How to Play Online in FC 26

Online Seasons

Online Seasons is the most straightforward competitive mode in FC 26. You choose a real-world club or national team and face other players in ranked matches. Wins earn points that help you progress through divisions, while losses can slow your climb. This mode rewards consistency, smart team selection, and tactical awareness, making it ideal for players who enjoy traditional head-to-head football.

Step 1: Connect to Online Services

Make sure your console or PC is connected to the internet, then launch FC 26 and wait for the game to connect to EA online services. If you are on console, ensure your online subscription is active if required.

Step 2: Open Online Seasons

From the main menu, choose Seasons (sometimes shown as Online Seasons depending on the menu layout).

Step 3: Choose Your Team

Select the real team you want to use. You can choose a club or a national team. Pick a team that matches your style, for example a high press team, a counter attacking team, or a possession team.

Step 4: Set Your Kit and Stadium Preferences

Confirm your home and away kits to avoid kit clashes. If the game prompts stadium settings, pick your preferred stadium or leave it on default.

Step 5: Adjust Your Tactics and Formation

Before searching for a match, review your formation, tactics, and instructions. You can also edit your starting lineup and bench based on the team’s strengths. Save your changes before matchmaking so they apply in the match.

Step 6: Start Matchmaking

Select Play Match or Find Match to begin searching for an opponent. The game will match you with another player, usually based on skill rating and connection quality.

Step 7: Confirm the Match Details

When an opponent is found, confirm the matchup and check kits again if needed. Once both players are ready, the match loads.

Step 8: Play the Match

Play the full match as normal. Winning earns you points, draws usually earn fewer points, and losses cost points. In some divisions, you may have a points target to avoid relegation, earn promotion, or win the title.

Step 9: View Results and Progress

After the final whistle, you will see your match result, division points, and season progress. Keep playing matches until you hit the points needed for promotion, a title, or to avoid relegation. At the end of a season, you can start a new one in the same division or a higher one depending on your results.

Step 10: Improve Over Time

If you are struggling, switch to a team that fits you better, refine your tactics, and focus on one or two reliable ways to score, such as quick counters, cutbacks, or set pieces. Consistency matters more than flashy play in Online Seasons.

Ultimate Team Online Modes

FUT (Ultimate Team) offers several online modes, including Division Rivals, Champions, Friendlies, and live event playlists. In Division Rivals, you compete in ranked matches to earn weekly rewards based on your performance. Champions is a higher-level competitive mode with stricter matchmaking and stronger rewards. Online Friendlies provide a more relaxed environment with special rules and objectives, often tied to seasonal events.

Success in Ultimate Team online play depends on squad building, chemistry, and understanding the current gameplay meta. Regularly updating your squad, completing objectives, and managing player fitness all play a role in long-term success.

Step 1: Enter Ultimate Team

From the FC 26 main menu, select Ultimate Team. The first time you enter, you will complete a short setup that includes choosing a starter pack and basic squad.

Step 2: Build Your Squad

Go to Squads and create your starting team. Make sure players are in their correct positions and try to build chemistry by linking players from the same league, club, or nation. Higher chemistry improves player performance during matches.

Step 3: Check Your Team Fitness and Contracts

Before playing online, ensure all players have active contracts. Fitness is managed automatically in FC 26, but contracts still matter. Replace expired contracts using consumables or by swapping players.

Step 4: Choose an Online FUT Mode

Open the Play tab in Ultimate Team and select one of the online modes:

• Division Rivals for ranked weekly competition
• FUT Champions for high level competitive matches
• FUT Draft Online for knockout style gameplay using a drafted squad
• Live Friendlies for casual or objective based online matches

Step 5: Select Division Rivals or Your Preferred Mode

If you are new, Division Rivals is the best place to start. Select Rivals, confirm your squad, and choose to search for a match. The game places you in a division based on skill level.

Step 6: Adjust Tactics and Instructions

Before matchmaking, open Custom Tactics and set your formation, defensive style, build up play, and player instructions. Save your tactics so they apply automatically in every online match.

Step 7: Start Matchmaking

Press Play to search for an opponent. FC 26 will match you with another FUT player based on skill rating and connection quality to ensure fair matches.

Step 8: Play the Match

Complete the full match. Wins, draws, and losses affect your division progress or qualification points depending on the mode you are playing. Performance also contributes toward weekly rewards and objectives.

Step 9: Claim Rewards

After matches, check the Objectives, Division Rivals rewards, or FUT Champions rewards sections. Rewards usually include packs, coins, and sometimes special player items.

Step 10: Improve Your Squad

Use earned coins and packs to upgrade your team. You can buy players from the Transfer Market, complete Squad Building Challenges, or evolve players using EVOs to keep your squad competitive.

