For years, football fans have yearned for a true evolution in the game series that they spend their hard earned cash on annually. EA Sports FC 26 might just be the game that has finally delivered but in ways that probably won’t be instantly noticed. This year’s iteration delivers some of the best football simulations we’ve seen in the current console generation, offering crucial quality-of-life updates that genuinely improve the experience.
The developers have clearly listened to fan feedback, implementing “sticky dribbling” for the most precise control we’ve seen yet, allowing players to carve out space with satisfying fluidity. Passing feels crisper and more rewarding, emphasizing tactical play and intelligent player movement. Even goalkeepers, often a source of frustration in previous iterations, have received a much-needed IQ boost, showcasing improved positioning and decision-making that makes scoring feel earned.
Graphically it is a slight step up on EA Sports FC 25 with players looking fantastically close to their real life counterparts in most situations. As a Newcastle United fan I was glad to see the teams list updated to the latest players and the player model for new signing Nick Woltemade was a striking representation of the 6 foot 6 forward who signed near the end of the transfer window. Even his playstyle seemed to match what I’ve seen of him in the EPL so far. He is picking up the ball and holding up play deeper than Isak did in last year’s game and his pace isn’t all that high so it is forcing a change in my own playstyle, much like the real team that takes to the pitch every weekend.
Other aspects like the grass, player movement and lighting have all had a makeover to be more realistic and this all seems down to the updated version of the Frostbite engine. This is an engine primarily built for first person shooters like Battlefield but it seems to hold up well in this environment.
A standout innovation is the introduction of new gameplay presets. “Competitive Mode” caters to the traditional FC player, delivering the fast-paced action and intelligent AI perfect for online multiplayer and competitive leagues. while “Authentic Mode.” slows down player movement to something more like watching the sport on the TV, demanding greater tactical intelligence and strategic planning for a more true-to-life football simulation experience. This dual approach is a strong solution to the issues of past versions of the game, meaning that now Career Mode and Ultimate Team fixes shouldn’t impact each other.
If you are new to EA FC then jump into Career Mode where you can experience the role of a manager or a player, offering deep control over the long-term success of your club. As a manager, you are responsible for everything from setting a Tactical Vision, like High Pressing or Possession Football, to managing the squad. The transfers and contract negotiations are central to this, requiring you to utilize a Global Transfer Network and scouts to identify talent worldwide. When pursuing a player, you engage in negotiation cutscenes to agree on the transfer fee, sell-on clauses, and then switch to contract negotiations where you must balance the player’s requested wage, squad role (e.g., Crucial, Sporadic), and contract length to keep morale high. Beyond the transfer market, you must also manage the development of players through the Youth Academy, hire specialized coaches, and contend with Unexpected Events and dynamic Manager Live Challenges that add unpredictable drama to every season. This for me is the iconic way to play the game formally known as Fifa and is a big reason why it’s the game I play more than anything else.
The multiplayer experience in EA Sports FC 26 is unified by a comprehensive cross-play system that allows players to compete across different platforms of the same console generation (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC together; PS4 and Xbox One together), with the Nintendo Switch remaining a separate ecosystem. All major modes support this feature, including Online Friendlies, where you can directly challenge any cross-platform friend using real teams and track your head-to-head record. Competitive play is centered on Football Ultimate Team™ (FUT) with its Division Rivals and Champions tournaments, plus the new Challengers mode. For team play, Clubs allows groups of players to compete in 11v11 matches, while Rush provides a fast-paced, arcade-style option for both casual and co-op competition.
FC 26 brings other welcome enhancements. The “Manager Live Hub” in Career Mode offers new challenges and unlockables. Ultimate Team sees the return of tournaments, alongside cosmetic customization for Evolutions, adding a fresh visual flair. Online play stability has also seen commendable improvements. For Clubs players, the new “Archetype system” provides a clearer progression path, helping teammates define their roles on the pitch with greater clarity. There are so many ways to play the game now that at times it can feel a bit overwhelming, especially if you are a casual player just wanting a few quick games of Career mode after a hard day at work.
Each year I swap the system that I get the game for and this year it was the PS5’s turn which is primarily differentiated by its deep integration with the DualSense wireless controller, enhancing the match feel through multiple sensory layers. The controller’s adaptive triggers are utilized to simulate a player’s fatigue, making the R2/L2 sprint button resist the press more as a player’s stamina decreases, forcing strategic energy management. Meanwhile, haptic feedback provides nuanced, localized vibrations to convey on-pitch physicality, such as the impact of a strong tackle or the sensation of the ball hitting the back of the net. It also uses the built-in speaker on the DualSense controller to play select, immediate sound effects, most notably referee whistles for fouls, offsides, and the end of a half, even the impact of the ball hitting the back of the net, adding an extra layer of positional audio directly to the player’s hands.
But now, for the elephant in the stadium: microtransactions. While gameplay evolves, EA’s monetization strategies have become alarmingly pervasive. The FC 26 Season Pass launched on day one, more aggressive than ever. It’s no longer solely about Ultimate Team rewards; now, valuable content for Clubs, Player Career, and Manager Career is locked behind paywalls. Unlocking iconic players like in Manager Mode often comes with a significant amount of grind, direct spending, or diving into the lootbox-heavy Ultimate Team. They must make a fortune from this side of the game and it almost feels disappointing that they charge full freight for the main game as well as this. It is more than having your cake and eating it, its having the whole bakery and gorging yourself sick. Pay to win feels more potent than ever in this edition of the game.
I have to take my hat off to the quality of life improvments in FUT though, for example to combat player frustration from opponents quitting during tied matches (“rage quits”), EA Sports FC 26 has implemented robust Disconnect Improvements in Ultimate Team’s competitive modes (Rivals, Champions, and Live Events). Unlike previous titles, the system now awards a win to the remaining player if the opponent either quits via the menu OR suffers a disconnect (including dashboard quits) while the match is tied, provided certain “in-game conditions are met” such as passing the 45th minute, the quitting player conceding a penalty kick, or receiving a red card. This is coupled with a matchmaking time-out penalty for players who consistently leave matches early, designed to discourage the toxic behavior and maintain the competitive integrity of the online experience. Well played EA, this is from a result of listening to player feedback and it is very much appreciated.
EA Sports FC 26 is a guilty pleasure and a game between games that I get without fail annually. This season it delivers its best on-pitch gameplay in years. The responsive dribbling, crisp passing, and now competent goalkeepers make it a genuine joy to play and that’s really the sensation you want from any sports title. It’s a requirement in this genre that rather than just looking at the new and improved mechanics it has to FEEL like a fun game to play and it absolutely nails that.
For players who enjoy Career Mode and Couch multiplayer you’ll find a noticeably better football game here. But FC 26 also highlights EA’s continued push for revenue, raising serious concerns about the delicate balance between player experience and profit. Don’t get me wrong, Ultimate Team is a blast, my pockets just aren’t deep enough to keep up, so I’ll just stick to the fundamentals.
