FC 26 Players

The countdown to the 2026 World Cup (hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico) is on. Meanwhile, in the virtual football world of FC 26, Path to Glory promo, which tracks the real-world progress of select teams, is about to launch its second squad (Team 2)!

This event is part of the broader Festival of Football celebration and stands out as the only promo directly linked to the actual World Cup schedule.

Below, we outline the leaked Team 2 lineup and explain how to acquire these player items, helping you make the most of the content from the first week.

When will Path to Glory Team 2 launch?

EA FC 26 Path to Glory event features two squads, each running for one week. Team 1 launched last Friday, June 5, and concludes this Friday, June 12, at which point Team 2 will go live.

Path to Glory Team 2 will also run for one week, ending on Friday, June 19. It will be immediately followed by the second phase of Festival of Football: Greats of the Game.

Note that among the World Cup-themed promos in FC 26, only Path to Glory and the third event, Glory Hunters, run for two weeks; the others last only one week.

Based on Path to Glory schedule, it is likely that Glory Hunters will also launch in two separate batches. Since Team 1 players cannot be earned once Team 2 launches, be sure to plan your time accordingly.

Path to Glory Team 2 lineup leak

It has become common for new event lineups to leak within FUT 26 community days in advance; this allows you to decide early on whether the event is worth your time.

The lineup is divided into three categories: new cards available in packs, guaranteed rewards from completing SBCs and Objectives, and items redeemable in the token store using Festival of Football Tokens.

Notably, some players in the second category carry over from Team 1, so if you missed them during the first week, you still have another week to earn them. Below are Team 2 players by position, along with their OVRs.

Team 2:

GK:

• Emiliano Martínez 94

RB:

• Jules Koundé 96
• Daniel Muñoz 93
• Amir Murillo 92
• Yan Valery 91

CB:

• Marquinhos 95
• Joško Gvardiol 95
• Aymeric Laporte 94
• Ezri Konsa 94
• Arthur Theate 92

LB:

• Antonee Robinson 93
• Pervis Estupiñán 93

CDM:

• Granit Xhaka 95
• Franck Yannick Kessié 94
• Felix Nmecha 94
• Kristijan Jakić 91
• Ahmed Fathi 91

CM:

• Hakan Çalhanoğlu 95

CAM:

• Jude Bellingham 96
• Florian Wirtz 96
• Jean-Ricner Bellegarde 93

RM:

• Iñaki Williams 96
• Takefusa Kubo 94
• Nestory Irankunda 94
• Dodi Lukébakio 93
• Jordan Ayew 93
• Oston Urunov 91

RW:

• Lee Kang In 95
• Zizo 94
• Sultan Mandash 94
• Cristian Martínez 92

LM:

• Willy Semedo 92

LW:

• Edmilson Junior 92

ST:

• Alexander Isak 96
• Jonathan David 94
• Edin Džeko 94
• George Hirst 93
• Antonio Sanabria 92
• Frantzdy Pierrot 92
• Kerem Aktürkoğlu 91

SBC and Objectives:

• RB - Noussair Mazraoui 93
• CB - Chris Richards 93
• CM - Lucas Paquetá 93
• CAM - Martin Ødegaard 95
• RW-Pedro Neto 95
• LM - Cody Gakpo 95
• LW - Ferran Torres 94

Token Store Rewards:

• CM - Jens Castrop 93
• CAM - Amad Diallo 94
• ST - Patrik Schick 93

It is also worth noting that you can win plenty of free coins by participating in IGGM Path to Glory giveaways on Discord, significantly easing the grind for your card farming in the coming week!

How to get these new player items?

The primary way to obtain player cards that drop randomly from packs is, naturally, by playing the game and opening more packs. However, since the drops are random, you might find yourself nearing the end of the event without having secured the player you wanted.

In that case, it is best to buy FC 26 coins on IGGM immediately; this gives you a chance to unlock those player cards via the transfer market. While others may still be selling them later, the need for coins will almost certainly be higher.