Step 11: Progress Long Term

Play consistently each week to climb divisions, qualify for FUT Champions, and unlock better rewards. Improving tactics, learning market basics, and completing objectives will steadily make your Ultimate Team stronger.

Clubs Online

Clubs mode allows you to control a single created player while teaming up with friends or other online players. Matches are played against other Clubs teams, with each player filling a specific role on the pitch. Communication, positioning, and teamwork are essential in this mode, as no single player can dominate a match alone. Clubs progression is tied to your player’s performance, unlocking new traits, attributes, and customization options over time.

Step 1: Enter Clubs Mode

From the FC 26 main menu, select Clubs. If this is your first time, you will be guided through a short introduction explaining the basics of the mode.

Step 2: Create Your Pro

Customize your Virtual Pro by choosing appearance, height, weight, preferred position, and playstyle. Your position affects your starting attributes and how your player develops over time.

Step 3: Join or Create a Club

You can either create your own club or join an existing one. Creating a club allows you to set the club name, badge, kits, and stadium. Joining a club requires an invite from the club manager or a public club search.

Step 4: Assign Roles

Once inside a club, players can be assigned roles such as Captain, Set Piece Taker, or Any role if enabled. These roles affect in match responsibilities during gameplay.

Step 5: Customize Tactics and Formation

The club manager can choose formations, defensive styles, and attacking tactics. These settings apply to all matches and should match the number of active players and their preferred positions.

Step 6: Queue for a Match

Select Match and start matchmaking. The game searches for another club with a similar division ranking and player count to ensure balanced matches.

Step 7: Play the Match

Each player controls only their own Pro unless assigned the Any role. Communication and positioning are crucial, as teamwork determines success more than individual skill.

Step 8: Earn Experience and Progress

After each match, your Pro earns experience points based on performance. These points unlock attribute upgrades, playstyles, and cosmetic rewards.

Step 9: Climb Divisions

Clubs features a division based league system. Winning matches earns points that help your club get promoted, while losses can lead to relegation.

Step 10: Customize and Upgrade

Use earned progression points to upgrade your Pro’s attributes and unlock new playstyles. Clubs also offers seasonal cosmetics and stadium upgrades to personalize your team identity.

Step 11: Play Drop In Matches

If you do not want to commit to a club, you can play Drop In matches. These are quick online games where you are matched with random teammates and opponents.

Step 12: Compete in Club Events

Throughout the year, Clubs features seasonal events, playoffs, and limited time competitions that offer additional rewards and competitive challenges.

Co-Op Seasons

Co-Op Seasons lets you team up with a friend online and play competitive seasons together against other real player duos. It is designed for players who want structured competition without the complexity of Ultimate Team.

Step 1: Open Co-Op Seasons

From the FC 26 main menu, go to Co-Op Seasons.

Step 2: Invite a Friend

Invite a friend from your platform friends list. Both players must be online and accept the invitation before continuing.

Step 3: Choose a Team

Select a real world club or national team. Both players will use the same team, sharing control of different players on the pitch.

Step 4: Assign Controls

Before kickoff, the game assigns player control automatically. You can switch players freely during the match, just like standard online play.

Step 5: Start Matchmaking

Once ready, begin matchmaking. The system searches for another Co Op pair with a similar skill rating.

Step 6: Play Matches and Earn Points

Winning matches earns points toward promotion. Drawing or losing affects your division standing.

Step 7: Progress Through Divisions

Co Op Seasons uses a division based system. Reach point targets to earn promotion, titles, and seasonal rewards.

Step 8: Track Record and Stats

Your Co Op record, wins, losses, and titles are tracked separately from solo Seasons.

Online Friendlies

Online Friendlies allow you to play casual online matches against friends or random opponents with flexible rules and no impact on competitive rankings.

Step 1: Open Online Friendlies

From the main menu, select Play Online, then choose Friendlies.

Step 2: Choose Friendly Type

Select the type of friendly you want to play, such as Classic Match, House Rules, or Custom Rules.

Step 3: Invite or Matchmake

You can invite a friend directly or use matchmaking to face a random opponent.

Step 4: Select Teams

Pick club teams, national teams, or custom squads depending on the friendly type chosen.

Step 5: Adjust Match Rules

Some friendly modes allow you to adjust rules like match length, no offsides, no fouls, or alternative scoring systems.

Step 6: Play the Match

Enjoy a relaxed match without pressure. Results do not affect divisions, rankings, or records.

Step 7: Experiment Freely

Online Friendlies are ideal for testing formations, tactics, skill moves, and team combinations before competitive play.

Step 8: Replay or Rematch

After the match, you can instantly rematch, switch teams, or invite another opponent.