Yearly sports game titles, like EA SPORTS FC 27, are a funny business for both the player and developer alike: for the player, you spend all year building your save file/god-team and then do it all again once the new game comes out. For the developer, they spend all year trying to keep the game as balanced as possible, especially in the online modes, and then hit the reset button when the new game comes out. I got to spend a couple of days at the EA Vancouver campus to see what they’ve been cooking up for this year’s title, and boy does it look promising.
THE GROUNDS
The first thing I want to address is The Grounds, a brand-new, small-scale open world where players enter a server with up to 100 others. From there, they can compete in smaller one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three matches, play other modes such as the popular Rush and customize their player to stand out from the crowd. There was so much going on that I wrote a separate piece about it, which you can find here. I loved my time with The Grounds and have high hopes for how it will evolve throughout the year.
GAMEPLAY
One of the main goals for EA SPORTS FC 27 was to listen to player feedback and adjust the gameplay accordingly. With that in mind, several areas are being improved or completely revamped.
I will start with my favourite gameplay update: corner kicks. This year, players will have more control than ever over those waiting in the penalty area for the ball to be delivered. As in previous titles, the new corner mechanic lets you choose the target area, power and angle of the kick. Once those are set, the camera zooms further into the penalty area, giving you a brief opportunity to select a player in the box and move them manually. You can adjust their position, make runs, shield opponents and more. You have to act quickly because the window is limited.
Players in the box no longer automatically move into the best position to connect with the ball. It is now up to you, giving corners a completely different feel and making them more satisfying when executed correctly. Missing your target can also create a new opportunity for a counterattack.
The new corner mechanics also include a feature called Avoidance, which players can trigger manually. While controlling a player waiting in the penalty area, holding R1 on PlayStation or RB on Xbox activates Avoidance. This makes the player more evasive and helps them move through crowds without being blocked by opponents. In practice, it made a noticeable difference several times because the penalty area can become crowded. Do not expect to score from every corner using this mechanic, however, even with the added movement and positioning options. Player attributes still matter, regardless of how well you time a run or position someone. Players will need to be at their best on both the defensive and attacking sides of the ball to capitalize on every corner.
“One of the things that the developers really wanted to do for EA SPORTS FC 27’s gameplay was listen to the players and make adjustments to suit their feedback.”
While we are on the topic of attacking, Attacking Spatial Awareness has received a significant update in EA SPORTS FC 27. AI-controlled players are now more aware of the space they occupy and what is happening around them. This allows them to make smarter runs off the ball, create separation from their markers and provide better passing options. It will not happen every time you move into the attacking third, but you will notice it more often as your options going forward become more dynamic and threatening.
Similar to Avoidance, attacking play also includes two new manually triggered mechanics: Triggered Curved Runs and Pass & Follow Runs. The main difference is when each move is initiated. Pass & Follow Runs are triggered immediately after passing the ball to a teammate, while Triggered Curved Runs work exactly as their name suggests, directing the selected player to curve their run into open space.
Triggered Curved Runs are easy to execute. Aim at the desired player and tap L1 and R1 on PlayStation or LB and RB on Xbox, just as you would when triggering a standard run in previous titles. Pass & Follow Runs use the same inputs, with one addition: tap L1, R1, and X on PlayStation or LB, RB, and A on Xbox. During my time with the game, I found that both mechanics worked well, although their effectiveness still depends on your ability to judge when to send a player on a run or use a pass-and-follow move. Triggering them every time is ineffective and may not suit every situation.
As well, when it comes to manually triggered runs, EA SPORTS FC 27 has limited the distance the triggered player will run for, reducing the likelihood they run into an offside position. The new distance is roughly 15 metres on the field as compared to previous years when the triggered player would run seemingly forever. You can still trigger the manual run if you choose, giving you a lot more control over the position of your players on the field.
“While we’re on the topic of attacking, Attacking Spatial Awareness has gotten a significant update for EA SPORTS FC 27, as AI-controlled players will become more aware of the space that they occupy and what’s around them.”
