The home of some of the best players to ever grace the pitch, many consider the CM position to be the most important in EA FC 26. After all, your central midfielders are the main gears behind most formations, as well as both your first attackers and first line of defense.
True to that, being able to find the best CMs within your budget is vital, even more so for those just starting. To help you with that and guarantee you won’t waste your coins on fodder, here are the best midfielders under 10k, 50K, and 100K in EA FC 26 Ultimate Team.
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The Best CM Under 10K In EA FC 26
When looking for a CM under 10K, Gold Rare Mkhitaryan is our main choice, as his ability to score clinical Finesse Shot goals and a good array of defensive PlayStyles make him the ideal box-to-box threat. Able to perform way above his on-paper stats, Rodrigo De Paul can also be seen as a perfect investment, even more so if you plan on getting Leo Messi.
When looking for a holding midfielder, Gold Rare Eduardo Camavinga and Gold Rare Ryan Gravenberch are the best picks. They are also top choices for many CM/CDM evolutions, which allows them to crash the meta with an arguably low investment. Here’s an overview of all of the above players, as well as one extra cheap alternative:
| Player | Face Stats | PlayStyles | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Rare Henrikh Mkhitaryan (83 OVR / CM) | 77 PAC, 78 SHO, 82 PAS, 83 DRI, 72 DEF, and 75 PHY | Incisive Pass, Inventive, Jockey, Anticipate, Technical, and Relentless | 950 to 1,100 on both consoles and PC |
| Gold Rare Rodrigo De Paul (84 OVR / CM) | 75 PAC, 78 SHO, 83 PAS, 83 DRI, 76 DEF, and 83 PHY | Finesse Shot, Incisive Pass, Long Ball Pass, and Technical | 3K on consoles and 4K on PC |
| Gold Rare Eduardo Camavinga (83 OVR / CM) | 80 PAC, 68 SHO, 81 PAS, 84 DRI, 78 DEF, and 80 PHY | Jockey, Block, Technical, and Bruiser | 9.5K+ on both consoles and PC |
| Gold Rare Ryan Gravenberch (85 OVR / CDM) | 76 PAC, 76 SHO, 81 PAS, 85 DRI, 81 DEF, and 81 PHY | Intercept and Press Proven | 9K+ on consoles and 5K+ on PC |
| Gold Rare Scott McTominay (85 OVR / CM) | 76 PAC, 82 SHO, 77 PAS, 80 DRI, 80 DEF, and 85 PHY | Precision Header, Low Driven Shot, Incisive Pass, Aerial Fortress, Technical, and Enforcer | 5K on both consoles and PC |
The Best Midfielders Under 50K In EA FC 26
Going straight to the point, Gold Rare Nicolò Barella is both the best midfielder under 50K in EA FC 26 and its best cost/benefit pick, courtesy of his solid stat baseline and pairing of Relentless+ with Incisive Pass, Jockey, and Intercept.
Favored early on, Gold Rare Pedri and Gold Rare Vitinha are also great choices due to their precise dribbling and solid passing. Just be warned, as that does reflect in their prices. You can check out an overview of all of the above, as well as two other sure-to-excel alternatives below:
| Player | Face Stats | PlayStyles | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Rare Nicolò Barella (87 OVR / CM) | 80 PAC, 78 SHO, 84 PAS, 86 DRI, 81 DEF, and 76 PHY | Relentless+, Incisive Pass, Pinged Pass, Long Ball Pass, Jockey, Intercept, and Press Proven | 14K+ on consoles / 15K on PC |
| Gold Rare Pedri (89 OVR / CM) | 77 PAC, 73 SHO, 85 PAS, 91 DRI, 78 DEF, and 77 PHY | First Touch+, Incisive Pass, Long Ball Pass, Tiki Taka, Technical, and Relentless | 40K+ on both consoles and PC |
| Gold Rare Vitinha (89 OVR / CM) | 72 PAC, 80 SHO, 86 PAS, 90 DRI, 75 DEF, and 70 PHY | Technical+, Finesse Shot, Incisive Pass, Long Ball Pass, Tiki Taka, Intercept, and Relentless | Around 30K on both consoles and PC |
| Gold Rare Rose Lavelle (87 OVR / CM) | 85 PAC, 81 SHO, 84 PAS, 87 DRI, 60 DEF, and 64 PHY | Pinged Pass+, Finesse Shot, Game Changer, Incisive Pass, Tiki Taka, Technical, and First Touch | 15K on both consoles and PC |
| Gold Rare Tijjani Reijnders (86 OVR / CM) | 79 PAC, 79 SHO, 82 PAS, 85 DRI, 77 DEF, and 77 PHY | Tiki Taka+, Finesse Shot, Power Shot, Incisive Pass, and Technical | 45K+ on both consoles and PC |
The Best Midfielders (CM) Under 100K In EA FC 26
Living proof that not all meta picks are worth over 1M coins, Gold Rare Jude Bellingham is by far the best CM under 100K in EA FC 26, with his Relentless+ and great selection of shooting PlayStyles giving him all of the tools to excel on both ends of the pitch. The Real Madrid star is then followed by Gold Rare Frenkie de Jong, whose Tiki Taka+ and solid PAS/DRI do most of the heavy lifting, especially when in the Deep-Lying Playmaker position. Here’s an overview of both players, as well as an extra sure to excel alternative:
| Player | Face Stats | PlayStyles | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Rare Jude Bellingham (90 OVR / CAM) | 80 PAC, 86 SHO, 83 PAS, 90 DRI, 78 DEF, and 86 PHY | Relentless+, Low Driven Shot, Game Changer, Inventive, Slide Tackle, Technical, and First Touch | 65K+ on consoles / 60K on PC |
| Gold Rare Frenkie de Jong (87 OVR / CM) | 82 PAC, 71 SHO, 86 PAS, 87 DRI, 78 DEF, and 77 PHY | Tiki Taka+, Incisive Pass, Inventive, and Press Proven | 90K+ on consoles / 109K+ on PC |
| Ratings Reload Scott McTominay (87 OVR / CM) | 78 PAC, 84 SHO, 80 PAS, 84 DRI, 82 DEF, and 87 PHY | Incisive Pass+, Precision Header, Low Driven Shot, Aerial Fortress, Technical, and Enforcer | 95K+ on consoles / 80K on PC |
Now that you know who to target when searching for a budget CM, we also highly recommend taking a look at The Best Silver Players For All Positions In EA FC 26 Ultimate Team.
