The final EA FC 26 Deep Dive revealed what the devs have in store for this year’s Ultimate Team season. EA’s ever-reliable cash cow attracted a ton of criticism in FC 25, with promo saturation and inconsistent gameplay being the primary culprits. The devs managed to stabilize the ship via a Winter update, but FC 25’s FUT will still go down as possibly the lowest point of the franchise. Nevertheless, some key changes are coming to the game mode this September. So, here’s everything you need to know about EA FC 26 Ultimate Team.
Live Events
EA FC 26 Ultimate Team expands the mode’s playlist, adding a selection of new competition types. These events will feature different entry requirements, making it more important than ever to use players that normally wouldn’t even make it to your reserves. To go along with this feature, the devs have added a new Event hub, which will serve as a jump-to point for every competition type.
Live Events can include modifiers such as:
- House Rules (Classic Match, Max Chemistry, First to X Goals, Mystery Ball, No Rules, Long Range, Swaps, and Survival)
- Match Limits
- Solo only, Co-op only, or open matchmaking
Tournaments Return
After years of demands from fans, Tournaments are returning to FUT in FC 26. Tournaments bring back a classic knockout format with new structures and a flexible schedule, designed to appear at key moments rather than run every week or stay evergreen like Rivals or Champs. Each Tournament brings its own rewards, with different squad rules and setups across the season to keep things fresh. We’ll receive more details on their timings and rewards via the launch day pitch notes.
Gauntlet
Gauntlet is a brand-new competition type or Live Event in EA FC 26. These tournaments test your squad depth, as you’ll be forced to field new XIs for every match, for a total of five games. Unlike Tournaments, Gauntlets do not feature eliminations, meaning you can continue playing regardless of the results. Of course, the more you win, the better the rewards you’ll receive.
At launch, the game will come with the Ultimate Gauntlet, featuring three matches (requiring three unique squads) and running every two weeks. Additional details on this Gauntlet type will be shared closer to the title’s release.
Rivals Changes
With Champs being limited to weekends, Rivals serves as the go-to Ultimate Team mode for most players. And since it attracts a majority of the community’s play time, the mode can induce burnout due to multiple reasons. In response to this feedback, FC 26 will implement new Rivals features to spice up the experience and give players an extra bit of incentive to grind the mode.
The first of these features is called Bounties, which are randomly triggered challenges that apply to your next Rivals match. Complete one and you’ll earn rewards that speed up progression, such as Rivals Points, Champions Qualification Points, Coins, Packs, Season XP, and even Rivals Stage Skips.
Duels are special Bounties that match you with opponents on the same challenge, like scoring the first goal, meaning only one player can walk away with the reward. This adds extra jeopardy to a standard Rivals game and should keep things interesting in the long run.
Relegations are back in the form of a Limited Checkpoints system. These checkpoints track your losses and notify you about the number of matches you can lose before dropping down to a lower division. The aim behind the mechanic prevent players from getting stuck in a division outside of their skill level for long periods of time. Limited Checkpoints will reset at the start of every new season.
Champions Changes
Champions Qualifications matches have finally been removed. Their existence made less and less sense with every successive year, and FC 26 does the community a favor and gets rid of them entirely. Qualification of Champs is now tied to reaching a specific Rivals Division and collecting Champions Qualification Points.
Challengers
Champions matches, especially at the highest divisions, can turn into annoying sweat fests. The over-reliance on meta players, broken formations, and ratty gameplay can turn casual players away from the competitive game mode altogether. To help provide a more enjoyable alternative, EA FC 26 sees the introduction of Challengers.
Challengers is basically a lower tier of Champions, made for players outside the top divisions. The competition comes with its own format and rewards, ensuring that the exclusive and cut-throat feeling of Champs is preserved while offering a more relaxed experience overall.
Competitive Gameplay
EA have taken every opportunity to sound the horn about all the gameplay refinements coming to EA FC 26. At the heart of these changes is the much-needed separation of online and offline gameplay, implemented by way of the two presets. Ultimate Team will use the Competitive preset, which retains the breakneck tempo players have become accustomed to, while clamping down on FC 25’s most annoying gameplay issues.
You can learn more about what the preset entails and all the gameplay changes in our dedicated guide.
And that wraps up all the new features coming to EA FC 26 Ultimate Team. Do these changes have you excited for the upcoming season of FUT? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
