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]
Support Process Question: EA Help vs EA Forums
Dear EA Sports, I was advised by the EA Sports Support team (EA Help) to raise my concerns and issues with the game on the EA Forums, and I was assured that developers and relevant teams are active here. However, despite creating multiple posts outlining my concerns, none of them have been acknowledged by EA staff. I have worked in a corporate environment for over 25 years, and I must say that this level of communication falls well below the standard one would normally expect from a customer support structure. What I find particularly confusing is the process itself. EA Help, which is meant to support customers, redirects players to these forums to raise issues. Yet once customers follow that direction, it appears that no meaningful engagement takes place. From a customer perspective, this creates a situation where players are effectively moved from one support channel to another without their concerns actually being addressed. The only time I received a response was when a post included a three-letter word that apparently violated forum rules. That post received attention immediately, yet the actual concern raised in the post was not addressed in the response. This sends a rather unfortunate message that moderation is active, but meaningful engagement with the issues themselves is not. As a long-standing customer, this is disappointing. I have been playing EA football titles since the very first FIFA, well before the PlayStation era, and I have remained a loyal player for decades. Because of that, I find it difficult to understand why concerns raised by players here receive so little acknowledgement. I fully understand that companies must be careful when responding publicly. However, complete silence is also a response, and it is not a particularly reassuring one. If EA Help directs players to the forums, then the forums should function as a place where issues are at least acknowledged or discussed. Otherwise, the process risks appearing circular — players are redirected to the forums for help, but once they arrive, no help is provided. I would respectfully ask that this process be reconsidered, and that concerns raised here receive at least some level of acknowledgement from the relevant teams. I have earned badges and profile levels on this forum over time, but those are secondary. What matters far more is meaningful communication with the player community. Could EA staff please clarify whether posts raising gameplay concerns are reviewed and whether players can expect responses here? For clarity, could a member of the EA community team or moderation team please confirm whether gameplay concerns raised on this forum are reviewed by the development team, and whether players should realistically expect feedback or acknowledgement when such concerns are raised here? Understanding how this process works would be very helpful for players who have been directed here by EA Help. Thank you for your time and consideration.
FC 26 & Beyond: A Roadmap to Saving the Game
First of all, I’m not a professional trader or a coin seller; I’m just an average player who has been playing Ultimate Team since FIFA 14. However, there are undeniable indicators that reflect the current state of the game and the declining interest of the player base. For instance, the drop in Black Market coin prices (which is, of course, against TOS) is a major red flag. Typically, prices only crash toward the end of the game’s cycle when the 'hype' dies down. Seeing this happen so early indicates a significant loss of passion among players. Today, I’ll be discussing some suggestions and solutions for the major issues we face. My goal is to help 'save' FC 27, as the roadmap for FC 26 is likely already set in stone. That said, we still hold onto a glimmer of hope for radical fixes from EA during the second half of this year's cycle—specifically with the start of the TOTS (Team of the Season). I will discuss the suggested solutions and the problems we face randomly and without a specific order. Evolutions: A Passion Killer Firstly, removing Evolutions because they eliminate the need for special players. Now, you can build and evolve a player for a very small amount, making them better than any existing player in the game or any released special card. This naturally kills the passion because if you have many powerful players, over time you will get bored since you can't change them or find anyone stronger. This is supposed to happen only at the end of the game's cycle. Naturally, this destroys the prices of special cards in the market and, consequently, destroys the market itself. Cards have always been distinguished by their unique designs based on each event, which is exactly what standard Evolutions are ruining. The company didn't stop there; they created a special "Cosmetics" section that produces even more distorted cards, causing players to lose their identity. This