As for reward cards from SBCs and Objectives, you can obtain them simply by completing the relevant tasks. This content will roll out over the coming week (or span a two-week period).

Finally, if you want to get reward cards from the token store, you need to earn enough Festival of Football (FoF) Tokens before FUT 26 Path to Glory Team 2 event ends, then redeem them as you wish.

How to farm FoF Tokens?

These tokens are part of a new mechanic introduced alongside Season 8 Festival of Football. You can earn them by participating in most FIFA 26 Ultimate Team modes, such as the aforementioned SBCs and Objectives, as well as Rivals, Squad Battles, Rush, and more.

However, keep in mind that there is a weekly cap of 1,000 FoF Tokens, so the number of tokens required to unlock Path to Glory Team 2 Token Store rewards shouldn't exceed this limit.

What other features can you engage with at the same time?

With the launch of EA FC 26 Path to Glory Team 2, the real World Cup is already underway; why not kick off your own tournament in The World's Game mode? You can even simulate matches to predict the champion yourself!

Another new Ultimate Team feature, Journey of Nations, also launched last week with a bi-weekly update schedule. Each week, you can unlock rewards by completing specific objectives, and finishing all of them grants you access to exclusive ICONs.

Last week featured North America, with Hugo Sánchez as ICON reward. This Friday, Asia and Oceania region launches alongside Path to Glory Team 2, offering Saeed Al-Owairan as the ultimate reward.

It is also worth noting that if you complete all Journey of Nations objectives over five consecutive weeks, you can unlock an exclusive version of Diego Maradona.

Summary

Path to Glory Teams 1 and 2 are just the beginning of a packed schedule for FIFA 26 this summer; get ready for an incredibly busy month ahead, gear up!

Although the 2026 World Cup hasn't kicked off yet, you might already be curious about who will take home the trophy! Fans always back their own teams, while casual viewers might favor established powerhouses or the defending champions.

To celebrate the event, and despite the lack of official FIFA licensing, FC 26 has released The World's Game Update as a substitute, allowing you to soak up the tournament atmosphere as either a virtual player or a manager.

So, if you want a more immersive World Cup experience in FUT 26, beyond participating in promos linked to the real-world schedule, you can use AI simulations to predict the tournament's winner and runner-up yourself!

Here, we'll walk you through our simulation process and results. If you'd like to try it yourself, we've provided a guide as well!

Simulation details and final results

First, it's important to note that the simulation relies on in-game data for the teams and players. Since real-world matches involve many unpredictable variables, these simulation results are for reference and entertainment purposes only.

The special tournament mode in EA FC 26 features 48 teams (matching the actual World Cup lineup), divided into 12 groups. The format progresses through group stages and knockout rounds, culminating in a final to determine the top finishers.

We followed this same schedule for our in-game simulation. To generate results quickly, we used the quick sim feature; however, if you want more precise outcomes, you can run your own simulation using the tutorial provided later.

Group Stage

During the simulated group stage, the game seemed to default to a 1-1 draw for matches where the outcome was uncertain, resulting in a high number of inconclusive ties.

That said, there were some notable highlights, such as Qatar defeating Ecuador 2-1 and Japan beating Tunisia 3-1. Other group stage winners included:

• France
• Colombia
• England
• Portugal
• Croatia
• Morocco
• Curaçao
• Germany
• Spain
• Belgium

Overall, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland took the lead in Group B, with Canada close behind. In Group C, Brazil and Morocco are currently vying for the top two spots, while Scotland sits in third place.

In Group D, Turkey and Australia hold the top two positions, with the USA at the bottom. Ivory Coast and Germany lead Group E, while Curaçao is currently third.

Japan and Netherlands occupy the top two spots in Group F, though Netherlands faces pressure from Sweden and Tunisia.

In Group G, Belgium has demonstrated expected dominance; Egypt is second, while Iran, with only one point, sits in third. Iran might still advance as one of the best third-placed teams if they win their final match.

