EA has announced that Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović will be the EA Sports FC 26 cover star, ahead of the full reveal trailer dropping on Wednesday, July 16.
As the FIFA Club World Cup wound down over the weekend, with Chelsea dominating PSG, football news didn’t end there—even after former U.S. president Donald Trump photobombed Chelsea’s photo finish. EA confirmed that Ibrahimović will grace the cover of EA Sports FC 26, which will launch later this year on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One and PC.
Ibrahimović will be featured on the EA Sports FC 26 Ultimate Edition, highlighting the retired Swedish striker. He will also be added as an Icon item, celebrating his illustrious career, which included stints at Barcelona, PSG, Inter Milan and Ajax. The image posted on the official EA Sports FC X account paid homage to both Ibrahimović’s career and the many memes surrounding him, emphasizing his admiration for Ronaldo Nazário. Ibrahimović will also be coming to FC Mobile later this week. He last appeared in FIFA 23 before being removed from the game following his retirement.
Fans had already spotted hints that Ibrahimović would become the cover star due to earlier leaks. Those leaks also suggested that 12 new Icons are coming to EA Sports FC 26, including Alex Morgan, Andrés Iniesta, Toni Kroos and Marcelo. Meanwhile, rumours point to the addition of eight new Heroes, featuring players such as Daniele De Rossi, Ricardo Quaresma and Jill Scott. One of those rumoured Icons has now been officially confirmed: Ibrahimović is back.
Some fans feared they would never see the striker in EA’s games again, given his tumultuous relationship with the company. Ibrahimović was outspoken in 2021 about EA using his name and likeness without his permission, and the development team fired back with a strong statement shared with Forbes. Perhaps the beef is squashed now, as he returns as the cover star of EA Sports FC 26’s Ultimate Edition. As for the Standard Edition, Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham and Bayern star Jamal Musiala will reportedly serve as co-athletes on the cover.
Last year’s game, EA Sports FC 25, was met with positive reviews and fan sentiment at launch, but community consensus quickly soured due to recurring gameplay issues, some of which players have complained about for over a decade. These problems contributed to the game failing to meet its financial expectations.
As reported by VGC, EA boss Andrew Wilson attempted to explain the situation in February 2025. The positives were that “pre-orders, engagement, and player monetization” were all up. However, Wilson noted that fewer players transitioned from EA Sports FC 24 to EA Sports FC 25. The question now is: will players finally make the jump from EA Sports FC 24 to EA Sports FC 26 because of Ibrahimović’s return?
The official EA Sports FC 26 reveal trailer will premiere on the EA Sports FC YouTube on Wednesday, July 16 at 8:57am PDT / 11:57am EDT/ 4:57pm BST. The trailer is set to be two minutes and 25 seconds long, 18 seconds longer than the EA Sports FC 25 reveal trailer.
