Welcome back to the pitch, legends.
It’s the second Wednesday of January, and the air in Ultimate Team is thick enough to cut with a knife. We are exactly 48 hours away from the biggest event of the calendar year: Team of the Year (TOTY). The market is shaking, fodder is flying, and everyone is scrambling to liquidate before the blue cards hit packs.
But EA isn’t letting us wait in silence. We’ve got a surprisingly meta-heavy Team of the Week 18, a fresh batch of gamble SBCs to drain your club before Friday, and some massive leaks that confirm exactly who is making the TOTY XI.
Let’s break down the madness.
Promo & Event Updates
Team Of the Week 18
This week’s black-and-gold squad is surprisingly usable. While most people are saving packs, if you’re opening your rewards today, there are some genuine gems here that fit the power curve.
Gabriel Martinelli (87 LW): Rapid, aggressive dribbler, very meta on the wing. Great for counters and cut-ins.
Karim Benzema (87 ST): Not explosive but elite positioning, finishing, and link-up play. Class striker if you don’t rely purely on pace.
Rúben Neves (87 CM): Insane long shots, solid passing, very reliable deep CM/CDM with a shadow.
Sandy Baltimore (87 LW): A nightmare for fullbacks. Blistering pace and agility make her a dangerous, responsive winger.
Rico Lewis (86 RB): Versatile defensive option. Great agility and passing for a fullback, allowing him to invert seamlessly.
Harvey Barnes (86 RW): Direct and punchy winger. Good finishing for a wide player, but slightly clunky compared to elite options.
Schertenleib (86 RM): Solid stats across the board, but lacks the unique body type or PlayStyles to be truly meta.
Alberto Moleiro (86 LM): Smooth dribbler with good passing links, a fun card for La Liga hybrids.
...and the fillers: McKennie, Ikoné, Leweling, Tullis-Joyce, Kodro, Riis, Ramirez, Monterisi, Diks.
Promo Takeaways
Best Cards: Martinelli is the standout for competitive play; Benzema is a class option for finishers.
Value: Ikoné and McKennie are excellent budget beasts.
Trash: Tullis-Joyce (GK) and the lower-rated defenders lack the animations for high-level play.
Promo Leaks: Team of the Year
The Blue Cards Are Coming Friday
The leaks are flooding in, and the Men’s and Women’s XI look set to break the game. Based on the data mining, here is who we expect to see headlined on Friday.
Men’s TOTY Leaks:
Ousmane Dembélé (97 ST): A massive surprise at striker. Expect 5-star skills and broken dribbling.
Kylian Mbappé (96 ST): The cover star. With 99 pace potential, he will be the best card in the game.
Erling Haaland (95 ST): Physical dominance personified.
Midfielders: Pedri (95), Vitinha (95), and Declan Rice (95).
Defenders: Virgil van Dijk (95), Saliba (95), Nuno Mendes (95), Koundé (94), and Donnarumma (95).
Women’s TOTY Leaks:
Aitana Bonmatí (97 CM): The highest-rated midfielder in the promo.
Alexia Putellas (96 CM): Another elite card for the Spanish star.
Attackers: Pajor (95 ST), Russo (95 ST), Claudia Pina (95 LW), and Mariona (96 CAM).
Defenders: Bacha (94), Bright (95), Williamson (95), Bronze (94), and Endler (94).
SBC Spotlight
EA wants your fodder before TOTY. Here is where you should (or shouldn't) put it:
3x 85+ Upgrade (~22.6K) — Must Do. Cheap SBC so not a big gamble. Can be done to recycle fodder.
Franz Beckenbauer (93 OVR) (~1.1M) — Hold. A very costly SBC. The card is elite, but at this cost right before TOTY, it’s a trap.
Lotta Schelin (91 OVR) (~802K) — Pass. A good card with some gold stats, but way too expensive. Save for TOTY attackers.
Serie A POTM Martinez (90 OVR) (~63K) — Pass. Decent card, but won't make many starting XIs. Only do him if he fits your team perfectly.
