Gamers play the video game “EA Sports FC 26 in front of a screen featuring English midfielder Jude Bellingham (L) and Bayern Munich’s German midfielder Jamal Musiala. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)
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EA FC 26 continues to be a global sales juggernaut over 30 years after the series’ first release.
Although the name has changed in recent years – the soccer series was initially known by its “FIFA” moniker – the best-selling sports video game franchise of all time has sold over 5.5 million copies on the Playstation alone in its first week. It has reached over nine million downloads total when factoring in all consoles.
That is more than the sales of NBA 2K, EA Sports’ NCAA College Football, MLB The Show and Madden did combined. It’s also selling a lot faster than EA FC 25, which sold 3.9 million copies in its first week.
Even though the legendary franchise doesn’t have any rival counterparts when it comes to the soccer video game market, it still continues to make tweaks and upgrades in an attempt to keep the game fresh and interesting.
The most notable feature in this year’s game is the authentic and competitive gameplay presets. The authentic gameplay preset says it all in the title – it’s a more realistic experience. The computer will play smarter and everything will resemble more of an actual soccer match.
Nick Wlodyka, who is the SVP and Group GM of EA Sports FC – he basically runs EA FC – details what that exactly means for the players’ experience.
“With the Authentic Gameplay preset, players will notice defenders are a lot smarter and more positionally responsible,” says Wloydka. “Corner kicks are tuned to play out more like they do in real-world matches and you even get that sense of real-world chaos during goalmouth scrambles. For us, it’s all about delivering the most true-to-life football experience possible, that is also incredibly fun.”
On the other hand, the competitive gameplay preset makes for more “intense, head-to-head play,” with the mode aimed at fans playing online.
“The Competitive Gameplay preset is built for more intense, head-to-head play – designed to keep matches fair, skill-based, and ultra responsive for FUT and Clubs,” says Wlodyka . “We’ve made tweaks to make this mode even sharper by introducing competitive positioning, increased passing speed, fewer auto-tackles, and passes that don’t always find their mark. Contested headers are more balanced, and goalkeepers make smarter deflections.”
The new features are a direct result of fans’ feedback, which seems to be a big selling feature of this year’s game. Wloydka says fans can directly share feedback and influence EA FC 26 through multiple channels. There’s even an EA Sports FC Discord that is open for fans to give feedback, with the development team often checking the channel.
Why EA FC 26 Selected Jude Bellingham & Jamal Muisala As Cover Stars
As far as the cover athlete decision-making process goes, EA FC 26 features Jude Bellingham (for the second time) and Jamal Muisala as the cover athletes with Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the cover star for the legend edition of the game.
The 22-year-old Bellingham is widely regarded as one of the best soccer players in the world and plays for Real Madrid.
Wlodyka details why Bellingham is gracing the cover of the franchise for the second consecutive year.
“Jude Bellingham has shown what it means to give everything for the club,” says Wlodyka . “He’s the perfect ambassador for EA SPORTS FC, and we’re honored to have him on our cover for the second time. To us, he represents the future, transcending the sport at the intersection of football, culture and entertainment.”
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old German-born Muisala is considered one of the best attacking midfielders as a member of Bayern Munich and was selected due to his “dynamic style and creativity.”
“We’re also excited to feature Jamal Musiala, whose dynamic style and creativity personifies the evolution of modern football,” says Wlodyka. “Embodying both technical excellence and adaptability, we’re honored to have Jamal representing our newest Bundesliga club partner, Bayern Munich. It’s great to see Jamal and Jude on the cover of FC 26 and FC Mobile together — they’ve been friends and teammates, all the way from England’s U15 to U21 levels.”
The Ibrahimovic addition is due to the high demand of having the Swedish striker on the cover. The 44-year-old scored 405 goals in 637 career appearances and is well-known for his career with Inter Milan and AC Milan. He’s won 34 trophies in his career.
Ibrahimovic concluded his 24-year career with AC Milan in 2023.
“Bringing Zlatan back as an Icon, especially after retirement, is a huge moment for us and for the fans, as he embodies the skill, passion, and global impact of EA SPORTS FC today,” says Wlodyka. “Zlatan is a true legend, both on and off the pitch, and his impact on the game is undeniable. As a result, he’s been one of the highest player-requested footballers to feature as an Icon in EA SPORTS FC and we’re thrilled to be able to deliver on that feedback for our fans in FC 26. We also recently introduced Zlatan FC – where fans can field a full team of Zlatans in Kickoff Mode – as a result of community feedback, which was a really fun addition to FC 26.”
How EA FC Series Intends To Improve Each Year
Upgrading a game that’s already the most popular sports video game franchise of all time on a yearly basis is challenging, especially when considering there’s no big competition involved.
When asked how the EA FC series can continue to evolve when considering the lack of competition and the fact that people will buy the game on a yearly basis because of the name and the fact that soccer is the most popular sport in the world, Wlodyka says the “feedback” provided by the fans will be the key in continuing to grow and improve the game.
“Our goal remains for EA SPORTS FC to be a football platform with play, watch, create, and connect at the heart of all new football experiences we will deliver,” says Wlodyka. “This is only possible with our community at the center of our development process – ensuring our EA SPORTS games all evolve to authentically reflect the experience of fans worldwide. In turn, this enables us to deliver against our EA SPORTS’ mission of leading the future of sports fandom and entertainment.”