EA Sports FC 26 tackles the haters in first gameplay trailer

Jude Bellingham is joined by Jamal Musiala on the cover of EA Sports FC 26, which claims to be the most community-driven entry yet.

EA Sports FC 25 may have still been a sales juggernaut in the grand scheme of things but, as noted by EA in January, it ‘underperformed’ when compared to its predecessor.

While EA wasn’t explicit about what it thought the reasons for this was, the reveal trailer for its successor, EA Sports FC 26, makes it clear, with an emphasis on player flexibility and community feedback.

The trailer directly addresses various fan complaints, introducing two distinct gameplay presets in Competitive and Authentic. The former comes with faster passing, smarter keeper rebounds, and more direct control, while the latter promises the most ‘true-to-football experience ever’ and is tailored to the Career mode.

Other aspects of the gameplay have been reworked, including improved dribbling fluidity, ‘re-tuned run curves’ and overhauled AI positioning.

As for the single-player experience, there are new Manager Live challenges in the Manager Career mode, which offer the chance to take on real-world scenarios and alternative storylines throughout the season.

The other key addition are Archetypes, which introduce new classes to Clubs and Player Career, and the ability to upgrade player attributes and unlock perks.

As leaked prior to the reveal, England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham is back on the cover for the standard edition of EA Sports FC 26, only this time he’s joined by his former teammate and Bayern Munich player Jamal Musiala.

‘It’s really nice to share this moment with Jamal, as a reflection of how far we’ve come,’ Bellingham said. ‘I remember our times rooming together in the England Youth team, we’d play the game all the time. Where I’m from, everyone knows the game, everyone plays it and talks about it so much. I’m grateful to be given the opportunity to be on the cover again.’

Speaking about being on the cover for the first time, Musiala said: ‘When I found out I’d be on the cover of FC, it was such a crazy feeling. I thought, how could I tell my little brother? He’s a big fan of the game, so this will be a nice surprise for him.

‘It’s something I always wanted growing up and it’s such a big part of football culture. Who knows, maybe I can still beat Jude at FC.’

For those who purchase the Ultimate Edition, retired football legend Zlatan Ibrahimović graces the cover. This version, which costs £99.99, comes with up to seven days early access, a season one premium pass, along with other goodies. The standard edition costs £69.99.

In case the community-driven approach wasn’t hammered home enough, EA has launched FC Feedback, which is described as a new initiative that ’empowers players to contribute directly to the evolution of EA Sports FC’. That means you can share feedback on the website’s official portal, on Discord, and across social media.

What is the EA Sports FC 26 release date?

EA Sports FC 26 is set to launch worldwide on September 26, 2025 across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Amazon Luna, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

For those who purchase the Ultimate Edition, you’ll have access from September 19.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

MORE: Nintendo and Steam crack down on hentai and other ‘eSlop’ filling up game stores

MORE: PS5 consoles get massive £90 price cut in PlayStation sale

MORE: EA Sports FC 25 costs just £15 in huge PlayStation Store summer sale