Spain and Uruguay hold the top two spots in Group H, though Cape Verde is challenging Uruguay's position. In Group I, France sits at the top, with Senegal and Norway in second and third place, respectively.

Algeria leads Group J, a somewhat surprising development, followed by Argentina in second, while Austria and Jordan are at the bottom. However, Austria's goal difference appears insufficient to secure a spot as one of the best third-placed teams.

Portugal and Colombia occupy the top two spots in Group K, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a formidable opponent, sitting in third. In Group L, England and Croatia hold the top two positions, and Panama is third.

Following these results, another round of matches took place between the top teams from each group; the results are as follows:

• Brazil vs. Morocco: 2-2
• Netherlands vs. Japan: 1-1
• Germany vs. Curaçao: 2-0
• Norway vs. Iraq: 2-0
• Belgium vs. Egypt: 2-1
• Spain vs. Cape Verde: 3-3
• France vs. Senegal: 1-1
• Portugal vs. DR Congo: 2-0
• Argentina vs. Algeria: 2-1
• England vs. Croatia: 1-0
• Colombia vs. Uzbekistan: 3-0

Knockout Stage

The purpose of the knockout stage is to determine which teams will advance to the final phase of the tournament. Based on this, the first stage is the round of 32; notable simulation results include:

• Germany vs. Scotland: 3-1
• Morocco vs. Japan: 3-2
• Brazil vs. Sweden: 2-0
• France vs. Netherlands: 1-0
• Norway vs. England: 3-2
• Belgium vs. Austria: 2-1
• Colombia vs. Panama: 2-2
• Spain vs. Algeria: 5-3
• Argentina vs. Uruguay: 3-2
• USA vs. Portugal: 2-1
• Ivory Coast vs. Senegal: 2-1
• Turkey vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina: 3-1
• Australia vs. Iran: 2-1
• Czech Republic vs. Cape Verde: 3-2
• Switzerland vs. Egypt: 2-0

Next is the round of 16; the teams advancing include:

• Germany
• Morocco
• Algeria
• Belgium
• Ivory Coast
• Norway
• Argentina
• Switzerland

Finals

The first part of this stage is the quarter-finals, featuring the eight teams that advanced from the round of 16. The winners in FC 26 simulation were:

• Germany
• Belgium
• Argentina
• Norway

Consequently, the semi-final matchups saw Norway face Switzerland on one side and Belgium face Germany on the other. The eventual winners were Germany and Norway, who then faced off in the final: Germany took first place!

Additionally, Belgium defeated Switzerland 3-1 to secure third place.

In summary, the results of this FIFA 26 simulation for the 2026 World Cup are:

• Champion: Germany
• Runner-up: Norway
• Third Place: Belgium
• Fourth Place: Switzerland

Along the way, there were indeed dark horse teams and shock exist, but who can guarantee that real-life matches won't play out the same way? After all, beyond skill, luck is a crucial factor!

How is the simulation conducted?

If you enjoy playing it yourself, or want to run multiple simulations and aggregate the data for potentially more reliable results, you can run your own simulation using World's Game Mode tournament feature.

You can choose a preset tournament or create a custom one, add the national teams or clubs you wish to include, and configure the specific tournament rules.

How does FC 26 connect to the current World Cup?

Due to a lack of official licensing, FC 26 is celebrating the World Cup through The World's Game Update rather than a dedicated mode, meaning it misses out on many authentic World Cup elements.

Fortunately, however, you can track the World Cup performance of certain teams via Path to Glory promo; the game grants stat boosts to the corresponding players based on their teams' real-world results!

The event kicked off last Friday, June 5, including two squads; Team 2 is set to launch this coming Friday, stay tuned!

As this year's biggest sporting event, the World Cup has drawn widespread attention across various sectors, with people finding many ways to predict the outcome. Who will ultimately be crowned champion is sure to be the most compelling question of the summer!