Promotions are at the heart of Ultimate Team. They shape the transfer market, define the meta, and keep the game alive all year long. With EA Sports FC 26 approaching, fans are eager to know what promos will return and when they might drop.
What is the next promotion in FC 26?
The next promotion in FC 26 is expected to be the Festival of Football Captains coming this Friday.
Here is the expected FC 26 promo calendar, based on FC 25 and earlier years.
FC 26 Promo Calendar (Expected Dates)
| Promo | EA FC 25 Start Date | Expected EA FC 26 Start Date | Confirmed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team of the Week | Every Wednesday | Every Wednesday | Yes | Weekly release of boosted cards |
| Cornerstones | New Promo | September 26, 2025 (Two week promo) | Yes | Permanent upgrades plus improved chemistry |
| Ratings Reload | New Promo | October 10th, 2025 (Two-week promo) | Yes | Players receive upgrades or downgrades based on their start to the season |
| Ultimate Scream | Last time in EAFC/FIFA in 2020 | October 24, 2025 (Two-week promo) | Yes | Stat boost to one or more attributes |
| UEFA Prime Time | New promo | November 7, 2025 | Yes | Focus on players in European competi-tions, such as the Champions League. |
| Festival of Football Captains | New promo | November 14, 2025 | No | Besides the name and the what that could indicate nothing is known. |
| FC Pro Live | November 22, 2024 | November 21, 2025 | No | Dynamic upgrades tied to FC Pro esports results |
| Winter Wildcard | December 20, 2024 | December 19, 2025 | No | Holiday special with surprise upgrades |
| Team of the Year | January 17, 2025 | January 16, 2026 | No | The biggest promo of the year, fan-voted XI |
| Future Stars | January 31, 2025 | January 30, 2026 | No | Focused on young talent with high potential |
| FUT Birthday | March 7, 2025 | March 20, 2026 | No | Fun boosts, skill moves and weak foot upgrades |
| Team of the Season | April 25, 2025 | April 24, 2026 | No | Leagues released weekly, game-defining promo |
| Shapeshifters | June 13, 2025 | June 12, 2026 | No | Position changes and unique PlayStyles |
| Pre-Season | August 15, 2025 | August 14, 2026 | No | Rewards that carry over into FC 27 |
EA’s Approach for FC 26
While the list above shows the promos we can expect, the key difference this year may be in how powerful these cards are at launch. EA has learned from FC 25, where some promos like Trailblazers and Thunderstruck introduced very strong cards earlier than expected. In FC 26, promos will likely roll out more gradually, with the biggest boosts reserved for Team of the Year and beyond.
Looking Back: FC 25 Promo Schedule
For comparison, here’s the full promo lineup from FC 25, which serves as the clearest guide for what we’ll see in FC 26:
| Promo / Card Name | EA FC 24 Start Date | EA FC 25 Start Date | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team of the Week | Weekly | Weekly | Yes |
| Road to the Knockouts | September 29, 2023 | September 20, 2024 | Yes |
| Total Rush | New promo | October 11, 2024 | Yes |
| Trailblazers | October 13, 2023 | October 25, 2024 | Yes |
| Centurions | October 27, 2023 | November 8, 2024 | Yes |
| Track Stars | New promo | November 15, 2024 | Yes |
| FC Pro Live | November 17, 2023 | November 22, 2024 | Yes |
| Thunderstruck | November 24, 2023 | November 29, 2024 | Yes |
| Ultimate Succession | New promo | December 6, 2024 | Yes |
| Globetrotters | New promo | December 13, 2024 | Yes |
| Winter Wildcard | December 22, 2023 | December 20, 2024 | Yes |
| NumeroFUT | January 5, 2024 | January 3, 2025 | Yes |
| Team of the Year | January 19, 2024 | January 17, 2025 | Yes |
| Future Stars | February 9, 2024 | January 31, 2025 | Yes |
| Grassroot Greats | February 2, 2024 | February 14, 2025 | Yes |
| Fantasy FUT | March 1, 2024 | February 21, 2025 | Yes |
| Fantasy FUT Team 2 | March 1, 2024 | February 28, 2025 | Yes |
| Ultimate Birthday | March 15, 2024 | March 7, 2025 | Yes |
| UEFA Dreamchasers | New promo | March 21, 2025 | Yes |
| FUT Immortals | New promo | April 4, 2025 | Yes |
| TOTS Warm Up Series | April 12, 2024 | April 18, 2025 | Yes |
| TOTS Ligue 1 | May 15, 2024 | April 25, 2025 | Yes |
| TOTS Premier League | May 1, 2024 | May 2, 2025 | Yes |
| TOTS Bundesliga | May 8, 2024 | May 9, 2025 | Yes |
| TOTS Serie A | May 22, 2024 | May 16, 2025 | Yes |
| TOTS La Liga | May 29, 2024 | May 23, 2025 | Yes |
| TOTS Saudi League | N/A | May 30, 2025 | Yes |
| TOTS Ultimate | June 5, 2024 | June 6, 2025 | Yes |
| Shapeshifters (4 weeks) | June 16, 2024 | June 13, 2025 | Yes |
| FUTTIES | July 19, 2024 | July 11, 2025 | Yes |
| Pre-Season | August 30, 2024 | August 15, 2025 | Yes |
Which Promos Might Not Return in FC 26?
Not every promo from FC 25 is guaranteed to come back. Some were clearly experiments, designed to test how the community would react. Total Rush, Track Stars, Ultimate Succession, Globetrotters, UEFA Dreamchasers, and FUT Immortals all fall into this category. These could easily be replaced by fresh concepts in FC 26.
On the other hand, promos such as Team of the Year, Future Stars, FUT Birthday, Winter Wildcard, and Team of the Season are established as core parts of the Ultimate Team cycle and are almost certain to return.
What seems most likely is that EA will continue to mix tradition with innovation. Fans can expect the return of the classics that define every FC cycle, while also looking forward to a few brand-new promos that will shake up the market and keep the game feeling unpredictable. That balance of the expected and the unknown is what makes the promo calendar such a big talking point every year.