is especially evident with TOTY (Team of the Year) cards; when their premium, signature look is stripped away, it becomes truly disappointing. I have discussed this extensively in this article: The Evolution system is out of control | EA Forums - 13087382 Reforming the Store Pack System Merging the Promo Packs and Global Limits sections, while reducing the total number of packs in the store. At least 80% of Promo Packs should be converted to Global Limits with small quantities, as it was previously. Additionally, User Limit packs should be reduced to only two or three types throughout the entire week, with their limit decreased to 1 or 2 packs per person instead of 5 or 6 per person. Eliminate the Provisions section from the store because it rarely offers value for money. On the contrary, it contributes to destroying the market and undermining legitimate ways of earning coins, such as trading. This leads to widespread frustration since most rewards are untradeable, leaving players without coins. As a result, the community splits into two groups: the first gives in and buys FC Points or coins through illegitimate methods, but after a while, most of them get bored and stop spending unless they are content creators doing it for their content (and a large portion of them actually changed their content this year, which is very noticeable). The second group cannot compete with those who pay and is often forced to quit the game. Some of them even decide not to buy the game again. The most prominent example of this is in Africa and most of Asia; due to economic conditions and currency exchange rates, they can barely save up for the price of the game over the entire year, even though it is their favorite form of entertainment. I have discussed this extensively in this article: The Death of the Ultimate Journey: How Content Overload Ruined | EA Forums - 13126856 Untradeable Locks: Restoring Rewards Choice Abandoning the current Rivals rewards system, which forces you into untradeable players. This halts your progress in the game and kills the passion. We must return to the old system. Power Curve Inflation: From Content to Chaos Reducing the Campaign Mix Player Packs/Picks and the idea of bringing back previous event cards. Instead of them being available daily as they are now, they should return monthly in very limited quantities to avoid killing the value of those older cards. Additionally, their reappearance in Store Packs should be strictly limited to very small numbers Reducing Icons and Heros SBCs, even if it means slightly increasing the pack weight to compensate for their lower frequency. In the past, we used to eagerly wait for the moment these challenges were released to complete them; unlike now, where the SBC stays available in front of us and we just ignore it. The numbers prove this is the case. Eliminating the idea of "+Specific Rating" SBCs (like 83+ and similar) and returning to the old pack format, which was better and more enjoyable. We know that the reason for introducing packs in this format is the expanded database (due to the addition of women's football leagues); however, flooding the game with this much content so early on kills it. We used to only see this level of content during Futties. The idea of "+Specific Rating" packs, the excessive store packs, and the influx of "fodder" players in events—alongside numerous misleading and poor rewards—has led to massive inflation in the game's market. This is clearly reflected in SBCs. For example, the Matthäus SBC appears to be "value for money" in terms of coin cost, but a different reality emerges when you translate those coins into the fodder required to complete it. You find the SBC requiring six 90-rated squads, six 89-rated squads, and others. It is nearly impossible to replenish these squads through weekly rewards alone. This brings us back to the core issue: we need balance through a genuinely lower Power Curve that aligns properly with the different stages of the game throughout the year. We should have fewer events; it’s not necessary to have a new event every week if we want to preserve the value of the cards. We need leaks to stop permanently because they kill the excitement of new content. We also want the return of those hype-filled Loading Screens. I have discussed this extensively in this article: Stop Leaks It Destroys game | EA Forums - 13040208 The Death of the Ultimate Journey: How Content Overload Ruined | EA Forums - 13126856 Predictable Content: Killing the Surprise We need a new, more exciting animation. The current animation makes it too easy to tell from the very beginning whether a player is a walkout or not. This leads to quickly skipping through packs, which kills the excitement. Reimagining Team Chemistry Changing the Chemistry System if it has failed, or making significant developments to it. The current situation forces us to change the card designs—which are their most distinguishing feature—into repetitive, identical looks just