New year, new fireworks. Across Thursday 1 January – Sunday 4 January 2026, we saw a little of everything: a ruthless hat‑trick from Igor Thiago in England, Gonzalo García exploding at the Bernabéu with three of his own, Youssef Chermiti settling an Old Firm with a second‑half double, and statement displays from title chasers and crisis clubs alike. Ligue 1 served up a goalscoring left‑back, Serie A delivered a defender’s goal‑and‑clean‑sheet special, the EFL produced a vintage hat‑trick, Saudi had a heavyweight striker show, and we’ve got two deserving women’s picks from the A‑League Women to round it out. Below is our 23‑player prediction for FC 26 TOTW 17.

Our predicted TOTW 17

Goalkeeper

José Sá (Wolves) — v West Ham, 3–0: commanding clean sheet to kick off 2026.

Defenders

Amir Rrahmani (Napoli) – at Lazio, 2–0: CB scored the opener and marshalled a shutout.
Quentin Merlin (Rennes) – at Lille, 2–0: LB’s sweet strike and clean sheet tick the TOTW boxes.
Craig Halkett (Hearts) – v Livingston, 1–0: captain’s header decided it; defence held firm.
Lewis Dunk (Brighton) – v Burnley, 2–0: aerial dominance + organisation in a tidy clean sheet.
Milly Bennett (Western Sydney Wanderers Women) – v Canberra United, 1–1: RB popped up with a late equaliser; impactful two‑way display.

Midfielders

Declan Rice (Arsenal) – at Bournemouth, 3–2: brace from midfield in a frantic away win.
Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle) – v Crystal Palace, 2–0: ran the game and added a goal.
Enzo Fernández (Chelsea) – at Man City, 1–1: ice‑cold 90+ equaliser in a heavyweight clash.
Pavel Šulc (Lyon) – at Monaco, 3–1: box‑crashing No.8 with a clinical brace.
Dani Olmo (Barcelona) – at Espanyol, 2–0: broke the derby open with a late strike.
Harrison Reed (Fulham) – v Liverpool, 2–2: earned the point with a stoppage‑time rocket; huge engine all match.
Rubén García (Osasuna) – v Athletic, 1–1: tidy all‑round display capped by the opener.
Scott Twine (Bristol City) – v Portsmouth, 5–0: pulled strings in a rout and got on the scoresheet.

Forwards

Igor Thiago (Brentford) – at Everton, 4–2: hat‑trick masterclass; bullied the back line.
Gonzalo García (Real Madrid) – v Betis, 5–1: hat‑trick on the big stage to trim the title gap.
Vangelis Pavlidis (Benfica) – v Estoril, 3–1: hat‑trick No.9 doing No.9 things.
Youssef Chermiti (Rangers) – at Celtic, 3–1: brace to flip the Old Firm on its head.
Tom Ince (Watford) – v Birmingham (Championship), 3–0: first league hat‑trick in a decade; vintage.
Ivan Toney (Al‑Ahli, Saudi League) – v Al‑Nassr, 3–2: brace in a marquee Saudi clash.
Lautaro Martínez (Inter) – v Bologna, 3–1: goal + assist, relentless front‑line catalyst.
Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo) – v Valencia, 4–1: brace to pace a statement win.
Chinaza Uchendu (Melbourne City Women) – v Sydney FC, 1–0: debut winner; decisive contribution up top.

Guide: Claim your secret free FC 26 Icon pack today

Why these headliners made the cut

Igor Thiago (Brentford) – Three goals away from home, varied finishes, constant movement. In any week a hat‑trick is the strongest TOTW ticket, and this one came in a wild, high‑stakes PL scrap.
Gonzalo García (Real Madrid) – Took on the responsibility with senior stars absent/rotated and produced a complete striker’s hat‑trick (box instincts, technique, composure). Doing it at the Bernabéu matters.
Youssef Chermiti (Rangers) – Old Firm braces carry extra weight. He changed the game’s momentum and handled the pressure cauldron at Parkhead.
Pavel Šulc (Lyon) – Box‑to‑box output plus end product: a brace in Monaco as Lyon climbed. Midfielders who decide big away matches tend to be rewarded.
Quentin Merlin (Rennes) – We love defender cards when they combine a goal with a clean sheet. Merlin’s timing and technique from LB made this one feel inevitable.
Amir Rrahmani (Napoli) – The CB archetype that usually gets in: a match‑tilting header and a composed defensive line in a top‑four six‑pointer.
Declan Rice & Enzo Fernández – Totemic midfielders in marquee PL fixtures. Rice’s brace is rare and impactful for a No.6/8; Enzo’s stoppage‑time equaliser away at City is the definition of “decisive moment”.
Vangelis Pavlidis (Benfica) – Hot form plus a clinical hat‑trick for a title contender; Liga Portugal contributions do get noticed when the numbers pop.
Women’s picks (Uchendu & Bennett) – We prioritised decisive scoring actions: Uchendu’s match‑winner and Bennett’s late equaliser. Both were difference‑makers, not passengers.

In packs on Wednesday

It’s a stacked menu for TOTW 17: hat‑trick strikers from three countries, match‑winning mids, and defenders who delivered both ends of the pitch – plus two deserving women’s cards. As ever, only one player per club is our rule of thumb (we’ve followed it here), big leagues are slightly favoured, and recent TOTW inclusions are excluded. Let’s see how close we are when EA drop the squad on Wednesday at 19:00 CEST (January 7, 2026).