa 14 - 15 forums post ( i got banned in all of them ) and everything still applies: Starting from fifa 10-14 fifa Pro clubs was the best mode You could play . 11 vs 11 With human players the beauty of getting actual 22 players like the real life sport and a collective effort towards a goal felt unreal . After that the game mechanics changed to run down the wing simulator Where you have 1 short guy (because tall guys can never be fast) and 1 Tall guy and the short guy runs down the wing holding right trigger on your controller and presses the cross button and tall guy heads it in . It became a game that only required you to spam X button on your controller and you’ll spam away until it works and it will work . Now I’ve been fortunate enough to play in custom organized 11 vs 11 leagues since FIFA 11 . Ranked 1 club in the world to leagues like VIFA , VPSA , VPFL , iFVPAA international, VFL , IVL , WPSA , ELITE FC , FIFA K1NGZ , l Ambitious l these are clubs in XBOX and custom leagues 11 v 11 all organized by third parties with large number of players because FIFA doesn’t want it to get a competitive platform going for clubs . There was a time where people were genuinely interested in investing their time off their real life with no pay but for the passion of the specific pro clubs where the wins were satisfying and losses felt emotional . FIFA pro clubs had and still has such a potential . I’ve posted a thread in this forum 11 years ago about clubs where I proposed ideas such as : 1) ADD A SUBSTITUTION OPTION ( where if your friends join late they can be be subbed in instead of a bot if you are playing regular division club matches it’s bots and only 2 members ) 2) ADD A SPECTATOR MODE ( where if a player wishes they can sit in the bench and watch a live game as it’s being played I know someone can stream but watching a game from in game is better since if you play competitive leagues you may have more than 11 players on at the same time and based on your competitive matches you can spectate and make decisions into next game subbing people on and off while they literally watch the game from the bench making it actually realistic . 3) ADD PAID DLC so EA actually gives a s*** . It’s very clear EA does not make money off pro clubs and ultimate team is the money maker mode with all the micro transactions and that’s why they stopped caring about pro clubs mode . Now this Idea allows them to atleast make some sort of money and get more support for clubs and get some sort of motivation to help improve hardcore pro clubs players . 4)BRING BACK lobbies and 11 v 11 modes and drop ins . Yes I know it was chaotic and people fighting for same spots but atleast you didn’t constantly just play 1 v 1 in empty lobbies . The point of this mode is multiplayer and the chaos it brings but it’s beautiful when everyone works together and you are rewarded . There’s also a mode once upon a time where you could play 11 v 11 with irl players in lobbies that’s also been taken away from us .. for no reason Here I am at my mid - late 20s just reminiscing and reminding myself that I made this exact post 11 years ago posting 3 constructive feedback as a customer who cares about the game mode and willing to pay a little bit more to see a little bit more . But I know posting a constructive comment or feedback will get me permanently banned on this forums again . It’s the end of this mode it’s unfortunate the population of the pro clubs dropped 196% past 10 years gradually .. it’s 2022 moving into 2023 you can’t tell me adding 2 things that’s really hard for them ? Just 1 or 2 actual features ?? Instead of just renaming “traits” into “archetypes “ or changing specialties into “perks” these are not improving the game it’s showing veterans that you don’t care anymore about the game anymore because money runs the world . I have no words but to just say this I had to let it out and I know my ideas are not perfect but atleast I tried . I’m from Vancouver British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦 where the FIFA franchise has been made . I’m out thanks for the read if EA doesn’t permanently ban me and censor me I’m sure you’ll be able to read this . FIFA 23 is the Last ever FIFA since EA lost licensing and it has been an era of huge disappointment and they let all of down with no effort. They don't care as long as the money comes in. Now with FIFA 25 and 24 we had issues with drop ins not finding players to people hacking in FC 25 clubs modes or glitching to slow down defenders. The gameplay is dead and 10 year old games now perform better. updated add on : Instead of focusing on 1.2 Billion hair and audience animations which no one cares about why not focus on fixing gameplay , adding all the features requested to pro clubs.. or is it the greed of ultimate team packs and micro transactions thats preventing you from doing it? It is The end of what was to be best of our times . They had multiple chances to resolve multiple years to add and improve.... but now its gone. Forever a memory that cannot be re-lived again. Now with FIFA giving up ON EA the only thing