EA Sports FC 26 Gameplay Impressions: Improved defending makes up for shoddy goalkeeping

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While EA Sports FC continues to rake in money, the last few years have felt a bit stagnant as EA has struggled to utilise the current generation of consoles for anything other than more impressive graphics.

Fittingly enough, the first thing we noticed when booting up an early build of EA Sports FC 26 on PS5 was that the graphics now seem shinier than ever. And we do really mean shiny, as player's have a glossy appearance with smooth, almost oily, skin like they had stepped right from a photoshoot onto the pitch. The wind effects introduced in last year's game, also seem to have less of an influence on the ball than on the players' hair. At one point I paused to look at a replay of a goal, only to completely lose focus as I marvelled at Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's hair waving back and forth as he moved about the pitch.

But as mentioned, this is as expected. What I was really interested in was the actual game of football, an area where EA has struggled to find the right balance over the last couple of years. To satisfy the player base, this year they have gone for a drastic procedure, essentially performing a lobotomy on the game, cutting its gameplay in half.

You can know choose between an arcade based competitive mode (which is mandatory online) and a slower, more lifelike authentic mode. While I played most of my game with the authentic settings, I did also try out the competitive mode, and it's fair to say that most of the new gameplay changes do have an affect across both modes, though you wouldn't know it to begin with.

Despite a lengthy list of changes and improvements, I doubt that few of these will be noticeable for casual players. EA Sports FC 26 is certainly more about refinements than sweeping changes. On the other hand, small details can make a world of difference in football, so let's dig a bit deeper into these changes.

The low shots miss their target

The most noticeable change is perhaps in terms of shooting. The timed finishing that was introduced in FIFA 19 has finally been retired, after having been relegated to the bench as an optional feature in the latest games. Now double taping circle (I played on PS5) fires a low driven shot, and EA weren't kidding. These shots are basically mowing the pitch on their way towards the goalposts.

Unfortunately the flat shots (which are no longer dependent on your shot power and can be performed in both powerful and soft variations) don't really change the dynamics of shooting. While such a shot might be extremely difficult to save in real life, the keepers generally had far fewer problems with these shots, compared to the powerful top corner shots that continue to be the most effective option, mainly because they are way too easy to pull off. In short, shooting never felt broken, but it still lacks the variety of many earlier titles.

The goalkeepers fail their IQ test...

Of course, shooting is only one half of the equation when it comes to goalscoring opportunities. The keepers will do their part to spoil the fun, but unfortunately their work in the last couple of games has been less than stellar.

With EA Sports FC 26, EA boasts of more consistent and intelligent goalkeepers. When playing I was thus looking for improvement in three key areas: fewer bad rebounds, more aggressive behaviour in one-and-one situations, and better shot stopping. Unfortunately, despite facing off against some of the very best keepers in the world such as Thibaut Courtois and Gianluigi Donnarumma, I failed to notice any real improvements in any of the areas.

The keepers were still mostly rooted to their line when players were charging through in one-and-one situations, and they rarely rushed out and closed down the angles. I also scored quite a few goals on bad rebounds, and, what disappointed me the most, the keepers often did that weird thing were they seem to follow the ball with their hands, like Neo dodging bullets in The Matrix, rather than trying to actually block or catch it. My only consolation was that this is an early build, and the keepers might display a bit more intelligence once the ball really gets rolling in late September.

...while the defenders step up their game

One area that has seen major improvements, is the defending. In recent years, defending has been a bit of a nightmare, as it often felt like the defenders, even without the ball, had less mobility than the ball-carrying attackers. Now, while attackers might still leave you stranded with a quick drop of the shoulder, defenders no longer turn as slowly and might actually keep up.

EA has promised to reduce the amount of tackles where the ball bounces straight back to the opposition, and on this they have definitely delivered. From the first whistle, it was evident that both the defenders' AI and their animations had been expanded, making it easier for them to keep hold of the ball when tackling. At times it was perhaps too easy - I conceded less than five fouls over the course of more than 10 matches - but it's still a major boost to the game's realism.

In one instance, I went down in a carefully timed slide tackle close to the sideline with my left back, Andy Robertson. In earlier games, this would at best have resulted in a throw-in to the opposition, but this time the Liverpool player brilliantly tackled with the inside of his left foot, keeping the ball in play and setting me up for a quick counter attack.

Speaking of full backs, they are often the easiest indicator for whether the AI's positioning works as intended. During my time with the game, I noticed that they behaved quite realistically and weren't as glued to their position as in EA Sports FC 25, and they generally came forward whenever there was an open space to run into. The AI is certainly not perfect - at times the defenders are too focused on the ball and lose hold of the player they're supposed to mark - but overall players seemed a tad better in their positioning. At least this holds true, when playing on World Class and Legendary.

EA flex their muscles

The final improvement that I noticed was the new screening feature. As usual, by holding L2, you can try to screen or shield the ball with your body. The animations for screening has noticeably been expanded looking more natural and realistic, and more situations than previously will now result in brief physical duels, as defenders and attackers use their shoulders to battle for the most advantageous position.

You can even use the shielding feature, when you're behind a player, shoving them away to win an aerial battle. These contested airballs look great and add a much needed sense of physicality to the game.

Unfortunately, I can't really see the improved shielding making much of a difference to the overall gameplay, as passing and especially ball control is still way too overpowered to allow for an authentic game of football. I have come to view the excessive number of touches as the major sinner in this regard, and EA Sports FC 26 seems to do nothing to change this.

While crucial in real life football, the first touch is still not really a factor, as you immediately, upon receiving a pass, will gain complete control of the ball, no matter the skill level of your player, and you're able to change direction on a whim. Until this is changed, I doubt EA Sports FC will be able to match the fun of the fantastic entries from the start of the previous console generations. Still, I had a good time with the preview build, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the game (and especially the goalkeepers) perform when it launches on September 26.