It’s that time of year again for football (soccer) fans to rejoice. With the transfer window in full swing and a new season mere weeks away, EA has finally revealed the new version of EA FC. Early this week, we got confirmation that Zlatan Ibrahimović will return to the franchise as the cover star of the EA Sports FC 26 Ultimate Edition. He will be joined by Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musial, who are the co-stars of the standard edition cover this year.
Just a few days later, we now have a full game reveal, and unlike previous years, this trailer wasn’t just a CGI fest; it featured actual gameplay shots. Surprisingly, it gave much more detail than I expected for an initial reveal.
You can watch the trailer yourself below:
As you can see, the trailer is presented in an almost social media style, showing various accounts asking for changes or improvements from last year’s EA FC 25. Thankfully, for those who wanted improvements, EA has heard you, with the trailer showing glimpses of what to expect from more agility, improved goalkeepers, new skill moves, and more. At first glance, it looks like this year could be somewhat of an overhaul to the gameplay, making things feel significantly different. Of course, we won’t know for sure until we actually get our hands on the game.
Here’s what EA has to say regarding the upcoming EA Sports FC 26:
EA SPORTS FC 26 IS SHAPED BY YOUR FEEDBACK
Play your way with new game-wide innovations and an overhauled gameplay experience, powered by feedback from the FC Community, including:
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Refined Gameplay Fundamentals: EA SPORTS FC 26 delivers a variety of game-wide changes, including improved dribbling responsiveness and fluidity, re-tuned run curves for more explosive player movement, all-new reinforcement-learning-driven goalkeeper positioning, close-body volumetric animations, new, more versatile Playstyles and Player Roles, and much more.
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Authentic & Competitive Gameplay Presets: The new Competitive Gameplay preset—driven by refined fundamentals, added consistency, and enhanced responsiveness—is tailor-made for play in Football Ultimate Team and Clubs, while the Authentic Gameplay preset delivers the most true-to-football experience ever in Career.
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Experience Manager Career Like Never Before: Step into the exhilarating world of Manager Live, a new dimension added to the mode through a live hub bursting with ever-changing variable-length Challenges. Alongside Original Career and Live Start Points, Manager Live hosts regularly released scenarios throughout the new season curated around the real world of football, giving players the next thing to go after in their careers.
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Archetypes: A brand-new feature to FC 26, Archetypes has been inspired by the greats of the game, introducing new classes to Clubs and Player Career, bringing more individuality to players. Develop your abilities by upgrading attributes and unlocking Archetype Perks to give your player a distinct feel on the pitch.
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New Live Events and Tournament Modes: In FC 26, fans will be able to put their dream squads to the test in Football Ultimate Team with new Live Events and Tournament modes, as well as a refreshed Rivals and Champs experience.
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Unrivalled Authenticity: EA SPORTS is proud to bring unrivalled real-game authenticity in EA SPORTS FC 26 with over 20,000 athletes, across 750+ clubs & national teams, playing in more than 120 stadiums and 35+ leagues, powered by the support of more than 300 global football partners.
“FC 26 reflects our ongoing commitment to building this game with and for our community,” said John Shepherd, VP & GM, EA SPORTS FC. “We are players too, and that shared passion drives everything we do. This year brings an overhauled gameplay experience, new Tournaments and Live Events in FUT, all-new Archetype customization in Clubs, and a Career Mode that comes alive through evolving Challenges. We can’t wait for players to feel the difference this September and help shape the future of FC.”
To further deepen its community-first approach, EA SPORTS has launched FC Feedback: a new initiative that empowers players to contribute directly to the evolution of EA SPORTS FC, building on a year of features in FC 26 informed by community input. This brings together multiple ways players can share input, including the Player Feedback Portal, community-led Design Councils, the FC Discord Server, Forums, and social media.
In celebration of the cover reveal, fans who play EA SPORTS FC Mobile between July 17-31 will receive a special 102 OVR Jude Bellingham Player Item and 102 OVR Jamal Musiala Player Item+. July 17 will also see Zlatan Ibrahimović make his return to FC Mobile as an ICON, letting players recruit him to their club, while also being able to relive key moments from his legendary career in ICON Chronicles. With the Rivals Update, EA SPORTS FC Mobile recently introduced gameplay improvements to Ground Passing and VS Attack informed by user feedback, resulting in a more authentic and consistent competitive experience.
Pre-orders are now available for EA SPORTS FC 26, which will launch on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Amazon Luna, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. EA SPORTS FC 26 will be available worldwide to play on September 26, 2025, with early access through the Ultimate Edition beginning September 19, 2025.
