EA Sports have confirmed the first FIFA 22 Ultimate Team Ones to Watch (OTW) player ahead of the release of the game.
New Real Madrid defender David Alaba, who completed a free transfer from Bayern Munich to the Spanish capital this summer, has been confirmed as the first FIFA 22 Ones to Watch (OTW) player, in what could be the first of a stacked OTW lineup in FIFA 22 Ultimate Team.
The Ones to Watch (OTW) event is a yearly FUT promo that is historically released close to a new FIFA game's release date, the promo will include high-profile players who've been involved in big transfer moves during the summer transfer window.
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OTW players are given special Ones to Watch FUT items that upgrade throughout the season based on their real-world performances for their new clubs. OTW cards were previously upgraded whenever that player was included in a TOTW performance-based FUT promo, matching the boosts given to the TOTW card.
But new in FUT 22, OTW items will also be eligible for a ‘Wins to Watch’ upgrade, a one-time +1 In-Form boost if a team wins five matches out of their next ten domestic league games starting from October 1!
For FIFA 21 Ultimate Team, players like Leroy Sane, Kai Havertz, Thiago, Gareth Bale, Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Luis Suarez, Ferran Torres, Arturo Vidal and Thomas Partey all had special OTW items. In the FUT 21 campaign, there were two OTW teams, with OTW Team 1 announced on October 8, 2020 and OTW Team 2 announced on October 14, 2020.
Following the announcement of David Alaba as a FIFA 22 Ultimate Team OTW player, EA Sports said: "Arguably Europe’s best and most versatile defender, Alaba will be sporting the Galactico’s shirt this season after a summer move to Real Madrid.
"If the Austrian defender takes his impressive form from EURO 2020 into La Liga, it’s likely his OTW FUT card will see upgrades and increased ratings throughout the season."
FIFA 22 will be the latest game within EA's popular FIFA video game franchise, and it's also the first FIFA game to include HyperMotion technology, a new feature that EA say will deliver the most realistic, fluid and responsive football experience for next-gen consoles and Stadia.
FIFA 22 will be released worldwide on Friday, October 1, 2021, with the game available on Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia and PC.
Players who pre-order the Ultimate Edition of FIFA 22 on next-gen or current-gen will get four days early access and will be able to play the game from Monday, September 27, 2021.
