EA Sports FC is a release that both gaming and football fans anticipate every year. For the upcoming FC 26, it returns with the familiar experience players love, while adding plenty of fresh elements. The latest instalment features more than 20,000 footballers, over 750 clubs and national teams, and exclusive rights to leagues including UEFA competitions, the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A, and more.
This year’s edition introduces two distinct gameplay presets designed for different play styles. Competitive mode is tuned for head-to-head action in Ultimate Team and Clubs, offering faster passing, smarter goalkeeper rebounds, and more direct control. Authentic mode, meanwhile, aims for realism in Career Mode and beyond, with defenders who hold their positions more faithfully, realistic corner success rates, and goalmouth scrambles that capture the chaos of real football.
Core gameplay has also been refined, guided by community feedback. Players will notice sharper dribbling, smarter AI positioning, re-tuned run curves for explosive movement, stronger ball shielding, and more natural close-control animations. Goalkeeping has likewise been upgraded with smarter, more consistent behaviour. A new Reinforcement-Learning Positioning system allows keepers to adapt in real time, improving stance and decision-making during attacking plays.
Beyond gameplay, FC 26 introduces new PlayStyles, expanded Player Roles, and a suite of accessibility improvements. These include the first-ever High-Contrast Mode in a sports title, pitch saturation adjustments, and additional features developed in collaboration with EA’s Accessibility Design Council — all with the goal of making the beautiful game accessible to more players.
FC 26 launches on 26 September for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Amazon Luna. Players who pre-order the Ultimate Edition will receive up to seven days of early access beginning 19 September.