to achieve good chemistry. This is a very poor experience. You can learn from the old PES chemistry system, "Team Spirit" How it works: You simply need to play and win to achieve full chemistry. When you add a new player, your team spirit decreases, and you must play and win again to reach full chemistry once more. I have discussed this extensively in this article: Has the New Chemistry System Failed? | EA Forums - 13087314 Fix Ultimate Team's Rating Chaos For years, the Ultimate Team community has engaged in the annual ritual of debating player ratings. the conversation has shifted from minor disagreements to a fundamental problem: the rating system is chaotic, arbitrary, and lacks a clear foundation. Currently, the numbers on a card often feel meaningless. The system is massively chaotic and does not rely on any clear criteria, which has directly caused numerous exploits in the game. It is imperative to establish a clear, fixed standard for the rating system." Examples: Two Gold Cards "Mapi León" 89 Rating and "van Dijk" 90 Rating To illustrate this absurdity, consider the comparison between Mapi León (89 OVR) and Virgil van Dijk (90 OVR). Both play in the exact same position: (CB). Yet, the data tells a conflicting story. Mapi León Have 2294 In-Game Stats (IGS) and 470 Base Stats, whereas van Dijk sits at only 2,132 IGS and 454 Base Stats. How is it logically possible for an 89-rated card to significantly outperform a 90-rated card in raw attributes when they share the same Position? I have discussed this extensively in this article: Why EA Must Fix Ultimate Team's Rating Chaos | EA Forums - 13116912 Fix Ultimate Team's Play Style Chaos The chaos of PlayStyles+ must be fixed; their overpowered nature often renders card stats completely useless. We need to create a genuine balance between PlayStyles+ and actual attributes. Furthermore, there is a clear lack of logic in how these PlayStyles+ are distributed among players. Clubs vs Ultimate Team: The Logic Gap When you dive into Clubs mode, you immediately find a clear, transparent framework governing how a player acquires a PlayStyle. Conversely, this foundational logic is completely abandoned in Ultimate Team. In Clubs, there are strict prerequisites; for example, to unlock the Silver 'Finesse Shot' PlayStyle, a player is required to meet specific attribute thresholds: a minimum of 80 Vision, 75 Finishing, and 80 Curve. This system creates a direct correlation between stats and abilities—a standard that is bafflingly absent in Ultimate Team. To illustrate this disconnect, we can look at a prime example like Jairzinho. His attributes clearly exceed the logical requirements found in Clubs, boasting 89 Vision, 92 Finishing, and 81 Curve. By all metrics, he should possess the Silver Finesse Shot, yet he has been arbitrarily denied it. In stark contrast, we have a bronze player like Matty Smith, who is inexplicably gifted with the Silver Finesse Shot despite having abysmal stats that fail to meet any reasonable criteria: 50 Vision, 58 Finishing, and 51 Curve. This comparison exposes a fundamental flaw: in Ultimate Team, a player's actual abilities often have zero correlation with their assigned PlayStyles. I have discussed this extensively in this article: Why EA Must Fix Ultimate Team's Play Style Chaos | EA Forums - 13123696 Restoring Balance through the Catalog System The EA Catalog must be brought back and refreshed annually with a yearly or monthly leveling system. We also need to decouple the Season Pass from the rest of the game modes; it should be exclusive to Ultimate Team. Currently, people rarely play Career Mode—they might only play five matches a week on the lowest difficulty just to grind for SP (Season Points). In many cases, they don’t play at all and simply ignore the Season Pass because it’s not worth the effort. Bringing back the Catalog would create a significant balance for everyone. Modernizing the Web App and Companion Suggestions for developing the Web App and Companion : Recently, we’ve seen browser extensions (unofficial and prohibited by the company) such as Fut Genie and Paletools. These tools make using the Web App and Companion much easier and allow for completing SBC's seamlessly. We hope the company reviews these ideas and integrates them into the official Web App. EA Must Add pack animations to the Web App and Companion. Furthermore, the issue of repeated logins every time the Web App or Companion is opened must be fixed. The Consistency Crisis: Balancing Feedback While it’s good that the company cares about player feedback, there must be a foundation or fixed reference points for development. For example, if players say shooting is too powerful, the company nerfs it; then players complain it’s too weak, so the company buffs it again. This cycle is illogical and creates frustration due to a lack of stability. There must always be a consistent point of reference. In conclusion, I apologize for the length of this article. These are several other topics I have written about but did not mention here in this extensive post. Fix Rush | EA Forums - 12905406 Evolution suggestion | EA Forums - 13103087 Remove the Silver Icons, They Are Destroying the Game | EA Forums - 13087352 Bring Back the Game We Love | EA Forums - 13087449EA FIX YOUR GAME WE ARE TIRED TO PLAY THIS DEMO VERSION OF A GAME
