EA FC 25 introduces first Premium Pass with Season 7
That begs the question: why doesn't EA just make Ultimate Team free-to-play, too? As it turns out, fans have been chewing over that possibility for years, and are now debating it again with the release of the Premium Pass.
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The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
Millions of TV owners getting irresistible sports freebie – exact brand of television you'll need to claim footie perk
MILLIONS of football fans across the UK can now score big without even owning a games console. EA Sports FC 25, the latest footie game sensation, is now available to play directly on Samsung TVs and smart monitors, thanks to a game-changing deal with Xbox Cloud Gaming. 2 The offer is rolling out via Samsung Gaming Hub, which is available on newer Samsung TVs and smart monitors. That means fans from London to Leeds can dive into the virtual pitch using nothing more than their telly, a controller, and a Game Pass subscription. Gamers will need an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership to get in on the action, but there's a huge bonus for those who haven't signed up before. Samsung is offering two months completely free. Just head to the Samsung Promotions app on your TV, tap the Xbox promotion banner, or scan the QR cod e shown on screen using your mobile. Once inside the game, fans can take control of over 19,000 real-life players, representing more than 700 clubs from across 30 leagues. Whether you fancy running a team in career mode, teaming up with mates in 5v5 Rush, or managing every aspect of your club with the new FC IQ system, the options are endless. It's the most immersive version of the game yet, and thanks to Samsung's deal with Microsoft and Electronic Arts, it's all available instantly via the cloud – no downloads, discs or consoles required. It also means you can go from watching the big match live on TV to jumping straight into one of your own, all on the same screen. Samsung's Gaming Hub is also home to other major streaming platforms including Amazon Luna and Nvidia GeForce Now, giving even more reason for gamers to stay glued to their smart screens. Hun Lee, executive vice president of Samsung's Visual Display Business, said: 'We are delighted to bring EA SPORTS FC 25 to Samsung TVs and monitors through cloud gaming on Samsung Gaming Hub. Virgin Media Launches Two Free Rakuten TV Channels As the world's leading TV manufacturer, one of our goals is to immerse soccer fans around the world in the exciting game of soccer, whether they are playing the game or watching a match live on a Samsung TV.' The promotion is expected to drive a wave of interest from casual fans and hardcore gamers alike, especially with the current buzz surrounding the EA FC franchise. Just last week, Real Madrid and England ace J ude Bellingham made headlines at the EA FC 25 launch in Madrid, where he rolled his eyes at an overly dramatic intro calling him 'the main man from Madrid'. He's also just been unveiled as the cover star for the EA FC 25 Ultimate Edition, appearing alongside football legends David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, and Gianluigi Buffon. With the Euros in full swing and football fever gripping the nation, Samsung's latest perk is perfectly timed. If you've got a compatible Samsung screen at home, this is your moment to take to the pitch without spending a penny more. All you need is the telly, a controller, and a few taps to get started. 2
Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
What we know about EA FC 26 – expected release date, leaks and new FUT Heroes
EA FC 26 will be the next EA Sports FC game to be released, with the game projected to drop in a few months. With EA FC 25 coming towards the end of its cycle, all eyes are now turning to the future, with EA FC 26 the next game to be released by EA Sports. We're rapidly approaching year three of EA Sports ' EA Sports FC era, with EA FC 26 set to be released this fall, as confirmed by EA in its Q4 and FY25 results. A tough start to life for EA FC 25 saw EA admit at the beginning of the year that EA FC 25 had 'underperformed' financially in its preliminary Q3 FY2025 results, but after an impressive gameplay update, the game seems to be back on track, giving players of the game some optimisim ahead of EA FC 26's release later this year. Based on past releases, we should start to get our first official look at EA FC 26 in July, but once again, leakers have beaten EA to the punch, with lots of EA FC 26 information starting to circulate on social media. From new game additions to when EA FC 26 will be released worldwide, leaks