they have added is "CROSS-PLAY" within same generations thats their only real "Feature" still you cannot substitute players into a match. This game the potential to be a major E-SPORT ground since 2012 if they played their cards right and maybe into top E-SPORT platform and even in Olympic E-SPORT for pro clubs 11vs11. At this point EA should just delete and close the franchise. Instead of faking it and renaming old conventions such as "traits" now being called "playstyles" then calling it a "new thing" just stop pretending and delete the franchise since you failed and get back to making a proper game like battlefield. Dont put half effort into it just go all in with full effort or give up completely . Dont waste your own time or your customers time faking it the whole time. You gave up on us ... and we will give up on you. This year is your last chance to redeem yourself as a final note before you file for bankruptcy. I know admins will ban me yet again for expressing a VALID and Legit concern as a paying customer. As usual...Ai your face on your career player
Hey just a quick one to the Ea sports community. How cool is it in career modes you see your players name in the squad then as a substitute then in the starting eleven. The you make your player look as much like you as can. But it's just always a generic look. Imagine you could use AI and have your face loaded onto your avatar player so all the photo shot and boxed photos are actual you. Imagine getting subbed on and when the pop up photos of the interchanging players are shown and your face is on your avatar wouldn't that be awesome EA please look into this Lawrence
FC 26 Career Mode Suggestions
Hi, this will be quite long, but I think this would elevate the mode and make it much better and more fun. Transfers The transfer system still feels outdated and lacks realism and depth. The ideas below focus on improving that and making the mode more immersive. 1. Negotiation Realism and Depth More dynamic and reactive negotiations: AI responses are still too binary. Players or clubs either accept or reject offers with little nuance. There should be multi-stage negotiations, including counter-offers, future promises (e.g., "crucial role next season"), or delayed decisions (e.g., "The player wants to wait until the end of the season"). Include agents and intermediaries: Introduce agents as a layer in transfer talks. Agents could demand bonuses, sell-on clauses, or contractual guarantees (like a release clause or a specific position promise). Player personality & motives: Not all players are driven purely by salary or team prestige. Some should prioritize playing time, geographical preferences, trophy ambitions, or reuniting with former managers/teammates. 2. Transfer Variety & Market Realism Loan-to-buy and performance-based options: These should be more impactful and frequent. Right now, most loan deals feel hollow. Add obligations based on appearances, team results, or player form. Buy-and-loan: We need to be able to buy a player from a club and let them keep him on loan for 6 months or a year. Realistic transfer market behavior: Mid-table or lower-tier clubs making 100M+ signings breaks immersion. AI teams should follow realistic financial and squad-building logic, with board approval and budget constraints visible during negotiations. 3. Scouting and Transfer Targets Smarter and more in-depth scouting reports: Scouts often recommend unrealistic targets for your club’s level. Allow us to set scouting profiles more clearly (e.g., "U23 CM with <€20M value from South America"). Transfer target logic for AI clubs: Too often, AI clubs sign too many players or let key ones go for cheap. AI logic should respect squad roles, depth, and form more and actually do proper squad-building. Competition for players: Add active competition from rival clubs, where a target may lean toward your offer or another club based on multiple factors like salary, role, or team performance. 4. User Interface and Presentation Revamped negotiation cutscenes: The cutscenes feel repetitive and lifeless. Add meaningful dialogue choices, more visual diversity (e.g., office, lounge, deadline-day scenes), and real-time feedback on the negotiation process. Deadline Day improvements: Make deadline day feel like deadline day: dynamic ticker updates, AI clubs making panic buys, rumors, and even last-minute hijacks. 5. Player Morale and Transfer Impact Squad reaction to signings or departures: Bringing in a rival for a player’s position should affect morale. Selling a fan favorite should affect locker room mood unless justified (e.g., too old, underperforming). Locker room dynamics in transfers: Add elements like player cliques, preferred nationalities, or locker room leaders that influence the success of a new signing’s integration. To sum ts up: The transfer system in Career Mode needs an upgrade. Adding depth, emotion, logic, and variety to the system will make playing it feel more immersive, and a lot more fun. Team Management and Morale A football club is more than just tactics and transfers. It needs to feel more real and more human, not just menus and numbers. 