FC 26 Players

EA FC 26's latest update patch 1.2.0 brings some changes to the game again, but it's clearly not as disruptive as patch 1.1.0. As other players have said, it's more of a placebo patch.

While this patch adjusts player AI, the current meta formations remain largely unchanged. Still, you can try some alternative setups that, despite not being mainstream, have unique strengths.

4-2-3-1 (Wide)

4-2-3-1 formation's backline consists of a goalkeeper, a left-back, two center-backs, and a right-back. In this formation, the defenders often employ man-marking tactics, with center-backs marking the strikers and fullbacks closely monitoring the wingers. Two defensive midfielders provide a defensive barrier in front of the back four.

• Build-Up Style: Short Passing (it allows players to move closer together during attacks, creating more passing options.)
• Defensive Approach: Extreme

Player Roles

• GK (Defend): Goalkeeper+
• LB (Support): Attacking Wingback++
• RB (Support): Attacking Wingback++
• LCB (Aggressive): Ball-Playing Defender
• RCB (Aggressive): Ball-Playing Defender
• LM (Roaming): Wide Playmaker++
• RM (Balanced): Inside Forward++
• LCDM (Roaming): Box Crasher++
• RCMD (Roaming): Deep-Lying Playmaker++
• CAM (Balanced): Wide Playmaker++
• ST (Attack): Advanced Forward++

You need to be especially careful with the movement of players in LM position, as their inside runs are crucial to your short passing tactics. Furthermore, the soul of this tactic is Attacking Wingback++ and Box Crasher++, which are essential for providing attacking width and late runs into the box.

If you want to control possession throughout the game, your midfielders should ideally possess Tiki Taka+ Playstyle. Forwards should ideally possess Incisive Pass+.

Player Requirements

87 OVR Claudia Pina

Claudia Pina stands out not only for her Finesse Shot and Low Driven+, but more importantly for her highly effective Tiki Taka and Incisive Pass playstyles. This makes her irreplaceable in possession-based play, and she's extremely threatening even without high race.

Tiki Taka is essential for smooth passing and movement. Without it, players take too long to control the ball and adjust, missing attacking opportunities. Of course, if you don't have 87 OVR Claudia Pina, 86 OVR Claudia Pina is also an option; she currently takes around 6000 FC 26 coins.

88 OVR Sergio Busquets

Sergio Busquets also has Tiki Taka+ and Long Ball Pass. Although he only has 3-star skills and 3 weak foot, he absolutely meets the needs of this formation.

4-4-1-1 (Midfield)

4-4-1-1 formation is a common football formation, similar in personnel to the formation above. It features four defenders, four midfielders, one attacking midfielder, and one striker. The striker is the primary scorer, while the attacking midfielder organizes attacks and supports the striker. This formation strikes a balance between the traditional 4-4-2 and a more attacking formation, balancing defensive and offensive capabilities.

In the latest patch 1.2.0, 4-4-1-1 formation has received a significant buff, becoming a very solid and effective formation suitable for Weekly Leagues, Division Rivals, and even Pro Ladder.

• Build-Up Style: Balanced
• Defensive Approach: High

Player Roles

• GK (Balanced): Sweeping Keeper+
• LB (Defend): Defender++
• RB (Defend): Defender++
• LCB (Defend): Defender++
• RCB (Defend): Defender++
• LM (Balanced): Inside Forward++
• RM (Balanced): Inside Forward++
• LCM (Balanced): Box-to-Box+
• RCM (Build-up): Deep-Lying Playmaker++
• CAM (Attack): Shadow Striker++
• ST (Attack): Advanced Forward++

If you feel your attacking organization is not going smoothly, you can change CAM from Shadow Striker to Playmaker, allowing for more deep drops and support, which will help advance the ball.

Player Requirements

Fullbacks need to be fast and have good ball control. Nuno Mendes or Marcos Llorente are good options. Center-backs also need speed and a good defensive playstyle.

Wingers need to be fast to execute through balls and create space behind the defense.

The three central midfielders are key to the formation. The attacking midfielder and two central midfielders should ideally have Tiki Taka+ and Incisive Pass+ playstyles. This ensures accurate one-touch passing and the ability to deliver lethal through balls.

Forwards should also have Tiki Taka+ or Incisive Pass+, crucial for linking up attacks. You can also use Claudia Pina. As for the goalkeeper, you can assign him based on the players you have.

How To Attack?

During the attacking build-up phase, the primary goal is to find your CAM. Use him to pass the ball to CAM to break the opponent's midfield lines.

Press L1/LB to direct teammates to run in behind, which stretches the opponent's defensive line and creates time and space for the ball carrier.

While pressing L1/LB, gently push the right stick towards the specific route you want your teammate to run. This is an advanced technique that manually creates passing opportunities.

When forward passing lanes are blocked, pass the ball back to a midfielder or defender. Use this pass to push the entire formation forward, while giving yourself more time to observe and make decisions. Finally, utilize the speed of your wingers to create scoring opportunities by playing through balls behind the opponent's flanks.

How To Defend?

Your four defenders form a strong defensive line. You only need to keep the formation compact and cover the middle. It's better to let the opponent run down the flanks than to allow them to easily break through the middle.

You can also manually pull your attacking midfielder back, effectively turning the formation into a 4-5-1, creating a numerical advantage in the middle. Executing an offside trap by pressing the up arrow twice will push the entire defensive line forward, further compressing the opponent's attacking space.