Hello EA I’m writing to report several gameplay issues that are seriously affecting my experience. Firstly, player movement feels inconsistent and unresponsive. My players are often out of position without reason, which makes defending very difficult. On top of that, AI defending seems overpowered, with opponents getting a high number of automatic blocks Passing is also a major issue. I frequently experience inaccurate passes, including simple short passes and long balls going in completely the wrong direction. The “Bruiser” mechanic does not appear to be working as intended. My players are often knocked off the ball or sent into the air by opponents using Bruiser, yet no foul is given. Goalkeeping is another concern. My goalkeeper struggles to make even basic saves, while my opponent’s goalkeeper performs unrealistically well, saving nearly every shot. Additionally, I’ve encountered a bug where I’m unable to pause the game, make substitutions, or activate team pressing. These features simply do not respond during matches. Overall, these issues are making the game frustrating and difficult to enjoy. I would appreciate it if you could investigate and address these problems as soon as possible.Something wrong with game
This game is probably the worse 1 to come out most people leaving the game its not fun anymore we where promised change and they would listen even had a whole ad campaign about it which should be looked into for false advertising then ontop of that no complaints department just a bunch of mods on here more bothered about the magical 3 letters so they can ban the company is becoming a jokeCan this get any worst
Since when can a game get worst than fc 25 well this can, passing stull rubbish, gameplay still rubbish, players dont make sense with rating, 93 keeper is worst than a bronze keeper, a bronze is 2x faster than a 94 rated player with 95 pace make that make sense ea either fix this or u lose so many people which makes u loosing money which we all know that thats just what u want as thats all you care about you dont listern to the players and you just make the games **bleep** all ea games are **bleep** get a **bleep** grip and fix itHere we go again... Crazy rant time to point out how much needs fixing..
Ok, heres a list of what is actually working properly. 1.Nothing Ok, and here is everything that needs imidiate attention to be fixed. 1. Passing Logic: A Beautiful Rejection of Player Input Passing in FC 26 is less about intention and more about vibes. - Aim right? Ball goes left. - Spot a clear through lane? Ignored. - Try a simple pass? Enjoy your underhit tragedy. Meanwhile, through balls have been blessed by the gods and can slice through reality itself. Spatial awareness? Angles? Pressure? Body positioning? No, no — that would require logic. 2. Tackling: Congratulations, You Almost Had the Ball You win a tackle cleanly. Perfect timing. Great positioning. Textbook defending. The reward? The ball politely returns to the attacker like it’s on a loyalty program. Defending isn’t about skill anymore — it’s about how many times you’re willing to win the same tackle. 3. Tackles From Behind & Physical Duels: Physics Has Left the Chat Defenders can now: - Tackle from behind with zero positioning - Magnetically steal the ball - Commit fouls that apparently aren’t fouls Meanwhile, attackers: - Lose the ball if someone breathes near them Also, strength stats? Decorative. Your powerhouse gets bullied by someone half the size because… reasons. At this point, just remove attributes and replace them with coin flips. 4. Defensive AI: Bold New Strategy Called “Panic” Defensive structure is now entirely optional. - Centre-backs wander off like they’re sightseeing - Fullbacks forget wingers exist - Midfielders jog back like it’s a charity walk Trying to defend feels like babysitting 10 players who have never seen a football before. 5. Corners: The Fastest Way to Concede You take a corner. You lose the ball. Suddenly it’s a 4v2 counterattack. Apparently, recovery runs are a premium feature not included in this version. 6. Attacking AI: Standing Still Simulator Your attackers will: - Stand directly behind defenders - Make runs into the most crowded areas possible - Go offside with unmatched confidence Movement, timing, intelligence — all optional. 7. Dribbling: Where Skill Goes to Die Dribbling has been redesigned into: - Random collisions -Delayed input -slowwd down animation - Coin-flip outcomes "Magnetic magical tackles to stop dribbling completely Creative play? Punished. Mechanic abuse? Rewarded. Exactly what everyone wanted. 