1. Revamp the Morale System Proper Pre-Season: Pick a destination to go to, organize friendlies, mini-tournaments with clubs, increase popularity in said country, maybe even team-building activities for the team (in the form of cutscenes) that boost morale, happiness etc. Team Building activities: To double down on that, they could be very useful even outside of the pre-season, but during the season in cases where the team's morale has dropped due to form, league position and other factors. Some activities, going to a restaurant, organizing a BBQ and etc, could be a quick way to boost morale. You could even implement a manager personal life system, where you pay for those things out of your own paycheck. Make morale more dynamic and impactful: Right now, morale only changes through generic press conferences or match performance. It should be influenced by training intensity, squad role fulfillment, team results, dressing room relationships, and even club objectives. Visible morale trends & player psychology: Let us see morale graphs over time, short-term vs long-term happiness, and emotional traits (e.g., "resilient," "insecure," "leader" etc) that affect how players react to setbacks or being benched. More player feedback: Add regular in-game messages or meetings from players (or their agents) about morale, similar to Football Manager. E.g., “I’ve been playing well but haven’t started lately. I need an explanation.” 2. Squad Hierarchy and Locker Room Atmosphere Introduce a squad hierarchy system: Like seen in some other management sims, introduce clear tiers of influence. Like leaders, core players, team players, new signings, and prospects. The influence of a player should affect morale swings and locker room cohesion. Team chemistry and cliques: Players from the same nationality, academy background, or past teams may form cliques. Friction or synergy between cliques could influence team chemistry, especially after major transfers or leadership changes. Conflict management: Introduce small internal disputes like players arguing over playing time, leadership battles, or dissatisfaction with team tactics. The manager should be able to intervene through dialogue choices or disciplinary actions. 3. Training and Player Development Training impact on morale and fatigue: Training sessions should affect both match sharpness and player happiness. Overtraining should lead to fatigue or minor injuries, while undertraining might affect development and morale. Individual development paths: Add clearer player goals, e.g., "wants to become a regular starter in 2 seasons," or "aims to play for national team." Tailoring development plans to their goals could boost morale or growth speed. Mentorship programs: Allow experienced players to mentor young talents, speeding development and improving morale. E.g., pairing a veteran CB with a young prospect could unlock faster progression and stronger chemistry. 4. Club Atmosphere and Form Momentum and morale swings: A string of wins should create a positive vibe that lifts the whole squad. Conversely, a poor run should generate pressure from the media, the board, and inside the locker room. Press conference impact expanded: Press interactions feel shallow. Tie them more directly into player-specific morale. If you back a struggling player in public, it should increase his morale (or create resentment in others if undeserved). Fan and board pressure systems: Let the manager feel pressure from the fans (e.g., trending hashtags or crowd reactions) and board politics. Selling a fan-favorite or playing ultra-defensive at home could trigger backlash even if results are acceptable. 5. Matchday Management and Squad Roles Player reaction to tactical decisions: Players should react to being subbed early, being played out of position, or sitting on the bench in crucial matches. Consistent misuse should lower morale and loyalty. More impactful squad roles: Squad roles should go beyond "crucial/rotation." Add flexible roles like "Impact Sub," "Development Project," or "Club Leader." Their expectations and morale sensitivity should align with their defined role. We can't have every 80 rated player we sign expect to be "important" or "crucial" and outright denying a lower role like "rotation". It needs to be more realistic than that based on the squad and club size, as well as depth. It could also tie in with the suggestion about player-specific goals like to become a starter in 1-2 years. To sum it up: Team management in Career Mode needs to move beyond just menus. FC 26 needs to focus on the emotional aspect of leading a club and everything that comes with it like conflicts, personalities, momentum, pressure, and chemistry. All that affects how the team performs, and having more control over those things would most definitely make the game more fun. I know the main focus has never been on Career Mode, but these things could make it amazing to play. Thanks for reading, if anyone even made it to here. I will add more things if I think of anything. 🤠 Discord is: @havokfr
FC26 review?
