EA Sports FC 26 is one of the most anticipated sports titles of 2025 with Electronic Arts’ promising enhancements on making the FC 26, a more polished and balanced football simulation. The game is scheduled for a worldwide release on September 26, 2025 with an Early access starting from September 19, for the players having the Ultimate Edition of FC 26. The EA Sports FC 26 will be available on platforms such as PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.

Whether you are a Career mode grinder or a competitive FUT guy, the FC 26 will deliver you a much impactful experience. Be it improved core gameplay, Career mode upgrades, Player roles, Improved graphics or New playstyles, FC 26 has brought so much and there are plenty more that are yet to be unpacked. Let’s follow LDShop everything you need to know about this year’s biggest sports title and this will help you stay a step ahead of your rivals.

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Table of Contents

  • Release Date and Pre-orders
    • Standard Edition
    • Ultimate Edition
  • Improved Career Mode
    • Manager Career
    • Player Career
  • Ultimate team
  • New ICONs
  • New Player roles
  • New Playstyles
  • Conclusion

Release Date and Pre-orders

Starting from the official release of the game, FC 26 is scheduled for the September month with a 7 days early access. The game will be released in two editions: Standard Edition and Ultimate Edition.

Standard Edition

The standard edition will be released as the full release version of the game on 26th September, 2025 with Jade Bellingham and Jamal Musiala on the cover. The standard edition will be sold at the cost of $69.99.

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Rewards

  • 1x Archetype unlock
  • 2x Double AXP for 10 matches
  • 3x Icon career players
  • 5-star coach in manager career
  • 5-star youth coach in manager career
  • 5-star youth scout in manager career
  • Manger Live Challenge content
  • 92+ FUT OVR icon for FC 25

Ultimate Edition

The Ultimate Edition is a special edition of EA Sports FC 26 that will be released on 19th September, 2025, 7 days early access before the full release. The ultimate edition will be sold at a cost of $99.99 and have Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the front cover of the game.

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Rewards

  • 1x Archetype unlock
  • 7 days early access
  • Total 6000 FC Points over 2 months (4500 for Switch 2 players)
  • Season 1 Premium Pass
  • 2x Double AXP for 10 matches
  • 3x Icon career players
  • 5-star coach in manager career
  • 5-star youth coach in manager career
  • 5-star youth scout in manager career
  • Manger Live Challenge content
  • 92+ FUT OVR icon for FC 25

For the players who have committed to the game before August 26, 2025, they will get some exciting pre-order rewards which contains:

  • 99-shooting FUT Evolution
  • FUT Icon player item
  • 93+ FUT Icon player pick for FC 25

Improved Career Mode

The long-awaited justice has finally been delivered to the Career mode with new immersion, added realism and creativity. Both the manager and player career feels more dynamic than ever and users can experience the scenarios based on their choices.

Manager Career

In FC 26, managers are no longer static figures and with the addition of the new Manager Market system where players can hire or sack managers for their clubs and Manager Live Challenges where your tactical thinking will be tested through certain challenges as leading a youth-only team to glory. These additions will certainly increase competitiveness and make the game more interactive, making it feel more alive.

Player Career

On the Player Career side, you get the old linear growth system replaced by new Archetypes and Origin Stories where players can shape their virtual journey around specific playstyles.

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Ultimate team

The people’s favourite mode, Ultimate team is also back with some exciting changes. EA has focused on making the game mode feel more competitive and smoother. The goal of this mode is to make your dream squad and compete against other competitors with your team. In order to stay ahead, make sure that you buy FC 26 coins to get the best players for your team from the market. The best platform to make the top-up is LDShop, it lets players top up for less and it is a great way to save money.

Apart from this, Ultimate team also has a number of modes which are:

  • Friendly Matches: A casual mode to enjoy matches with friends or just for test purposes that can be played both online and offline.
  • Ultimate Team moments: An offline challenge mode against AI opponents that will grant you some rewards.
  • Squad Battles: An offline challenge mode against AI opponents that will grant you some rewards.
  • Ultimate Team Draft: Pay an entry fee of 15,000 coins or 300EA FC points to play 4 matches and the rewards will depend on your number of wins. Available both online and offline.
  • Division Rivals: Division system matches that will be played online and higher division rank players will receive better rewards.
  • Weekend League: League matches consisting of 20 matches and the higher you rank, the better the reward.

New ICONs

Players who have pre-ordered the Ultimate Edition of EA Sports FC 26 will receive new untradeable ICONs from the history of football which will be called the DEBUT ICON. These new ICONs are:

  • Steffi Jones
  • Sissi
  • Cha Bum-Kun
  • Giorgio Chiellini
  • Oliver Kahn
  • Toni Kroos
  • Francesco Totti
  • Caroline Seger
  • Andres Iniesta
  • Marcelo
  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic
  • Alex Morgan

New Player roles

In EA FC 26, the roles of the players are made much more flexible and liquid, creating variety and authenticity in squad building. This year, four new roles will be making their debut in FC 26.

  • Wide back: A center back role who drifts wide to support the fullbacks in both defense and offense. Alessandro Bastoni at Inter Miami would be the perfect example for this role.
  • Inverted Windback: An attacking fullback role who pushes forward but at the same time excels in playing both as a playmaker or an extra midfielder just like Achraf Hakimi at PSG.
  • Box Crasher: A defensive midfielder role who mostly assists in in-box attacks while leaving the defensive position for a much longer time like Declan Rice at Arsenal.
  • Ball-Playing Keeper: A new era goalkeeper who assists as a passing choice when guiding the team on offense while keeping his feet on the goal line on defense. For example, Ederson and David Raya.

New Playstyles

Playstyles have been completely revamped in the FC 26 with new gameplay upgrades. The redesigned playstyles are focused to be more impactful, authentic and more noticeable on the field. Alongside these revamps, four of the existing playstyles that includes Power Header, Aerial, Trivela and Flair have been removed and five new playstyles are introduced, which are inspired from the previous eliminated playstyles to make the football experience more lifelike which are:

  • Aerial Fortress: This playstyle uses dominant defenders and midfielders who have a higher jump and more physical presence in aerial combat.
  • Precision Header: This is a much more offensive play where strikers and offensive players focus on hitting strong headers with much more accuracy to gain a precise goal.
  • Inventive: This is the classic passing playstyle and as the name suggests, creativity is a key element in this playstyle. Players need to execute a Trivela pass with much more style and precision using creativity.
  • Gamechanger: This playstyle combines the use of the previous playstyles - Flair and Trivela in order to make a unique game changing play with unusual finishes.
  • Enforcer: This playstyle uses physical and aggressive attacks on the forwards to dribble through the opponent and gain much more control on the ball.

Conclusion

EA Sports FC 26 is one of the most awaited football titles and the devs have also shaped it into one of the most refined football simulations. It blends realism, creativity and competitiveness to give something familiar yet a brand-new experience that feels fresh. From revamped Career modes to dynamic Ultimate Team, the game delivers modes and offers experiences that will keep players engaged for countless hours of fun and competition. The game lives up to the people’s expectation and FC 26 is sure to set a new benchmark for football simulations.

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Henry Smith Experienced Game Editor

Greetings! I’m a veteran game editor and strategy guide creator with over a decade of experience exploring the worlds of MMORPGs, FPS, and RPGs. From the harsh deserts of Dune: Awakening, to the high-stakes arenas of Valorant, and the unforgiving lands of Elden Ring, I dive deep into the mechanics, meta, and moments that define each game. What can you expect? In-depth guides, expert commentary, and practical insights to sharpen your gameplay and expand your understanding of the titles you love.