EA FC 26 FUT Birthday release date, leaks and PlayStyle twist no-one saw coming
It's the time of year EA FC players celebrate the birthday of the game's most popular mode - and this year, there's a massive twist with the content.
Loyal EA FC 26 fans will be excited for FUT Birthday to arrive this week, as the promo celebrates 17 years of Ultimate Team. Usually, we can expect new player items, Squad Building Challenges and objectives commemorating the highlights of FUT years gone by.
Big-name players who have been in-game stars in previous EA Sports FC or FIFA titles often get a new FUT Birthday card to remember their game-breaking former selves. But this year there's also a crazy new feature to come if leakers are correct.
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EA FC 26 has undoubtedly been ruled by the PlayStyle+ mechanic. But with FUT Birthday on the horizon, players are set for a major shift in the meta with a twist on the feature we couldn't have imagined in our wildest dreams.
Read on to learn more about the FUT Birthday release date, leaks, expected content and everything we know about that major PlayStyle twist.
EA FC 26 FUT Birthday release dateThe FUT Birthday event always lands around March, and is usually the last big promo before Team of the Season arrives. It's usually planned to coincide with the date that Ultimate Team first went live on FIFA 09, on March 19, 2009.
As such, it'll arrive in EA FC 26 on Friday, March 6 at 6pm GMT. That's 1pm EST or 10am PST for our American friends.
The promo will reportedly last two weeks, meaning that the official birthday lands near the end of week two. Team 1 player items will be available until 6pm on Friday, March 13 - when Team 2 will arrive for another week until the event ends at the same time on Friday, March 20.
According to a host of usually reliable insiders and leakers, Team 1 is going to feature some huge names across world football. Celebrating both the best of years gone by in FUT and some stars currently making their name, the promo is expected to include some big names.
Leakers have suggested that the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Lamine Yamal are nailed-on for a place in Team 1. Here are a handful of player items that leakers like FUT Sheriff expects to see come Friday evening:
- CB: Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain) - 90 rated
- CM: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid) - 90 rated
- CM: Mikel Merino (Arsenal) - 88 rated
- RM: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) - 92 rated
- RW: Allan Saint-Maximin (Fenerbahce) - 92 rated
- LW: Jérémy Doku (Manchester City) - 91 rated
- ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Al-Qadsiah) - 89 rated
- ST: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr) - 92 rated
FUT Sheriff and other leakers, such as FUT Agent and FUT Police, have all reported that the following players find a place in Team 1, as SBC rewards, or objective rewards:
- GK: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC) - 89 rated
- CB: Wendie Renard (Lyon) - 91 rated
- CB: Aymeric Laporte (Al-Nassr) - 90 rated
- CB: Jawad El Yamiq (Al-Wehda) - 87 rated
- LB: Fridolina Rolfö (Manchester United) - 90 rated
- LB: Katie McCabe (Arsenal) - 89 rated
- RB: Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid) - 90 rated
- CM: Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) - 91 rated
- CM: Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United) - 90 rated
- CM: Joelinton (Newcastle United) - 89 rated
- CM: Thelo Aasgaard (Wigan Athletic) - 87 rated
- LM: Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich) - 91 rated
- LM: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) - 89 rated
- RM: Iñaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao) - 89 rated
- RM: Nicolas Pépé (Villarreal) - 88 rated
- RM: Brittany Wilson (Orlando Pride) - 88 rated
- CAM: Kenan Yıldız (Juventus) - 91 rated
- CAM: Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit) - 89 rated
- CAM: Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta) - 89 rated
- CAM: Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich) - 89 rated
- LW: Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain) - 90 rated
- RW: Ivan Perišić (PSV Eindhoven) - 90 rated
- ST: Alessio Cerci (Juventus) - 90 rated
- ST: Melchie Dumornay (Lyon) - 90 rated
- ST: Hugo Ekitiké (Eintracht Frankfurt) - 90 rated
- ST: Luca Marseiler (Darmstadt 98) - 90 rated
- ST: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) - 90 rated
- ST: Igor Thiago (Brentford) - 89 rated
According to the same leakers, the new FUT Birthday cards will come with a twist. While at this stage of the game, new promo cards with two PlayStyle+ attributes are commonplace, insiders expect the FUT Birthday player items to have none - and no base PlayStyles, either.
That's because, if the reports are to be believed, EA Sports are handing over even more customisation to its customers. Gamers will get to choose their ideal PlayStyle combinations via the FUT Birthday 'Bakery' Evolutions tab, according to FUT Sheriff.
It means that gamers will be able to choose from eight base PlayStyles and two PlayStyle+ from the 30 outfield options. This marks a huge shift from previous years, where FUT Birthday cards were typically upgraded to one of, or both, five-star weak foot or skill move stats.
That is still expected to be the case for this year's cards, but it remains to be seen if this new mechanic will be implemented as leakers expect. If they're right, some have given out handy tips on the best PlayStyle+ combinations for each player position:
- Attackers: Rapid and Finesse
- CAM: Incisive Pass and Finesse
- CM/CDM: Intercept and Incisive Pass/Tiki Taka
- CB: Intercept and Bruiser
- RB/LB: Bruiser and Quick Step