EA Sports FC 26 Review – Strong Potential

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EA Sports FC 26 is very much what you’d expect from a yearly sports game release – it builds upon the previous version. And to be fair, it’s a solid improvement, especially considering some of the issues with EA FC 25. EA listened to player feedback and actively tried to fix long-standing problems, resulting in a game that aims to please a wide range of players. While it doesn’t quite hit the mark for everyone, EA FC 26 is definitely a move in the right direction.

The biggest change is the introduction of two distinct ways to play the game. Traditionally, the online and offline experiences felt a little different, but now that difference is much more noticeable and isn’t just due to online connection issues. Two new presets, ‘Competitive’ and ‘Authentic’, significantly change how the game feels. You can choose between these when playing offline, but all online modes, like Ultimate Team, are set to the ‘Competitive’ style, even when playing against the computer.

Competitive mode focuses on rewarding player skill. Games are fast-paced with quick passing, emphasizing dribbling and impressive moves, and generally result in high scores. While the game encourages attacking play, defending has been made more effective. Now, successful tackles reliably win the ball back, eliminating a common frustration from earlier versions of the game.

You’ll still find yourself overwhelmed at times. Defending in online games often feels like there’s no midfield because players have so much space and the game is incredibly quick. A few quick passes can easily put the attacking team right at your goal, leading to most tackles happening near the penalty box. I’ve tried to fix this by using two defensive midfielders and telling them to stay back, but it doesn’t help – players without the ball just don’t move enough. Because so much of the game happens close to both goals, one missed tackle or a fast run can create a clear scoring opportunity. This results in high-scoring games, with final scores like 5-4, 6-2, or even 8-7 being common.

Honestly, the goalies are *slightly* better – they don’t bounce the ball right back into the danger zone as much. But getting a clean sheet, or even just holding the other team to under two goals, still feels like a huge win. Defending takes real skill, you can’t just let the AI do all the work, but it’s still really tough. I think if there was more of a fight for control in midfield, tackling wouldn’t feel so risky, and we’d see fewer scoring chances overall. Right now, Competitive matches are fun when I’m on the attack, but pretty overwhelming when I’m defending. It’s definitely better than last year’s online experience, where I was just constantly frustrated, but it still has its problems.

If you’re playing offline, you can switch to the Authentic preset for a more realistic football experience. This slows down the game, making each play more deliberate and focusing on tactics, defense, and careful build-up. Environmental factors like wind and a wet field also come into play, affecting how the ball moves. While Authentic offers a more thoughtful style of gameplay, the computer opponent can be inconsistent – sometimes too easy, other times frustratingly good at holding possession. You’ll probably need to adjust the game settings to find a difficulty level that feels just right.

It’s disappointing the Authentic preset isn’t available online, but the single-player Manager Career mode is much improved this year. A new feature called Manager Live offers unique scenarios to test your skills. For example, you can try saving a team from relegation after a hefty points penalty, or lead Real Madrid to win both their league and cup titles while giving Jude Bellingham plenty of playing time. Other challenges include topping the league at Christmas or making a certain profit from player transfers. This adds a fresh twist for players who like long-term career modes, and it’s especially good for those seeking a tougher experience.

Unexpected Events add surprising challenges to your career season. These random situations make managing your team more interesting than just playing matches, and they force you to react to things that happen off the pitch. For example, you might lose players due to training accidents or illness, deal with a homesick player, or even face a change in club ownership with new expectations and a bigger transfer budget. While Football Manager fans are used to this kind of unpredictability, it brings a more realistic element to EA FC’s career mode, making you constantly adjust your plans.

As a big Ultimate Team player, I’ve been really enjoying the recent changes! They’ve added some cool new stuff, but also fixed things that weren’t working so well. I’m especially glad Rivals has been revamped – the relegation system is back, which means you won’t get stuck in a division that’s way too hard for you anymore. They’ve also made it easier to progress in Rivals with these new bonus objectives. I was playing the other day and actually earned 2,000 coins just by using a Team of the Week player and then scoring two goals in a row – it really helped boost my weekly rewards!

It feels important to address this because rewards are scarce, and most of them can’t be traded with other players. EA seems to be trying to slow down how quickly players get better by changing the way progression works. They’ve replaced the old season pass in Ultimate Team with a single pass that lets you earn rewards across all game modes – Career Mode, Ultimate Team, and Clubs. Personally, I don’t like this change. When I’m playing Ultimate Team, I’m focused on improving my team with packs and players, not unlocking a legend like Seydou Doumbia for use in Career Mode.

To make matters worse, the standard season pass has been significantly reduced in content to introduce a premium version that costs real money. This feels unfair in any game that isn’t free-to-play, but it’s particularly frustrating because previous games in the series offered a free season pass. While it’s good that EA is trying to balance the game’s progression, it’s unclear if this will work, as players who spend money can still get ahead by earning more rewards from the season pass and buying items in the store.

One long-standing problem continues to persist because it remains profitable. Fortunately, issues like inconsistent tackling, inaccurate passing, and a repetitive career mode have been improved. However, the competitive settings still slightly favor attackers, and in trying to please everyone, EA Sports FC 26 doesn’t quite hit the mark. It’s a near miss, though. While there are still imperfections both in gameplay and elsewhere, this is the strongest installment in the series for some time. It may not be a champion this year, but it’s definitely progressing towards success.

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2025-09-26 00:45