are appearing more and more each day, so here's everything we know about EA FC 26 so far, and all the leaks we've found on social media in one place. EA FC 26 leaks round-up Here are all the EA FC 26 leaks we know so far. There seem to be endless amounts of leaks out there at the moment, so we've whittled it down and included leaks from sources that have proven reliable in the past. EA FC 26 leaked release date and expected price Starting strong, one of the most reliable leakers in the game, @FutSheriff, has revealed the EA FC 26 release date, with the leaker claiming that the EA FC 26 Ultimate Edition will be released on September 19, 2025, while the EA FC 26 Standard Edition will be released on September 26, 2025. Debunking any theories of an August release, the leaker has a proven track record when it comes to leaks, and the majority of EA's past EA Sports FC and FIFA have been released in the last week of September, so this looks to be nailed on. Price-wise, there have been no leaks as of yet, but as reported by Esports Insider, EA CFO Stuart Canfield confirmed during an earnings call that EA isn't planning a change in its current strategy, meaning EA FC 26 should be priced the same as EA FC 25. So, we can expect that these will be the EA FC 26 prices when the same is released in September: EA FC 26 Ultimate Edition (PlayStation, Xbox, and PC) - £99.99 / $99.99 / AU$149.95 EA FC 26 Standard Edition (PlayStation, Xbox, PC) - £69.99 / $69.99 / AU$109.95 For Nintendo Switch players, the EA FC 25 Ultimate Edition was released at £69.99 / $69.99 / AU$119.95 while the EA FC 25 Standard Edition cost £54.99 / $54.99 / AU$89.95. But, with Nintendo Switch 2 now available, we expect EA FC 26 will likely be priced the same as the PlayStation, Xbox, and PC versions of the game. EA FC 26 leaked FUT Heroes More of a potential slip-up by EA rather than a leak, but some of the new FUT Heroes coming in EA FC 26 may have already been revealed, and it's been there for all to see since March. As we reported a few months ago, Nexon, one of the developers of EA Sports FC Mobile, a PC and Mobile version of EA Sports FC, which is only available in South Korea, China, Thailand and Vietnam, posted a bunch of unseen FUT Heroes in a blog post. 19 new FUT Heroes were being added to the game, but eight of them are not in EA FC 25, so they could be coming to EA FC 26. The eight FUT Heroes are as follows: Cesc Fabregas (Spain) Michael Carrick (England) Marouane Fellaini (Belgium) Mario Mandzukic (Croatia) Andrea Barzagli (Italy) Jan Koller (Czech Republic) Estaban Cambiasso (Argentina) Gilberto Silva (Brazil) EA tends to add a handful of new Heroes to the game each year, but this doesn't mean that all of these players are guaranteed to feature in EA FC 26. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. EA FC 26 leaked Ultimate Team changes @DetectiveFUT is the source of the majority of FC 26 Ultimate Team leaks, with the leaker having a proven track record with Ultimate Team leaks during EA FC 25. According to the leaker, we could be set for a big shake-up to some of the biggest game modes in EA FC 26 Ultimate Team, including a change to FUT Champions. According to @DetectiveFUT, Champions Play-Offs will be scrapped, meaning you will no longer have to qualify for FUT Champions Finals before playing. But, there will now be two different FUT Champions events each week instead – FUT Champions and FUT Champions Challengers. Players who are in Division 5 or higher in Division Rivals will qualify for FUT Champions, while players in Division 6 or lower will qualify for FUT Champions Challengers. The leaker has also revealed a change is coming to Division Rivals in EA FC 26. Checkpoints are being turned into 'Stage Events', with each Stage Event featuring an objective that can give out extra rewards. For example, the objective may be to score first in your next game, and if you do so, you could earn some extra rewards. If you go on a win streak, you will earn double Rivals points, while there is also relegation protection for tough runs. The leaker hasn't elaborated on the latter, so we'll have to wait and see what the criteria is for that. The leaker also reported that EA is testing a penalty system for players who quit too many games to try and stop players from regularly leaving games. This may be the best addition of them all if true. Lastly, @DetectiveFUT has claimed that a big focus for EA in EA FC 26 could be Live Events and Tournaments in Ultimate Team. According to the leaker, there will be up to two tournaments per week, both competitive and friendly. Qualification for tournaments may be needed, and winning the tournaments could give you bonus rewards on