Ultimate Team is the FC 27 mode where you build your own squad from player cards and take it on against the AI or other players. This guide covers the modes, Champions qualification, FUT Coins vs FC Points, card types, Evolutions, the Gallery and your first days. It applies to consoles and PC and reflects the game as of 20 October 2026.
What Football Ultimate Team is
From FC 27 onwards the mode is officially called Football Ultimate Team, and the FUT abbreviation stays. The idea has not changed: you collect player cards, build a squad and play. Cards come from match and objective rewards, from packs and from the Transfer Market.
FUT is not part of the free EA SPORTS FC 27 Lite. If you played FUT in FC 26, rewards transfer into FC 27 from October 2026, as long as you use the same EA account and stay within the same platform family, for example PlayStation to PlayStation.
Where to start: Training Centre and matches against the AI
EA recommends that newcomers start in the offline Training Centre: Basic Training, Advanced Drills, set pieces, AI Challenges and Performance Feedback.
Inside FUT you then have three modes against the AI:
- Squad Battles – pick a difficulty and play at your own pace against squads built by the community.
- Moments – short scenarios that EA describes as beginner friendly.
- Single Player Live Events – new in FC 27: custom squads, rules and themed AI opponents, with a difficulty choice in some of them.
You can also play Squad Battles and Division Rivals in co-op with a friend.
Modes against other players and the road to Champions
| Mode | How it works |
|---|---|
| Division Rivals | A pyramid of divisions. Wins move you up, and higher divisions pay better rewards. |
| Champions | The mode with the best rewards. The finals have 15 matches. Entry is through CQP. |
| Live Events | Events with their own rules. |
| Rush | You pick one player card and play a small-sided format cooperatively. |
| Drafts | A team outside your main squad, the goal is a winning streak. |
You qualify for Champions with Champions Qualification Points (CQP). In FC 27 you earn them in Division Rivals and in Squad Battles, and the old requirement to reach Division 6 is gone.
If competitive FC interests you beyond your own living room, the Czech championship FC 27 BRNO runs open qualifiers.
How to earn FUT Coins
FUT Coins are the in-game currency you earn by playing and trading. According to EA, matches in Rivals, Champions and Squad Battles pay significantly more coins in FC 27 than they did in FC 26. On top of that you get 15 to 100 Season Points depending on the result and the mode, up to 850 per day.
A much larger share of rewards is now tradeable on the Transfer Market, including Rivals reward packs.
FUT Coins, FC Points and the Store
FC Points are the paid currency, bought on Steam, the PlayStation Store, the Microsoft Store or the EA app and tied to that platform. On Steam, 500 FC Points cost €4.99 and 2,800 cost €24.99 (prices as of 20 October 2026). The full list of bundles is in our guide to FC Points prices.
FC Points buy packs with random items and the season Premium Pass in the Store. EA calls the Store an optional extra and promises fewer promotional pack offers in FC 27. Before buying, check the Pack Probability screen, which shows each pack’s odds.
The Ultimate Edition includes 6,000 FC Points in three equal instalments. The first arrives when you first log in to Ultimate Team, the others by the 15th of each of the following two months. An EA Play subscription adds recurring Draft Tokens in FUT and a 10% discount on FC Points. What each edition contains is covered in our FC 27 editions guide.
Cards: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Holographic
FC 27 dropped the Common and Rare split, so base cards are simply Bronze, Silver and Gold.
New this year are Holographic Items, rarer versions of special cards. Same attributes, different look. Up to 87 OVR they are Regular Holographic, from 88 OVR Pristine Holographic. They appear from the first Team of the Week (TOTW), which EA picks based on real-world performances.
ICON and Hero chemistry
ICONs get full chemistry in their position, add +1 to every league and now +1 to their nation (previously +2). Heroes get full chemistry in their position, now +1 to their league (previously +2) and +1 to their nation. Hall of FUT cards work like Heroes. Base ICONs start at 88 OVR.
Evolutions and the Gallery
Evolutions (Evo) upgrade selected cards. FC 27 adds Pathways, which let an Evo branch, and Evolution Chain Preview, which shows the follow-up Evos. Training Camp Evolutions serve as entry-level Evos for weaker players. The Ultimate Edition gives you one extra Evolution slot.
The FUT Gallery is a new collection. Every card that passes through your club, whether from a pack, the market, an objective or an SBC, is logged in Sets by nation, league, club and campaign. Cards you later sell or submit still count, loan cards do not. Sets and their Grades unlock rewards and Gallery Tokens, which can be spent on Hall of FUT players among other things.
SBCs in a nutshell
In Squad Building Challenges you hand in cards from your club for a reward. FC 27 adds simplified Streamlined SBCs, where you no longer build a full starting eleven. How they work and what Item Score means is explained in our SBC guide.
Your first few days in FUT
- Work through the Training Centre, then Squad Battles or Moments against the AI.
- Play Rivals and Squad Battles to collect CQP for Champions and Season Points (up to 850 per day).
- Let cards pass through your club and watch your Gallery sets fill up. Sold and submitted cards count as well.
- Keep an eye on the seasons: Season 1 (Ones to Watch) ends on 22 October 2026 and Season 2 runs until 3 December 2026. The Season 1 Premium Pass is no longer available once the season ends.
What changes with each update and season is tracked in our FC 27 update overview.
EA explains the FUT rules in its FUT Deep Dive and its modes overview.
Join our Discord to find co-op partners for Rivals or Squad Battles: Discord GamersTogether.
FAQ
Collect Champions Qualification Points (CQP). In FC 27 you earn them in Division Rivals and Squad Battles, and the requirement to reach Division 6 has been removed.
FUT Coins are the in-game currency you earn by playing and selling on the Transfer Market. FC Points are the paid currency from the stores (Steam, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, EA app) and are tied to the platform you bought them on.
No. Lite includes Kick-Off, Learn to Play, online Friendlies and Online Seasons. If you upgrade to the full game on the same platform and EA account, your progress carries over.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. More guides are in our EA Sports FC hub.