EA Sports has released their official FC 26 gameplay trailer along with new Pitch Notes outlining some of the key improvements coming to this year’s game. Dribbling feels more responsive, players move with more urgency and AI positioning has been tuned to better reflect real match situations and it’s all shaped by feedback from the community.
Goalkeepers also get a noticeable upgrade with more natural reactions and better positioning that should make saves feel more believable. Animations across the board look smoother, helping the action flow more like an actual broadcast. EA is also introducing new Playstyles and Player Roles, giving players a few more tools to personalize how their team approaches the game.
The new Pitch Notes dives into even more details on FC 26 gameplay with designers and producers Keegan Sabatino, Gigo Navarro and Thomas Caleffi walking through what’s new. The focus this year is pretty straightforward—make gameplay better.
FC 26 leans heavily on community feedback, aiming for a game that’s more responsive, more satisfying to play and just more enjoyable overall. The team zeroed in on three main areas this year: separating the feel of competitive and authentic gameplay, refining the fundamentals and delivering updates based on what players have been asking for.
Gameplay is split into two different presets: Competitive and Authentic. Competitive is built around tighter responsiveness and more direct control, tailored for online modes like Ultimate Team and Clubs. Authentic focuses more on realism, offering a pace and match flow that feels closer to real-life football, especially in offline experiences like Career Mode.
So far, it looks like they’re trying to walk that line between realism and control, where things feel smooth but still have the unpredictability that makes the game so exciting. Make sure to check out the trailer and read the full Pitch Notes for all the details.
