EA FC 26 Version 1.4.0 Patch Notes: Major AI Defending Nerf, Gameplay Changes, and More

After weeks of gathering and ‘monitoring’ fan feedback, the latest EA FC 26 patch is finally introducing some major changes to AI defending. These tweaks will make attacks more free-flowing and should help CPU defending feel less like FC 25. On top of this, the update brings a suite of gameplay changes, including a much-needed adjustment to the opponent AI in Squad Battles. For a look at all the changes, check out the full EA FC 26 update 1.4.0 patch notes below.

EA FC 26 Version 1.4.0 Patch Notes

EA FC 26 version 1.4.0 will be released for all platforms in the coming days. Here are the update’s full patch notes:

AI Defending

We are making a change that will reduce the reaction times of AI defenders when marking the ball carrier, increasing the chance of them leaving more open space while transitioning between actions. This change can help your attacks feel more free-flowing. We will continue to monitor your feedback on AI Defending and look to make more adjustments if needed. 

• AI Teammates and CPU AI
  • AI defenders now have slower reaction times when marking the ball carrier, which can result in them leaving more space open while transitioning between actions.
  • The Squad Battles CPU AI will now focus more on moving the ball up the pitch and creating chances more quickly.
  • The CPU AI will not focus on maintaining possession as much as before.

Gameplay

• Acceleration Types
  • Addressed an issue that was impacting Lengthy Acceleration Types, causing some players to not be considered lengthy.
  • As a result, the minimum height for Lengthy male players is now 185 cm, and 165 for women’s players.

• Physical Play And Goal Line Clearances
  • Moderately increased impact of Strength and Aggression Attributes on shielding.
  • Players with higher Strength and Aggression Attributes are intended to generally be better at shielding the ball.
  • Shoulder challenges between players with a large Strength Attribute difference will more often result in the weaker player stumbling.
  • Defenders will now perform clearances automatically on the goal line in situations where the user couldn’t react, regardless of your settings.

• Other
  • Addressed instances of the Secondary Contain player moving slightly faster than intended.
  • Addressed cases of Wingbacks and Attacking Wingbacks not contributing to attacks higher up the pitch.
  • Further reduced the accuracy of Acrobatic shots, such as bicycle kicks, taken right after a flick.
  • Addressed instances of Be A Goalkeeper controls not working as intended when playing with certain camera angles.
  • Addressed instances of Chip Shot requests incorrectly resulting in a Driven Shot.

Ultimate Team

Addressed the following issues:

• Addressed cases of a specific UI flow that resulted in the radial menu appearing unintentionally.
• Sometimes, a trophy was displayed in the corner of a pitch.
• Addressed an issue where, after previewing an Evolution consumable item in an Item Pick and returning to the selection screen, the highlighted item would default to the last item previously selected.

Career Mode

Made the following changes:

• Expanded Player Status Information by providing separate Contract and General fields, containing info on a player’s willingness to negotiate and their potential.
• Certain Archetype options are now ineligible based on the selected Origin Story in Player Career.
• Replaced Starting Skill Level with Starting AP in Player Career, displaying the amount of AP the player is eligible for based on their chosen Origin Story.
• Adjusted Manager Career Job Security logic for situations when managers reach an Insecure job security status.
• Extended contract durations up to 3 years for ICONs and Heroes.

Addressed the following issues:

• Addressed instances of incorrect text displayed in Social Media posts.
• Sometimes, when transferring a women’s Free Agent, a different positioning for her would be suggested.
• [Nintendo Switch Only] An incorrect controller overlay could’ve been displayed when selecting sides in a youth tournament match.
• Addressed instances of out-of-focus camera animations.
• Sometimes, button callouts were not working as intended.
• On the ICONS and Heroes selection screen, touch input sometimes did not allow switching between tabs.
• Addressed an issue where the Live Start Point banner was not appearing in the Main Menu under the Manager Career Live section.
• Addressed an issue in Player Career Training where selecting load previous session with a Real Player would load only 1 out of 3 drills instead of all completed drills from the last Training session.
• After continuing a scenario in Manager Live, previously claimed rewarded Classic Kits would not display on the kit selection screen.

Clubs

Addressed the following issues:

• Addressed cases where incorrect Acceleration Types could have been set by the user.
• In some cases, the Team Management screen did not display correct Acceleration Types, this was a visual issue only.

General, Audio, and Visual

Made the following changes:

• Updated some audio and commentary, chants, SFX, placeholder images and text, crests, logos, hair, boots, balls, gloves 2D portraits, star heads, lighting, tattoos, kits, pitch trophies, TIFOs,  banners, flags, scarves, cameras, overlays, crowds, mascots, outfits, and pitch trophies.

Addressed the following issues:

• Addressed an issue when creating a player that caused Commentary Name Previews to not function during Player Creation in some cases.
• Addressed various stability issues that could have occurred.
• Addressed instances of incorrect camera angles and animations.
• Addressed instances of incorrect/placeholder text.
• Addressed instances of incorrect camera focus during goal replays.
• Some main menu visuals did not always load.
• [PC Only] Refresh rate could’ve unintentionally changed to 60Hz at times.
• [PC Only] Addressed some specific cases of framerate issues occurring in the second half of matches.

And that wraps up the latest EA FC 26 patch notes. What do you make of all the changes? Be sure to let us know in the comments.