8. Goalkeepers: Schrödinger’s Shot-Stopper Keepers now exist in two states: - Conceding from impossible angles - Saving shots that defy physics There is no in-between. There is no logic. Only chaos. 9. Rewards: Designed for the 0.1% 24 attempts. 20 wins required. Because clearly, only perfection deserves rewards. Everyone else? Thanks for participating. 10. Pack Weight & Progression: Effort Not Included Grind more. Get less. Rewards feel disconnected from effort, which pairs beautifully with already frustrating gameplay. 11. Servers & Input Delay, år meta tactics: The True Skill Gap Gameplay now depends on: - Input delay -Server responsiveness Whether your commands actually register -whether u choose right or wrong tactic cause ur tactic magicly affect if ur player feels like he is running in mud. Nothing says competitive like guessing when your inputs might work. 12. Rubberbanding & Quitting: A Mystery Solved Players aren’t engaging properly. Shocking. Almost like the gameplay isn’t enjoyable. 13. Counterattacks: The Only Consistent System Counterattacks are elite because: - Defensive AI doesn’t track runs - Offside lines are optional - Players react too late It’s less “counterplay” and more “free goals with extra steps.” 14. Speed nerfs... A 99 speed defender getting caught up by a 66 pace defender. There is no point in speed or skill anymore. Its a passing simulator and terrible at that... It cant do simple passes even. 15. Simple bugs like the players having a bad touch and start running like a snail game 1 meter to get the ball. How is it possible this is still in the game. 16. Enforcement & Anti-Cheat: When Legit Players Get Flagged The issues don’t stop at gameplay. Players are being flagged for “coin distribution” despite only using in-game mechanics and staying within allowed price ranges. Normal trading behavior — like listing items higher and occasionally selling — can be interpreted as cheating by automated systems. The result? Legit players get restricted No clear explanation is given Appeals return generic responses No transparency on what was actually “wrong” This creates a system where players are effectively treated as guilty based on patterns, without context or proper review. If enforcement tools cannot reliably distinguish between cheating and normal gameplay, that’s a serious problem. Because at that point, it’s not just the gameplay that’s broken — it’s trust between the game and its players. And right now, that trust is not in a good place. Core Issue: Football Intelligence Not Found Right now: - Reading the game isn’t rewarded - Good defending isn’t rewarded - Creativity isn’t rewarded - Patience isn’t rewarded But exploiting broken mechanics? Oh, that’s thriving. Bonus Features (Because Why Not) - Players randomly slow down - First touches become disasters for no reason - Simple passes become complicated - Tactics turn players into either statues or Olympic sprinters It genuinely feels like the game is actively working against you. Servers (Again, Because It Matters) Ping has gone up. Gameplay feels heavier. Responsiveness is worse. What Needs Fixing (Short Version: Everything Core) - Passing logic - Tackling outcomes - Defensive AI - Attacking runs - Dribbling responsiveness - Goalkeeper consistency - Counterattack balance -Reward structure -Banning algoritm -Server performance -Players moving like trucks -The overpowered speed neerf So… minor tweaks. Final Thoughts If the goal was to create a football game that doesn’t understand football, then honestly, impressive execution. If not… we might have a problem. Right now, FC 26 isn’t competitive. It isn’t realistic. And most importantly — it isn’t fun. On a scale of 1 to 6? This is a confident 1. If I ever wanted to remove everything enjoyable from a game, I’d definitely study this. There is simply no way to fix this mess. U need a new game engine and u need to go back to the roots for inspiration...There is no joy playing this game
There is absolutely no fun playing a video game. Can't outrun defenders who have less speed unless u put on rapid. Must tell mbappe that next game he plays or Pele from the grave. Sorry mate you can't outrun a 77 pace defender or turn them inside out with your 95 dribbling and there 60 agility. Might tell Oliver Khan sorry mate you can't save anything. This game is just absolute dog poo with bird crappings on top of it. Can't dribbling, Can't first time pass 2 meters away without a playstyle can't reactor when ball right next to you. Have to use the same old bs meta players cause your engine is **bleep**. And only some players can't actually move and get the ea bonuses that others dont.How can I get a refund
Can't even turn my players and dribble on the ball. No chance ever buying another fc game o3 khan worse then my 90 gk lol. Like what is the point of a 93 if he worse then a 90 l. Lol like he's 93 for a reason or you guys don't understand 93 out of 100 is supposed to be top rated not been out preformed by a fkn 90 rated player. I reckon my 5'3 tilo would be a better gk
