EA SPORTS FC™ 26 | FC 26 Holiday Update

Welcome to the Holiday Update for EA SPORTS FC™ 26, which will be released in the coming days. We’re updating goalkeepers for more authentic play based on your feedback, making improvements to Career Mode and Clubs, and bringing Classic XI Teams to Kick Off.

Table Of Contents

• Goalkeeper Updates
• Career Mode
• Clubs
• Rush Rematch In Ultimate Team
• Classic XI in Kick Off
• AI Defending Status Update
• Visual Updates

Goalkeeper Updates

As mentioned in our November Feedback Update, we’ve been looking at your thoughts on Goalkeeper Movement, and the impact it has on the game. Here’s the change we’re making with the Holiday Update:

– Greatly reduced movement speed and amount of ground covered when using Manual Goalkeeper Movement in open play.

Goalkeeper movement is designed to give you another strategic way to defend goalscoring opportunities, so while we recognise it has felt inauthentic and we don't want players to overly rely on the mechanic, we want to allow a level of control in keeper positioning.

Here’s a before and after look at the change.

We’re also removing the Goalkeeper Rush To Center mechanic from open play because we’ve seen that it can be used as another method of goalkeeper movement that further reduces goalkeeper authenticity.

First Time Shots

We’ve heard your feedback that goalkeepers don’t always deal with first time shots as well as they should, and we’ve also seen this reflected in our internal data. In this update, we’re also addressing an issue that sometimes caused goalkeepers to react poorly to first time shots. 

You can check out the full Holiday Update Notes on the EASFC Tracker.

Career Mode

Functional and Usability Improvements

We continue to expand Career Mode with new weekly Live Challenges, Live Start Points, and Snapshots. For this update we’re also making the below changes based on your feedback:

• Added a new field in Squad Hub indicating players' willingness to extend their contracts
• Added a new tab in the Manager Live Hub to streamline starting a new Live Start Point and Manager Live save, providing quicker access to previously earned retro kits rewards.
• Shortcut selections are now remembered automatically when exiting the switcher menu rather than requiring a manual selection save.
• Added an in-menu preview for mascots in the Create Your Club flow
• Addressed an issue in Create Your Club that prevented replacing a club other than your favourite team.
• In Player Career, the Player Archetype preview tile now displays both current XP and XP needed to reach the next level.
• Added Recommended Archetypes in the Player Career creation flow instead of Attributes.

Clubs

Archetype Max Level Increase

In the Holiday Update, we’ll be increasing the Clubs Archetype Max Level from 60 to 75. You’ll also be able to use your AXP Instant Boost’s up to level 40, increasing from the original 25 level cap. The update also adds a new customizable PlayStyle slot and introduces a signature PlayStyle that upgrades into a PlayStyle+ once you hit level 75. Plus, you’ll now have up to 475 Attribute Points to use.

CAM Match Rating Adjustment

We’ve also heard your feedback surrounding CAM Match Ratings and will be updating the weights for CAM match actions, aligning CAM Match Ratings with the other positions across Clubs. The intent here is for the CAM Match Rating to more accurately reflect a CAM’s performance while reducing cases of potentially inflated ratings.

Rush Rematch In Ultimate Team

We’re introducing a new rematch function in Ultimate Team Rush that allows you to vote to opt in and keep playing Rush matches with your current group.

Opting in will take your group forward in a new lobby together, while players who have opted out will return back to the Rush Ultimate Team Menus. If a player in a full group doesn’t choose to opt in before the timer expires, their full group will be returned back to the lobby.

Rush rematches will become available soon after the Holiday Update, following a server release.

Classic XI in Kick Off

The Holiday Update will introduce a selection of classic teams in Kick Off and Kick Off Rush. Relive former glories with iconic European clubs, or play with an assortment of legendary figures with Classic XIs from Europe's biggest leagues.

AI Defending Status Update

We’ve seen your feedback around AI defending - especially some concerns that it can feel too strong in certain situations, and we’re continuing to look into it closely.

Our teams are actively testing further AI defending adjustments internally. We’ll keep listening to your feedback and plan to share an update on what we find, or make a change if needed, in early January.

Visual Updates

New & Updated Star Heads

7 new player star heads and 1 updated manager star head are coming to EA SPORTS FC 26. You can expect to see improved likenesses of players across different leagues and clubs following a Server Release after the Holiday Update, including Premier League players Jarrod Bowen, Granit Xhaka, Jack Harrison and Rayan Aït-Nouril.

Menu Refresh

You can expect a festive transformation across the game's main menu following a server release, bringing the holiday spirit from the moment the game launches with falling snow and more. 

Thanks for checking out our Holiday Update Pitch Notes! We look forward to you experiencing all the new changes and additions coming to FC 26.

– The EA SPORTS FC Team

The Club is Yours in EA SPORTS FC™ 26, available now on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch™, Nintendo Switch™ 2, PC, Amazon Luna as well as through EA Play.

Thanks to those who’ve provided and continue to provide feedback. Throughout the course of the EA SPORTS FC 26 season, we'll provide you with more information and updates if and when they become available. Be sure to follow @‌EASFCDIRECT on X and to check out the EA SPORTS FC Tracker for the latest news and updates. Stay in the conversation on all things EA SPORTS FC™ by joining our official Discord, following us on our official X, Instagram, and YouTube, and participating in the official EA SPORTS FC Forums.