1 of 3 87+ Campaign Mix (~48K) — Gamble. Cheap enough to take a punt if you're feeling lucky, but not compulsory.
Cheapest Solution For Franz Beckenbauer
Task | Requirements | Recommended players (rating) |
Task 1: On a Loan | Team overall rating: Minimum 85 | Alexandra Popp: 85 Foord: 85 Girelli: 85 Granit Xhaka: 85 Giugliano: 85 Svenja Huth: 85 Vivianne Miedema: 85 Kim Little: 85 Caroline Weir: 85 Damaris Egurrola: 84 Locatelli: 84 |
Task 2: The Bavarians | Bayern players: Minimum one Team overall rating: Minimum 86 | Marie Katoto: 88 Irene Paredes: 88 Ada Hegerberg: 87 Millie Bright: 87 Ruben Neves: 84 Maanum: 84 Neuer: 84 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: 84 Manuel Locatelli: 84 Pedro Goncalves: 83 Gimenez: 83 |
Task 3: der Kaiser | Germany players: Minimum one Team overall rating: Minimum 87 | Endler: 88 Irene Paredes: 88 Robert Lewandowski: 88 Marie Katoto: 88 Gabriel: 88 Ella Toone: 85 Giugliano: 85 Girelli: 85 Milinkovic-Savic: 84 Maanum: 84 Neuer: 84 |
Task 4: League Legend | Bundesliga players: Minimum one Team overall rating: Minimum 87 | Endler: 88 Irene Paredes: 88 Robert Lewandowski: 88 Marie Katoto: 88 Gabriel: 88 Ella Toone: 85 Giugliano: 85 Girelli: 85 Milinkovic-Savic: 84 Maanum: 84 Neuer: 84 |
Task 5: 87-rated squad | Team overall rating: Minimum 87 | Endler: 88 Irene Paredes: 88 Robert Lewandowski: 88 Marie Katoto: 88 Gabriel: 88 Ella Toone: 85 Giugliano: 85 Girelli: 85 Milinkovic-Savic: 84 Maanum: 84 Ruben Neves: 84 |
Task 6+7+8+9+10: 88-rated squad | Team overall rating: Minimum 88 | Rodri: 90 Alessia Russo: 89 Khadija Shaw: 89 Mapi Leon: 89 Endler: 88 Marie Katoto: 88 Girelli: 85 Laura Freigang: 85 Svenja Huth: 85 Isco: 84 Viggosdottir: 84 |
Task 11+12+13: 89-rated squad | Team overall rating: Minimum 89 | Erling Haaland: 90 Rodri: 90 Alessia Russo: 89 Mapi Leon: 89 Mapi Leon: 89 Marie Katoto: 88 Gabriel: 88 Guro Reiten: 88 Endler: 88 Robert Lewandowski: 88 Irene Paredes: 88 |
Market Watch
Market Summary: The market is green across the board. Contrary to the usual pre-TOTY crash, everything is flying up.
Risers: Everything. Index 100 (high-tier meta) is up 5.66%.
Fodder Explosion: Index 82 is up a massive 34.96%, Index 83 is up 31.61%, and Index 84 is up 28.85%.
Strategy: SELL FODDER. If you have tradeable 82s, 83s, or 84s, list them immediately. You are selling into massive hype.
Evolutions
We have one new Evo today.
Warming Up (10K Coins / 100 FC Points)
Requirements: Max 86 OVR, World Tour Silver Stars rarity, No GK.
Rewards: +1 Overall, +2 Pace, +2 Passing, +2 Dribbling.
Verdict: Pass. An average Evo. It doesn't cost much, but the upgrade is negligible. Passing it would be better.
Quick Hits
TOTW 18: Martinelli and Benzema are the ones to watch.
TOTY: Leaks confirm Dembélé, Mbappé, and Bonmatí.
SBCs: 3x 85+ is a go. Beckenbauer (93) is elite but too expensive right now.
Market: Fodder is up 30%+. Sell now.
Evo: Skip Warming Up.
Good luck with the pack saving. See you on Friday for the main event.
Shahmeer