Team of the Year (TOTY) is a major annual in-game event that celebrates the best players from the past year. As we move past the festive period, the anticipation for the most prestigious promo in Ultimate Team history reaches a fever pitch. The engagement that comes from TOTY is unmatched; it’s not just about high ratings, but the iconic blue and gold borders.
For FC 26, the excitement is doubled with both Men’s and Women’s squads returning for TOTY. The process begins with voting and ends with the release of the final squads. Fans stay hooked and watch out for every little hint. We already know that this promo will land sometime in January, but let’s get into some more specific speculation here.
When Should You Expect TOTY To Start In FC 26?
As of now, there seems to be no official announcement for the release of TOTY by EA. However, EA has more or less the same pattern for release each year, and we can make some estimates from that. Last year, the voting phase began in early January. About 2 weeks after that, on Friday, January 17, we had our first set of players released into packs. Attackers are first into packs, and then, within that week, we get the rest of the squads as well.
With that background information, you can expect TOTY for FC 26 to drop around January 16th, 2026. EA has promised a TOTY honorable mention upgrade for Classic XI Heroes if you log in before January 12th, 2026. This is most likely because TOTY will drop on the Friday after that. We can expect attackers to be released first, and then the midfielders, followed by defenders, within a week after release. We’ll be sure to update you about any announcements from EA themselves about the TOTY, but for now, this appears to be the most likely release date.
TOTY Voting: Expected Start Time
The TOTY release process isn’t just about getting the players in packs. It’s a process that takes a couple of weeks and keeps the whole community engaged. EA likes to take feedback from the fans in the form of voting to see what players fans can expect to make the final TOTY. The voting process usually runs for a week. It will likely begin about 2 weeks before the release of the first players.
According to that, we should expect a voting announcement around Monday, 5th January. The voting plays a really small role in determining who makes the TOTY, but it’s a good way to keep fans hooked. Finally, the 12th player is voted entirely by the player base in-game.
How To Get TOTY Players
The only reliable ways of getting TOTY players are either from packs or the transfer market. SBCs are a shout, but that would be long after the release of TOTY in packs. Any pack that contains gold or special players has a chance of containing TOTY players. However, it’s not that easy to get a TOTY. EA will tell you that you have a 0.1 percent but the reality sometimes feels even lower.
If you’re not into spending thousands on FC points, then you can buy TOTY players from the transfer market. Anyone who plays daily will probably have the funds to purchase one of them, but bad news for occasional players because it’s not cheap even from the transfer market. No player could cost less than a million, and the best ones usually cost well over 10 million.