Let’s talk about the defensive side of the ball now for a bit, as there are some new things to talk about there too. The most significant update is to AI Auto Tackling, as EA SPORTS FC 27 will reduce the influence of AI-controlled defenders, thus giving the player much more manual control over defending. In the time I had with the game, I noticed several times where the AI-controlled defender would simply maintain position in front of the attacking player, instead of trying to win possession of the ball through a well-timed tackle. They will still try to win the ball if it is loose, but EA really wanted to focus on giving control back to the player when deciding when to try to challenge for the ball.
On the same front, teammate contain will see that teammate mark the attacking player from a longer distance away, encouraging you to step in and take manual control to defend more effectively.
Additionally, AI-controlled interceptions are being reduced as well. An AI-controlled player will have less reach when attempting to intercept the ball, while a manually controlled player will have a bit further reach, encouraging the player to take as much control over defending as possible.
CAREER MODE
Moving away from gameplay, I want to look at Manager Career mode, which includes several impressive updates. First is a new feature called Dynamic OVR. It can affect every player on your team by changing their overall rating based on recent match form, happiness, morale, fitness and availability. Players who are in poor form or not fully match fit may see their attributes and overall rating drop. The opposite is also true: players who perform well and maintain high morale may receive increases to their attributes and overall rating.
The transfer market in EA SPORTS FC 27’s Career mode has also been updated, with smarter AI decision-making, new cutscenes and a more realistic transfer process. One of the most interesting things I learned at the EA Vancouver campus was that the studio has partnered with TransferRoom, a football transfer platform used by professional clubs to sign players. The partnership has helped create a new player valuation model for Manager Career mode.
This means that player values can change dynamically over the course of a season or a career, making transfers feel far more realistic and valuable to the save file. Additionally, things like form, morale, and even the strength of the league can play into player value.
New stages of the transfer process itself also have been updated, with transfers now taking a length of time rather than a single in-game interaction. From things like asking permission to speak to a player, determining fees, bonuses, and more, the transfer process helps make the process far more immersive than in previous years.
With so much to go over for Manager Career Mode, the last I want to talk about is the Creator Challenges. Manager Live Creator Challenges let you build, publish and then share your very own set of Manager Career scenarios. Setting goals to complete during and after the season, specific leagues, and more are all available to add in to your Creator Challenge. Once you finish creating your scenario, you’ll get a share code to send to friends so they can try it out too.
ULTIMATE TEAM
As the far most popular game mode in recent years, EA SPORTS FC 27 has a couple of new things to show off this year as well, starting with The FUT Gallery. The FUT Gallery is a collection-based section of Ultimate Team where you collect players based on different themes like nationality, league, club, etc.
You can add any player you’ve owned at any point in the game to a set that they fit into, regardless of if you have them in your club or not, so if you submit them into an SBC (Squad-Building Challenge) you can still put them into your FUT Gallery. Once you have all of the players the set requires, you can submit it to get a score ranking that can be improved by adding newer players with a higher rating. As you complete different sets, your Gallery level will increase, earning you different rewards.
You can earn FUT Gallery rewards in the form of cosmetics, Gallery tokens and more. As your Gallery Level increases past certain milestones, you’ll earn larger rewards including the opportunity to get Holographic versions of player cards.
One quality-of-life update I was especially pleased to see is what the developers call Streamlined SBCs. In EA SPORTS FC 27, SBCs no longer have position or chemistry requirements. Instead, completion is based on a score determined by player rating and rarity. This means you could submit more than the usual 11 players to complete an SBC or as few as two, depending on their ratings and rarity. Players who would otherwise sit unused in your club after being replaced by better versions can still provide value by being submitted for improved rewards.
These were just two of the most significant updates to Ultimate Team that are coming in EA SPORTS FC 27, but there is a LOT to be excited about. Unfortunately, I did not get any play time with Career Mode or Ultimate Team, but I am very optimistic about what I saw and heard.
I am very excited to get my hands on the game and see exactly how in-depth some of these updates go and how smooth they make gameplay. EA SPORTS FC 27 releases on September 25th, 2026, with Early Access opening on September 18. Pre-orders are available now for PlayStation, XBOX, Steam, Epic, and Windows.
