Summary
Highlights
FC 26 Ultimate Team™ introduces an exciting expansion of its competitive structure with Live Events, including Gauntlets and the return of Tournaments. Rivals and Champs are revamped with qualifiers removed and a second tier of Weekend League added. Improvements are made to disconnect issues, repeatable Evos are available, and gameplay is overhauled based on community feedback, specifically tuned for Ultimate Team™.
Live Events serve as a new hub for various competitions. Tournaments, back by popular demand, offer high-stakes knockout football where players compete for unique rewards. Gauntlets are a new Live Event designed to test club depth, requiring a completely new squad for each match. Losses in Gauntlets don't lead to elimination, but more wins yield better rewards. Live Events also replace and reinvent Friendlies, and can have squad, house, and entry requirements.
Based on player feedback, Rivals and Champs see big changes. Bounties introduce one-game objectives in Rivals for immediate rewards, not always dependent on winning. Checkpoints are improved with Limited Checkpoints to help players in difficult divisions. Champions Playoffs are removed; players now qualify for Champions directly by reaching a high enough division. Challengers, a second tier of Champions, is introduced for lower division players to experience the Weekend League.
FC 26 addresses disconnect issues, ensuring players receive a win if an opponent disconnects when the score is tied, especially in crucial moments. Evolutions are also changing, with some becoming repeatable, similar to SBCs and Objectives. Cosmetic Evos will stack, and players can maintain the look of some Evos while boosting ratings. The Ultimate Edition provides an extra Evo slot, allowing two players to be evolved simultaneously.
Ultimate Team™ now features its own dedicated gameplay experience called 'Competitive Gameplay', tuned for responsiveness, consistency, and control. It aims to deliver fast, dynamic, and attacking football. Specific changes include quicker passing, more fluid dribbling, fewer AI blocks and tackles, fewer bounce backs, more responsive animations, and fewer goals from keeper rebounds. Player stamina allows for explosiveness when actively controlling players, and one-touch passes are more responsive, triggering in as little as one frame, making players more reactive to split-second decisions.
The changes in FC 26 Ultimate Team™ aim to put players in control, both on and off the pitch, by expanding competitive structures, improving core experiences, and introducing Competitive Gameplay. More information will be available in pitch notes and social channels. Pre-ordering the FC 26 Ultimate Edition offers an ICON in FC 25, a debut ICON in FC 26, FC Points, and an extra Evo slot.