top of early access to SBCs. The leaker also claims that these tournaments will be in the form of Live Events and that it's not a new game mode. EA FC 26 leaked gameplay updates Once again, coming from @DetectiveFUT, the leaker has revealed some new additions coming to EA FC 26 gameplay, including new Player Roles, updated PlayStyles, and a new Tactical Focus. Here are all the new additions in full: New Player Roles CB: Wide Back CDM: Box Crasher LB/RB: Inverted Wingback We guess that Wide Back will be most useful for left and right centre-backs in three-at-the-back and five-at-the-back formations, Box Crasher will instruct your CDM to make late runs into the box to meet crosses, and Inverted Wingback will have your fullbacks play high and central, almost as two extra attacking midfielders. PlayStyle Updates Enforcer (NEW) Aerial - Aerial Fortress Flair - Trailblazer Trivela - Inventive We don't really have any idea what these new PlayStyles could mean. We predict Enforcer could be a PlayStyle best suited to defensive midfielders, while the updated names for Aerial, Flair and Trivela may simply just be name changes. New Tactical Focus A new Tactical Focus called 'Versatility' is reportedly coming to EA FC 26. We predict this could be a set-up that allows your players to adapt to opponents' tactics, but this could limit player familiarity with certain roles and positions. EA FC 26 cover star The EA FC 26 cover star will be announced when EA starts to reveal information about the new game in July, and as always, there's lots of speculation over who it could be. Jude Bellingham? Mohamed Salah? Lamine Yamal? Well, we already know for a fact it can't be the latter. Yamal was revealed as an ambassador for eFootball, previously known as Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), earlier this year, meaning the Spaniard cannot be on the cover of EA FC 26. Bellingham will likely feature on the cover once again in EA FC 26 after making his debut on the front of the game in EA FC 25.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Allianz Arena could return in EA FC 26 as Bayern Munich eFootball update made
One of football's most iconic stadiums hasn't featured in an EA Sports title since FIFA 19. Six years after its last FIFA appearance, Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena stadium may be ready to return for EA FC 26 after the club ended its license with Konami's eFootball. Right now, the football gaming scene is popping off, with the likes of UFL, eFootball, and the newly-released Rematch all offering good competition for EA Sports and its EA Sports FC game series. One of the major factors that has always made EA Sports FC stand out from the crowd, though, is its authenticity, with EA priding itself on its unmatched realism when it comes to players, clubs, leagues, and stadiums. But, EA can't have it all, with some team and stadium licenses unavailable in EA FC 25 due to partnerships with Konami and its free-to-play football game, eFootball. EA lost the license for Inter and AC Milan ahead of EA FC 25's launch while big stadiums like Barcelona's Camp Nou, Inter and AC Milan's San Siro and Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena are missing from the game, but now, it looks like the latter could be returning for EA FC 26, with Bayern Munich's licenses being removed from eFootball. Allianz Arena tipped for EA FC 26 return It was recently announced by Konami that eFootball will lose the licenses for Bayern Munich's club name, club emblem and club kits, while the Allianz Arena will no longer be available, meaning Konami has lost the rights to use the stadium in-game. The update will go live in eFootball on Thursday, June 26, so if you play eFootball, you only have a week to make the most of the Bayern Munich license. There has been no announcement of any agreement for the Allianz Arena to be used in EA FC 26, but with the license no longer with Konami, we can assume that EA will be ready to stake its claim for the iconic stadium. The last time the Allianz Arena was available was back in FIFA 19, so if you played the Champions League mode in EA FC 25, you would've been playing at the fictional Sanderson Park instead, with its in-game capacity of 39,000, much lower than the Allianz Arena's 75,000 capacity. This isn't the only licensing change that Konami has suffered recently. It was revealed by the Japanese company earlier this month that the Mexican league, Liga MX, was being removed from the game, meaning after a four-year hiatus, Mexican clubs could be available in EA FC 26. EA FC 25 has over 120 different authentic football stadiums available to use, and this may increase by one for EA FC 26.