I've been going through some 'First impression' vids on Youtube from beta testers. Overall comments are that the gameplay and passing are better, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. Crosses and headers don't seem to be realistic, and the custom tactics system is by far not on the same level as it was in - let's say - Fifa 14. Which means you're basically playing the same game, only the gameplay will go a bit smoother. Last reviewer I watched literally said: don't buy FC26, it's not worth it. So I was wondering what the experiences of the beta testers on here are. Anyone wants to comment on the above? The attacking AI still seems to be rubbish, but what about the defending AI?
I am trash in Fc 26
Man, I just can’t handle this game. I was solid back in FIFA 23 (my first FIFA), played decent in 24, even did alright in 25 (though I quit around spring ’cause I couldn’t keep up with the new cards and metas). But this year? I’m absolute trash. Built a stacked squad, got good cards, everyone’s on Shadows/Hunters, all boosted to the max. I’m even running meta tactics like 4-4-1-1, 4-4-2, 4-3-3(4). Still nothing. I’m getting clapped in Div 8 like I’ve never touched FIFA before. My average loss is like 5–6 goals down. I have no clue how to defend — every pass I make gets intercepted. My strikers don’t make runs, and somehow every Chiesa or Doku rips the ball off me better than my Bastoni or Konaté do against opponents’ strikers right inside my own box. Anyone else gone through this? How did you get past it? Maybe some off-meta tactics that actually worked? Drop your codes/strats, I’d appreciate it a ton 😓😓FC 26 Gameplay Feedback – Core Systems Are Fundamentally Broken
This is not a “needs tuning” issue. This is not “early lifecycle balancing.” This is a clear case of core systems shipping in a broken, poorly understood state, reflecting a worrying lack of competence and football understanding from EA’s gameplay direction. The game does not just feel unpolished — it feels like multiple foundational systems were implemented without consistent logic, without football principles, and without proper quality control. Below is a breakdown of the issues, all of which point to the same conclusion: the gameplay framework is not functioning as intended, and it is unacceptable for a full release. 1. Passing Logic Has No Spatial Awareness Passing consistently ignores player input and basic football logic: Wrong targets selected despite clear directional input Obvious passing lanes ignored Through balls massively overtuned, normal passing underpowered Players abuse mechanics (incisive passes) because system logic is unreliable No real awareness of angle, pressure, or body positioning This is not difficulty. It’s fundamentally broken decision logic. 2. Bounce-Back Tackles Remove Skill Reward Even perfect tackles: Often bounce straight back to the attacker Negate clean defensive actions Create artificial pressure loops Defending is no longer rewarded consistently. That reflects poor combat resolution design. 3. Overpowered Tackles From Behind & Physical Imbalance Defensive interactions are inconsistent and unrealistic: Tackles from poor angles still succeed magnetically Weak physical input wins against strong attackers Conversely, attackers lose possession instantly from minimal contact The system lacks coherent physics or balance logic. 4. Defensive AI Completely Lacks Structure This is one of the clearest signs of poor AI implementation: Centre-backs randomly abandon shape Fullbacks drift inside instead of tracking wingers CDMs fail to track runners consistently Offside line is ignored entirely. Defenders are supposed to push up. Not back into box creating space. Seriously this is so low iq its not funny. The result is chaotic defending where players fight their own AI more than opponents. This is basic football structure failure. 5. Corners Still Break Defensive Transition Logic After corners: Players are out of position instantly Clearance triggers instant counterattacks No recovery logic activates This is a repeatable systemic exploit, not realistic transition play. 6. Attacking AI Is Equally Poor Forward movement lacks intelligence: Static positioning Poor run timing Offside runs with no context No exploitation of space between defenders There is no reading of play — just scripted movement errors. 7. Dribbling & Creativity Heavily Punished Skill expression is suppressed: Random collisions and dispossessions Unreliable control inputs Exploit mechanics outperform creative play This removes agency from the player and rewards mechanical abuse instead of football skill. 