How to become a champion in EA FC 26 Ultimate Team
Ultimate Team is once again the most popular game mode in FC 26. Not familiar with UT yet? Don’t worry - with our guide you’ll soon feel right at home.
Ultimate Team (UT) still tops the charts in EA FC 26! In this mode, you build your dream squad over the course of the season. Since FC 26 Ultimate Team can look a bit overwhelming at first, this guide will help you get to grips with it. Follow these five tips, put together your ultimate team, and go for glory!
01
How chemistry works and why it's so important
This your FC 26 Ultimate Team starter squad
© FUTBIN/EA Sports
Once you’ve earned your first coins by winning matches and completing objectives, and are ready to start building your squad, there’s one thing you need to understand first: chemistry.
How many chemistry points does a team have?
In previous editions you could reach up to 100 chemistry points. In FC 26, the maximum team chemistry is 33. This is made up of each player’s individual chemistry rating (from 0 to 3). If every player has 3 chemistry, you’ll go into the match with the perfect team chemistry of 33.
How is chemistry calculated?
A player’s chemistry depends on his team-mates, based on three factors: nationality, league, and club. For example, two players from the same club and league will boost each other’s chemistry. However, if the rest of your squad comes from entirely different leagues, clubs, and nations, that boost will be minimal. To get the best results, make sure your squad has shared links across these three areas.
Note that in FC 26, player links no longer need to be directly connected on the pitch. It doesn’t matter if they’re positioned next to one another or not - as long as they’re in the line-up, their chemistry counts. That means, for example, a left-back and right-back from the same club can both contribute positively to your squad’s chemistry.
02
Why Squad Building Challenges are worth it
Andrés Iniesta makes a welcome reappearance in UT this year
© EA Sports
Squad Building Challenges (SBCs) play a major role in FC 26 Ultimate Team. In an SBC, you exchange players from your club for pre-set rewards. These rewards might be packs or specific players. Packs test your luck, while SBC player rewards are often unique, time-limited opportunities. They’re always untradeable and only available for a set period.
That’s why it’s important to think carefully before completing a player SBC. Sites like FUTBIN will show you how much an SBC might cost, and also offer community-created solutions if you get stuck.
But don’t forget: every player you submit has value — whether tradeable or not. So an SBC is never truly “free”, even if you didn’t buy extra players to complete it.
03
Trading - the ultimate game changer
Ridle Baku takes a penalty in FC 26
© EA Sports
Once you’ve built up some coins and invested in your squad, you’ll want to protect that value. Keeping an eye on the market and making the most of price swings is one of the most important skills in Ultimate Team.
How to trade successfully with patience
Depending on new FC 26 Ultimate Team content released by EA Sports, card prices can sometimes crash dramatically. The key is not to panic. With expensive cards in particular, these dips are often temporary — after a short time, values bounce back.
So if you miss the best time to sell, don’t offload your players in a panic. Wait for the market to settle. In fact, these dips can be great buying opportunities — whether for your own team or as investments.
Why Fridays matter most
The most important time in FC 26 Ultimate Team is 7pm. That’s when EA drops new content - SBCs, store packs and promo cards. Promos usually arrive at 7pm on Fridays, making it the key weekly event. If you can, always check UT news at this time - it could have a big impact on the market and on your squad.
04
Boosting your team with Icons and Heroes
We all dream of a team of Zlatans
© EA Sports
Icons and Heroes are hugely popular in FC 26 Ultimate Team, both for their quality and the chemistry boosts they provide.
What makes Icons special
Icons are legendary players like Pelé, Lothar Matthäus, or Andrea Pirlo. Unsurprisingly, they’re expensive. To get one, you’ll either need to spend a huge number of coins or strike it lucky in a pack.
An Icon always has full chemistry in its natural position. However, it only boosts team-mates if they share the same nationality. For all others, it has no additional chemistry effect.
New Icons in FC 26 Ultimate Team
The Icon class of '26
© EA Sports
This year brings twelve new Icons, including Zlatan Ibrahimović and Andrés Iniesta. Each has two versions - “Debut” and “Champion”. Debut versions will be upgraded to Champion versions in November.
FC 26 Icon
Debut rating
Champion rating
Zlatan Ibrahimović
86
92
Andrés Iniesta
86
92
Oliver Kahn
86
91
Alex Morgan
86
91
Toni Kroos
86
90
Caroline Seger
86
90
Marcelo
85
89
Giorgio Chiellini
85
89
Francesco Totti
85
89
Steffi Jones
85
89
Sissi
85
89
Cha Bum-Kun
85
89
Why Heroes are just as useful
Heroes are based on iconic moments from players’ careers and come with unique league-specific chemistry. They give all players in your squad a small nationality boost, and a bigger one for their league.
Since squad building often revolves around shared leagues, this makes Heroes more valuable than ever. Together, Icons and Heroes are some of the best cards you can add to your dream team. Building such a squad is still the ultimate goal - with coins, SBCs and smart trading paving the way.
05
Make the most of Evolutions
Angry Ginge at the EA FC 26 launch
© Mark Roe/Red Bull Content Pool
Evolutions let you upgrade cards in Ultimate Team by completing objectives. You can boost their overall ratings and stats up to three times per active evolution. Skill moves, weak foot, work rates, play styles and secondary positions can also be improved.
Not every card can be upgraded, though. Each UT season introduces new evolution slots with specific requirements - for example, only players in a certain position can be improved. Even so, evolutions are a fun feature that let you develop your own players and give them a personal touch.
Since FC 25, you've been able to run several evolutions at the same time and thus level up more players in your team more quickly.
What’s new in FC 26 Ultimate Team: Challengers and Champions
Finally, let’s look at two key changes in FC 26 Ultimate Team.
- The old play-offs for Champions qualification are gone. Instead, you now qualify directly through your Division Rivals ranking and qualification points.
- There’s also a brand-new Challengers mode for players outside the top divisions. It offers its own format and rewards, giving more players access to the Champions experience - while Champions itself remains the top-tier competition.
About the author
Chris Knoth is a former professional eFootball player. He was a German national player, became European champion and competed against the best players in the world at national and international championships. He's now been a coach for many years and has also coached esports players in the Virtual Bundesliga - the official German championship in EA FC 26.