EA FC 26: All your questions answered
You won't be surprised to find out that a new football game from EA Sports is due in 2025. You might be surprised by some of the new features though. Read the latest news on FC 26 right here.
While EA Sports FC 25 is currently still being played by gamers worldwide, more and more information about its successor, FC 26, is coming out online. Before the next iteration hits the stores, we're going to give you an overview with all the important information and answer all your questions about next season's must-have football title. When will the game be released? Which platforms can you play it on? What new features will there be? Find out all this and more below.
01
Watch the official reveal trailer
The first trailer for EA FC 26 dropped on July 16, teasing the usual raft of gameplay and experience tweaks, including these headlines:
- A gameplay overhaul led by community feedback
- Two distinct gameplay presets - 'competitive' and 'authentic'
- Player 'archetypes' for club and player career modes.
You can read a little more here, with further detail on the gameplay changes detailed further down this story now that we've also had the Gameplay Deep Dive video.
02
When is EA FC 26 released?
Manchester City's revamped squad should be a lot of fun to play
© EA Sports
Traditionally, FC has been released at the end of September in recent years - and this year is no exception. September 26 has been revealed as the main release date, after the publisher dropped the official reveal trailer above, with early access for pre-orders live on September 19.
You'll then be able to buy FC 26 in two different editions:
- Standard Edition
- Ultimate Edition (which includes early access and additional content)
The Ultimate Edition includess various in-game bonuses for Ultimate Team, clubs and the career mode in addition to early access, while there are also a number of 'early bird' benefits available for those who pre-order either version by August 26, with a detailed breakdown available here.
03
On which platforms will EA FC 26 be available?
FC 26 platforms
PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
PC
Mobile
It'll be exciting to see how the version looks on the brand-new Nintendo Switch 2; the hype surrounding the console, which was released on June 5, is currently huge.
04
How much will EA FC 26 cost?
Prices will vary depending on what part of the world you live in, but for the EU region the launch prices are:
Standard Edition
Ultimate Edition
PlayStation / Xbox: €79.99
PlayStation / Xbox: €109.99
Nintendo Switch / Switch 2: €59.99
Nintendo Switch & Switch 2: €79.99
PC: €69.99
PC: €99.99
You can save 10 percent on launch prices with an EA Play subscription.
05
What leagues and licences will feature in EA FC 26?
Trinity Rodman made FC 25's team of the season
© EA Sports
Licence rights change every year, so you can easily lose track of which leagues and teams are included. For FC 25, for example, publisher EA Sports gained the licences for SSC Napoli and AS Roma, but lost the licences for the Milan clubs AC and Inter. According to rumours, the Liga MX (Mexican league) will return to the game, and they're also working on integrating more women's teams and national teams into FC 26.
However, most of the game remains the same - almost all leagues and clubs from FC 25 are still included in the game and provide a realistic feel. You can also expect the Swiss Super League with clubs such as champions FC Basel and Young Boys Bern to be included in the game.
Expected licensed leagues and competitions in FC 26:
Country
Leagues and competitions
England
Premier League, FA Cup, EFL, Barclays Women's Super League
Spain
La Liga, Liga F
Germany
Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga, 3. Liga, Frauen-Bundesliga
France
Ligue 1, D1 Arkema
Italy
Serie A, Coppa Italia
USA
MLS, National Women's Soccer League
Portugal
Primeira Liga
Belgium
Jupiler League
Netherlands
Eredivisie
Argentina
LPF Argentina
Saudi Arabia
RSL - Saudi Professional League
South Korea
K League
China
Chinese Super League
Australia
A-League
Turkey
Süper Lig
Romania
SuperLiga
Poland
Ekstraklasa
Austria
Austrian Bundesliga
Switzerland
Swiss Super League
Denmark
Super Liga
Scotland
Scottish Premiership
Ireland
SSE Airtricity League Premier Division
Sweden
Allsvenskan
Norway
Eliteserien
India
Indian Super League
Mexico
Liga MX (rumoured)
06
Who's on the cover of EA FC 26?
Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musialia share the cover of FC 26
© EA Sports
FC 25 had a new cover star in the shape of English midfielder Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid lynchpin was on the cover of both the Standard and Ultimate Editions, making him the youngest cover star in the history of the game. It's now been revealed that Birmingham's finest is back on the cover of the standard edition, alongside former England age-group team-mate Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich.
A reclining Zlatan on the cover of the Ultimate Edition
© EA Sports
The inimitable Zlatan Ibrahimovic graces the cover of this season's Ultimate Edition.
07
What new features are coming in EA FC 26?
Gameplay
EA released the Gameplay Deep Dive video above on July 22 and with it, provided plenty of information on how they say they're going to "make gameplay better", which has apparently been the main focus of development on FC 26. How are they doing it? Well, in lots of ways, some more fundamental than others, but all the changes are claimed to be based on what the community have been asking for.
Firstly, they're splitting gameplay into two different presets: 'competitive' and 'authentic'. Competitive is a faster-paced, more responsive mode that rewards quick thinking and quick reflexes and will be set as default for online play, Ultimate Team and Clubs. 'Authentic' is the choice for those of you who prefer more grit and realism to your game and is the standard setting on modes like Player or Manager Career.
As for the changes the developers have made to the actual gameplay, the list is a long one:
- Dribbling and movement have been tweaked to make players more agile
- Goalkeepers will now react more consistently and intelligently
- Tackling/blocking has been improved to make it less likely the ball will bounce back to the opponent
- Passing and shooting should now feel more responsive and offer the player more options
- Improved player positioning should mean team-mates make better runs and provide more support
- More realistic physicality will help you protect and shield the ball
- First touch and control tweaks have improved trapping the ball
- General gameplay responsiveness buffs should make the game more consistently responsive during both online and offline play.
On top of that, there have also been changes to accessibility, with a new high-contrast mode and the ability to toggle stadium and player shadows on and off. Skill moves have been simplified, PlayStyles have been balanced, FC IQ has been improved and lots of other stuff. You can dig into the release notes to find the fine detail.
Expect more iconic celebrations to be added in FC 26
© EA Sports
If we go by previous iterations, there will likely be plenty of other new features in FC 26. We've had quite a bit of official detail from EA Sports on the gameplay tweaks above, but there have also been a few exciting leaks:
Game modes
- Open-world mode
Will there be an open world mode in FC 26, such as we've seen in NBA MyPark? According to rumours, this is a possibility. According to several trailer leaks, an open-world mode is currently being developed. If this is really true, you could be looking forward to celebrating street football parties and buying new cars with your own avatar in FC 26. It is also possible that the VOLTA street football mode will be linked to the open world.
Goalkeepers have been revamped to produce fewer rebound goals
© EA Sports
- Ultimate Team (Weekend League)
The popular Weekend League in FC Ultimate Team is to be given a new look. Specifically, it will probably be split into two modes:
- Challengers (Divisions 6-10)
- Champions (Division 5 and above)
Access will be automatic via the Division Rivals mode; there will no longer be separate qualifiers. Among other things, this change would mean that you'd compete more against players who play at a similar level.
There are also general plans for FC Ultimate Team:
- New icons (e.g. Arjen Robben, Toni Kroos and Maradona)
- New heroes
- More dynamic events
- Career mode
The career mode continues to prove popular and will probably be given new options in FC 26. According to rumours, there will be AI-controlled manager personalities and advanced tactical tools. We'll find out more details about FC 26 Career Mode in the coming weeks.
In the run up to the official release of FC 26, we'll keep you updated right here with all the latest on the game. Check back regularly to ensure you don't miss anything.