Hey everyone, welcome back to FUTcast!
I know Franklin took the reins for the last two newsletters while I was on a quick two-day vacation, but I'm back in the driver's seat and ready to dive into a massive week of Ultimate Team content. Big shoutout to Franklin for holding it down, but we have a ton of ground to cover today, so let's get straight into it.
Today's newsletter is absolutely stacked. We are breaking down the newly released Team of the Week 28, which features some heavy hitters and a few sneaky budget options. We also have huge leaks for the upcoming Road to the Final (RTTF) promo that you will want to prep for, alongside a review of today's live SBCs and two brand-new free Evolutions.
Whether you are looking to trade, upgrade your squad, or just figure out where to dump your fodder, I've got you covered. Let's break down everything happening in EA Sports FC 26 today!
Promo & Event Updates
Team Of the Week 28
The newest squad of in-forms has landed. While there's some serious top-end talent to chase, it's definitely a mixed bag when it comes to the lower tier.
Vinícius Júnior (91 LW/ST): Fast, agile, and completely broken on the wing or at striker; he is the clear best card of the week.
Khadija Shaw (91 ST): A very strong striker with great finishing and physical stats.
Seko Fofana (87 CM): A good all-around CM who is cheap and highly usable.
Enzo Bove (87 CM): A balanced midfielder who offers nothing crazy but remains a decent option.
Ramy Bensebaini (87 CB): A versatile defender who is okay for building hybrid squads.
John O'Reilly (87 LB/CAM): Features weird positioning and is definitely not meta.
Yassine Bounou (86 GK): A solid goalkeeper option for links and provides decent value.
Jordan Okoh (85 CB): Low pace for a center-back makes him virtually unusable right now.
Promo Takeaways
Top Performers: Vinícius Júnior is the ultimate chase card here, offering pure meta attacking stats. Khadija Shaw is also fantastic if you need a true powerhouse finisher up top.
Budget Beasts: Seko Fofana, Enzo Bove, and Ramy Bensebaini are your go-to guys if you are building on a budget. They provide solid links and usable stats without breaking the bank.
Avoid: Proceed with caution on players like John O'Reilly and Jordan Okoh. Most of the 85-rated cards in this TOTW are straight fodder, not competitive, and belong in your SBCs.
Promo Leaks: Road To The Final
The leaks are flooding the timeline for Friday, and Road to the Final (RTTF) looks like an absolute monster of a promo. This is Ultimate Team’s yearly event based on European competitions.
The selected players are awarded special cards that upgrade based on their team’s performances in the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League, and Women’s Champions League.
Best of all? These items have boosted ratings and stats in their base form, and they increase with each new round their club reaches.
Here are the biggest leaked headliners:
Champions League: Kylian Mbappe, Desire Doue, Jamal Musiala, Mohamed Salah, Marcus Rashford, Piero Hincapie, Alexis Mac Allister, and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Europa League: Jadon Sancho, Federico Bernardeschi, Diogo Costa, Victor Gomez, and Morgan Gibbs-White.
Conference League & WCL: Andrei Ratiu, Troy Parrott, Vicky Lopez, and Irene Paredes.
Verdict: This is going to be a phenomenal promo featuring well-known players with huge upgrade potential. Because the upgrades are tied to real-world results, it is a fantastic investment opportunity if you pick up players from teams likely to make it to the latter stages.
SBC Spotlight
We have a few SBCs live today. Let's look at what's worth your hard-earned fodder:
Trincão (89 CAM/RM/RW/ST, ~55K): Okay value. He has some good stats with decent playstyles, and the price is fair, but his links are poor.
Chancel Mbemba (88 CB, ~23K): Hard pass. It is a cheap SBC, however, the poor stats and poor links make him not worth it.
Callum Wilson (88 ST, ~30K): Skip. While cheap and featuring some good average stats, he is simply not worth it at this stage of the game.
1 of 3 88+ Campaign Mix Player Pick (~70.7K): Gamble. This gives you 1 of 3 players from Winter Wildcards, Time Warp, TOTY HM, Future Stars, or Knockout Royalty. Only complete this if your club is overflowing with untradeable fodder.
1 of 3 FOF: Answer the Call Player Pick (~44.2K): Gamble. A slightly cheaper lottery ticket for a promotional player.
Cheapest Solution For Trincão
Task | Requirements | Recommended players (rating) |
Task 1: Portugal | Number of players from Portugal: Min 1 Squad Rating: Min 86 | Irene Paredes: 88 Robert Lewandowski: 88 Victor Osimhen: 87 Alessandro Bastoni: 87 Frida Maanum: 84 Giada Greggi: 84 Manuel Locatelli: 84 Janina Minge: 84 Alba Redondo: 84 Pedro Gonçalves: 83 Lena Lattwein: 83 |
Task 2: Top Form | TOTW players: Minimum one Team overall rating: Minimum 86 | Marie Katoto: 88 Irene Paredes: 88 Ada Hegerberg: 87 Millie Bright: 87 Ruben Neves: 84 Ballard (TOTW): 84 Isco: 84 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: 84 Manuel Locatelli: 84 Pedro Goncalves: 83 Gimenez: 83 |
Market Watch
Market Summary: The market is starting to move fast right now. The top 100 players (Index 100) are taking a slight hit, down by 4.75% and currently sitting at 56.78. The Icon market is also dipping slightly by 1.17%.
Fodder on Fire: If you invested in mid-to-high-tier fodder, you are eating good today. Index 86 has spiked by an incredible 14.48%, Index 85 is up 13.91%, and Index 84 has risen by 6.62%. The demand from Upgrade Picks and SBCs is pushing these specific ratings to the moon.
Strategy: SELL your 84-86 rated cards right now. You are selling into peak hype. Cash out your investments while the market momentum is high and before the new Friday promo alters the supply chain.
Evolutions
We have two brand-new, free Evolutions today:
Over the Top (Free)
Requirements: Max 87 OVR, Max 10 Playstyles, Not World Tour Silver Stars, Not GK.
Upgrades: Grants +3 Long Passing (to 90), +3 Defensive Awareness (to 91), +3 Reactions (to 92), and the Long Ball Pass Playstyle.
Verdict: This is a decent Evo. It is not game-breaking, but it serves as a nice upgrade if the player still fits your starting XI. If you want to do one of the two free options today, this is the better choice.
Top Scorer (Free)
Requirements: Max 87 OVR, Max 10 Playstyles, Max 2 PlayStyles+, Not World Tour Silver Stars, Not GK.
Upgrades: Grants +1 Overall, +5 Finishing, +3 Long Shots, +5 Penalties, +5 Positioning, +5 Shot Power, +3 Volleys, and the Power Shot Playstyle+.
Verdict: Not that good. The Over the Top evolution is definitively better than this one, so prioritize that instead.
Quick Hits
TOTW 28: Vini Jr. is the massive 2M coin chase card, while Fofana and Bove offer great cheap midfield alternatives. Most 85s are pure fodder.
RTTF Leaks: Prepare your clubs for massive live-upgrade cards dropping Friday, headlined by Mbappe, Salah, and Musiala.
SBCs: Keep your fodder safe. Trincão is okay but hard to link, and Mbemba/Wilson are behind the power curve.
Market: High-rated fodder (84-86) is soaring. Sell now to maximize your profit.
Evos: Complete the free Over the Top Evo; skip the Top Scorer one.
That wraps up today's breakdown!
Get those 84-86 rated investments sold, save up your high-end packs for the RTTF drop on Friday, and I'll catch you guys in the next one,
Shahmeer