We are deep into the Team of the Year promo in FC 26, and we have to be honest with ourselves. This is going down as the all-time worst Team of the Year we have ever experienced. It might even be the worst state the game has ever been in. It feels like the developers simply do not want people to enjoy their game. We are not just talking about bad pack weight or bad luck here. We are talking about a fundamental disconnect between the content being released and the reality of how the game is played.
Every single day we log in hoping for something that saves the promo, maybe an unlimited grind or a fairly priced SBC. Instead, we are met with content that feels like a slap in the face. The mood in the community has shifted from excitement to genuine exhaustion. We love football and we love gaming, but this iteration of the game has become a chore. It is unenjoyable, unbalanced, and frankly, insulting to the player base that has stuck around this long.
The SBC pricing and fodder myth
The biggest issue right now is the price of Squad Building Challenges compared to the availability of fodder. There is a common misconception that high-rated fodder is “easy to get” simply because people open a lot of upgrade packs. While it is true that 83 and 84-rated cards are abundant, that does not help you complete the high-tier SBCs that EA is dropping.
Look at the requirements for the top-tier icons or the Ronaldo and Messi SBCs. They require multiple 89, 90, and 91-rated squads. This is where the “fodder is free” argument completely falls apart. Currently, 91-rated gold cards are practically non-existent in packs because most of them are special cards. There are only two 90-rated gold cards in packs, Jude Bellingham and Rodri. Even then, the pack weight is skewed so you might pack 100 Rodris before you see a single Jude.
When an SBC requires seven 89-rated squads, you cannot just grind upgrade packs to finish it. You are forced to go to the market. An 89-rated squad costs roughly 260,000 coins. When you multiply that by the number of segments required, you realize that these SBCs are impossible for the average grinder. It is not a fun challenge. It is a paywall disguised as content.
Evolutions have been destroyed
For a while, Evolutions were the saving grace of FC 26. The ability to take a “World Tour Silver Superstar” or a favorite obscure player and turn them into a club legend was the only thing keeping many of us logging in daily. EA has effectively killed this feature during the biggest promo of the year.
The new Evolutions, such as the “Crab Walk” or “Power Play,” are practically useless due to arbitrary stat limits and PlayStyle caps. We have been using players with 88 pace and 85 stamina for months. Releasing an Evo in January that caps stats at 86 or restricts entry because a player has 88 pace renders the content redundant immediately.
The PlayStyle limit is even more frustrating. We have reached a point where most of our developed Evo cards already have seven PlayStyles. When a new Evo drops that grants a generic PlayStyle like “Low Driven,” it blocks entry for any card that already has seven PlayStyles. There is no system to swap or remove PlayStyles, so your favorite cards are essentially bricked. Instead of allowing us to build our ultimate team, the strict requirements force us to abandon the players we have spent months grinding.
The super fan insult
Nothing highlights how out of touch the content team is more than the “Super Fan” challenge. During Team of the Year, when excitement should be at its peak, EA released an SBC for a TIFO and a crest. That alone is underwhelming, but it is the requirement that is truly baffling.
They asked for an 86-rated squad.
For two crests and three TIFOs.
This is a segment of the game that should be a fun celebration of the community. It should cost a bronze squad, or perhaps a single gold player. Asking for an 86-rated squad, which has actual value in the current economy, is essentially EA testing how far they can push the community. It feels like they are seeing how much they can take the mickey out of us before we snap. No one at headquarters could possibly look at an 86-rated requirement for a cosmetic item and think that is a reasonable request. It suggests that the people making these decisions do not actually play the game or understand the value of the items they are asking for.
Daily content feels like a job
The cumulative effect of all this is that FC 26 has stopped being a game and started feeling like a job. We are seeing store packs with global limits that cost hundreds of thousands of coins, yet give you no guarantee of completing the SBCs you want. They throw a 10-coin pack in the store not to be generous, but to force you to open the store tab so you see the 500,000 coin packs next to it. It is psychological manipulation rather than rewarding gameplay.
Even the gameplay modes themselves are suffering. The new “Live Event” tournaments have entry limits, meaning if you have a bad run of games, you miss out on the rewards entirely. This adds unnecessary stress to what should be a fun mode. Meanwhile, friendlies have become a rubber-band fest where players score one goal and put their controller down because the objectives force them to play, not to win.
We are tired. The balance is gone. There is no reward for being good at the game, only a requirement to spend coins or spend exorbitant amounts of time grinding menus for minimal returns. If this is the standard for the biggest event of the year, the future of this game cycle looks incredibly bleak.
Team of the year discontent FAQs
Why are the high-rated SBCs considered impossible?
High-rated gold cards are extremely rare or extinct, making 89+ rated squads too expensive to craft.
Why are players angry about the recent Evolutions?
Stat caps and PlayStyle limits prevent users from upgrading the players they have been working on for months.
What is the issue with the Super Fan SBC?
It requires an 86-rated squad for cosmetic items, which is viewed as poor value and insulting.