8. Goalkeepers Lack Consistent Logic Keeper behaviour is highly inconsistent: Near-post goals conceded too easily Routine saves missed Unrealistic reflex saves elsewhere There is no predictable performance model. 9. “Impossible” Solo Goals Break Defensive Systems Players can: Run through multiple defenders Ignore physical pressure Score from unrealistic positions Defensive structure simply does not function reliably. 10. Reward Structure Is Poorly Designed High win requirements lock out large portions of players Near-perfect performance required for basic rewards Poor accessibility design discourages engagement 11. Pack Weight & Progression Feel Misaligned Rewards feel disconnected from effort Progression is grind-heavy and unrewarding Engagement drops due to lack of meaningful payoff 12. Server Instability & Input Delay Heavy gameplay responsiveness issues Input delay during key modes Competitive integrity breaks when responsiveness is inconsistent 13. Rubberbanding & Objective Exploits Players actively avoid gameplay via: Rubberbanding Intentional loss farming This is a symptom of low gameplay satisfaction, not just community behaviour. Core Problem: EA’s Systems Lack Football Intelligence The overarching issue is not individual bugs — it is systemic incompetence in how football logic is translated into gameplay. Nothing is consistently rewarded: Clean tackling isn’t reliable Intelligent passing is overridden Structured defending collapses Creative dribbling is punished Patient build-up is unstable Instead, chaotic, exploit-heavy play is often the optimal approach. This reflects a serious disconnect between EA’s design decisions and actual football principles. Additional Critical Issues Midfield AI ignores ball to “hold position” incorrectly Player switching causes speed inconsistencies Tactics feel ineffective and poorly implemented Negative gameplay mechanics actively disrupt control (tumbling, forced slowdowns, unresponsive passing under pressure) Passing under pressure becomes artificially inaccurate First touches degrade in defensive phases, suggesting forced difficulty rather than realistic pressure modelling Server & Responsiveness Decline Higher perceived latency (~30ms → ~38ms reported) Heavier input delay Dribbling responsiveness significantly degraded Movement feels delayed and inconsistent Whether server-side or engine-side, the result is the same: unresponsive gameplay that undermines skill. Final Point: This Feels Like a Lack of Competence, Not Just Bugs The most concerning part is not that issues exist — it’s that they are foundational, repeated across systems, and unchanged despite iteration. It suggests: Poor internal validation of football logic Weak quality control on gameplay systems Misalignment between design intent and implementation On a 1–6 scale, this is firmly a 1-level release in gameplay quality. At this stage, it does not feel like a competitive football game. It feels like a system that does not understand football fundamentals. EA needs to seriously reassess not just balance — but the competence behind how these core systems are being designed and shipped. Because right now, it is not fun... Just frustrating. It is structurally broken.Bots/Clubs is awful
More so than in 25, fc26 bots in Pro Clubs are awful. For some reason it is mainly for my team. Any team we face bots are not nearly as bad. We have tried everything from manually controlling them to changing every role assignment to almost every variation in the game. We have found no difference when doing the facility upgrades for AI either. Our bots are always slower than any striker. To the point where they can have a ball right next to the and the pace max striker will just run to it from 10x the distance and beat them. They constantly pass to each other and do back passes, completely killing all momentum we ever get. There has been at least 7 own goals in our club just this season, all bots or the keeper. Meanwhile, I find myself, and other strikers in my club who have max or just short of max pace always being beaten to the ball by the other team's fullbacks and centerbacks. The enemy bots are always doing insane over he head and through passes even without being asked to. Meanwhile our bots will randomly refuse to pass, slowly skip dribble into the middle of the pitch and lose the ball. It is ridiculous and genuinely exhausting. I would love to be making excuses right now. You can accuse me of it all you want. I wish that were the case. The amount of demotivation and anger the bots have caused me this year makes me not want to play the game I like anymore. Clubs is what got me into fifa, and it will also be what pushes me away.