While these formations are not mainstream, they both offer considerable strength. Moreover, once you've mastered it, it can actually make your attacks more difficult for your opponents to handle when they're unfamiliar with your formation.

While FIFA boasts a vast inventory of player cards based on real-world players, if these cards remained unchanged, you'd eventually lose interest, especially since the players' real-world performance is constantly evolving.

Therefore, from the inception of the evolution mechanism to the current FC 26, the development team has consistently strived to provide players with more opportunities to improve their attributes through this system.

This time, we'll introduce FUT 26 Wing Wizards Evolution. How does this evolution work, and which players should take advantage of this upgrade opportunity? We'll explain.

Evolution Mechanism Overview

This mechanism allows you to permanently upgrade players who meet the evolution requirements by completing specific challenges or objectives. These players typically have a low to medium OVR, and their positions vary depending on the evolution event.

As a mechanism inherited from previous versions of the game, evolution events are the core of building and strengthening your team in FUT 26, giving you the opportunity to customize and improve weaker players, increasing your win rate without acquiring new players.

Wing Wizards Evolution Schedule

This evolution event will run for 21 days, has started on November 9th, 2025. This ample duration means you'll have plenty of time to carefully select players without interfering with other FC 26 events.

How Does This Event Work?

Wing Wizards Evolution belongs to Ultimate Team mode and aims to provide opportunities to improve your low-rated wingers. PlayStyles, base attributes, and OVR can all be improved, so don't miss out!

To unlock this evolution, you need 20,000 FC 26 coins. If you don't have enough, you can consume 300 FC points. To participate, the player must be a right winger and meet the following conditions:

• OVR cannot exceed 79
• PlayStyles maximum 10
• Cannot be a World Tour Silver Superstars Icon player

Based on this, player evolutions are generally divided into two types. One type is the evolution at various levels obtained through leveling up after unlocking, and the other type requires you to complete relevant challenges with that player.

Level 1 upgrades:

• RW Inside Forward++
• Reactions +6 (Max 89)
• Shooting +7 (Max 85)
• Agility +10 (Max 88)

Level 2 upgrades:

• Reactions +6 (Max 89)
• Passing +10 (Max 86)
• Stamina +10 (Max 90)
• Balance +10 (Max 87)
• Dribbling +10 (Max 86)

Level 3 upgrades:

• Skill moves +2 star
• Weak Foot +1 star
• RW Winger+
• Press Proven PlayStyle
• Quickstep PlayStyle

Level 4 upgrades:

• RW Wide Playmaker+
• Tiki Taka PlayStyle
• Pace +10 (Max 90)
• Composure +10 (Max 87)
• Ball control +10 (Max 86)

All challenge requirements are as follows:

• Challenge 1: Win two matches in Squad Battles/Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events on minimum Semi Pro difficulty using your active player.
• Challenge 2: Play three matches in Squad Battles/Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events on minimum Semi Pro difficulty using your active player.
• Challenge 3: Play three matches in Squad Battles/Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events on minimum Semi Pro difficulty using your active player.
• Challenge 4: Win three matches in Squad Battles/Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events on minimum Semi Pro difficulty using your active player.

Which Players Should You Choose For This Evolution?

The first player we recommend is Adama Traoré. His strength lies in his high speed, with a rating of 96 and a current OVR of 76, meeting the requirements for Wing Wizards Evolution.

You can expect to redeem about four attribute boosts for him, such as two quick steps, basic pressure, and weak foot, and possibly even a five-star skill. Whether you can acquire a new PlayStyle depends on how many you already have (maximum 5).

Nevertheless, these attribute boosts are enough to make Adama a more valuable asset in FC 26 future matches. He will increase the team's scoring chances with his increased speed and attacking power.

Daizen Maeda's OVR is 79, just barely passing. His base attributes are also heavily reliant on speed, with other aspects like dribbling, shooting, and physical attributes also performing well.

If you evolve him, he should have the potential to become a new all-rounder, capable of handling different situations well and stabilizing your team's performance.

However, this player is unique in that previous evolution events also suited him well. So, if you've already evolved Daizen, you can choose OVR 76 Daniel James or other similar players as a replacement.

While Francisco Conceição's shooting ability is slightly lacking, he's still worth evolving considering his overall performance. Donyell Malen is also a good choice; his playing style is very solid, and he will become even more reliable after evolution.

As for Diogo Martins, his goals are spectacular, and his OVR is projected to reach 86 after evolution. While this isn't an exceptionally high number, it's quite good for the player's existing overall abilities. If you already have him, don't hesitate to upgrade him.

More player options and their OVR as follows:

• Maximilian Beier: 79
• Brennan Johnson: 79
• Amad Diallo: 79
• Ismaila Sarr: 79
• Estevao: 78
• Kuhn: 78
• Geny Catamo: 78
• Elena Julve: 78
• Yankuba Minteh: 77
• Endrick: 77
• Franco Mastantuono: 77

While the overall evolution potential of Wing Wizards Evolution is expected to be difficult to realize in the future, it's at least helpful for players who excel at curved shots and are suited for the later stages of the season.

Special Strategies

Besides choosing different players to evolve, you can also choose an evolution chain strategy. This strategy allows you to apply multiple evolutions to the same player to maximize their attributes and OVR.

However, considering that almost every evolution requires a certain OVR, this strategy requires you to find potential players and plan carefully from the very first season of the game. Therefore, it's more suitable for experienced players with sufficient patience.

That concludes this introduction. If you have a suitable winger in your card pool and enough points or coins, get started!