EA Sports FC 27 invites you back to the digital pitch, with this year’s iteration giving you greater control over attacking and defending through more precise mechanics, expressive gameplay, and rewards for highly skilled play. From manual tackling and ball delivery, to new ways to find and attack space, FC 27 hopes its community-driven innovations bring the truest-to-life footballing sim the series has ever delivered. Oh, and there’s an all-new, street-level social hub, but we’ll get to that. So, let’s kick off – here’s 15 things you need to know about FC 27.
Reduced AI Auto-Tackles in Competitive Play
Whereas, in previous years, AI-controlled defenders would attempt to win the ball automatically, FC 27 puts more emphasis on manual defensive control. Now, defenders will assume position to control your opposition’s attack, but you choose when to make a tackle. The idea here is for breakup play to be intentional rather than being won outright for you. And, while AI-defenders will still extend a leg if a dribbler comes close, EA confirms they’re reacting to ball proximity rather than the man. This fundamental change, so far, only applies to competitive gameplay, raising the skill ceiling for genuine defensive prowess.
Manually-Controlled Defenders Reworked with Increased Jockey Speed
The effectiveness of manually-controlled defensive work has been emphasised in FC 27 too, with increased jockey speeds compared to last year’s edition enabling defenders to better keep up with quick attacking play. Additionally, this year expands the range of manually-triggered stand tackles. Taken together, FC 27 gives you more tools to position your defenders efficiently, to time and execute successful tackles, and win possession cleanly.
More Player Control in the Corner Ball Jostle
Taking short corners was an often-favourite routine in FC 26 due to the limited influence you had over players in the box. Remedying this, FC 27 introduces more ways to control attacking players via a glimpse of the jostling in the box immediately after the delivery has been selected. During this brief moment, you can switch players, move, make runs, shield, and trigger the new manual mechanic Avoidance, where attacking or defending players become more evasive through the crowd of bodies. Paired with shielding, attacking players can better create space and then protect their position whilst the ball is in flight.
More Precise Crossing Leads to Greater Attacking Variety
Crossing in earlier FC titles was heavily assisted, which meant trajectories had become predictable and finishing animations repetitive. Now, your crossing aim and power has a much bigger impact on where the cross lands, meaning both the ball and your player will be looking to attack the space rather than rely on the cross being delivered into their feet. The opportunity for goal-scoring, then, relies more on your precision, with more attacking variety the result of the ball flying in front of your player.
Headers and Finishing Updated With More Variety
And, building on the previous entries, FC 27 promises more animation variety across the board whether heading or finishing from corner kicks and crosses alike. If it wasn’t clear by now, this year’s iteration is focused on rewarding skill-based play with more authentic outcomes. In other words: connecting cleanly with crosses and corners makes them more accurate, but due to the higher skill ceiling those moments will be less frequent. More likely, your attacker will stretch, dive, and adjust their position whilst the ball is in flight. It’s a more realistic representation, sure, and it’ll feel more rewarding when that header lands with power.
AI Attackers Now More Spatially Aware
In earlier FC titles, AI attackers wouldn’t always react quickly enough to the space emerging around them, leading to frustrating outcomes as you would spot the gap yet your teammate wouldn’t move with urgency. To fix this, FC 27 has updated AI attackers to be more spatially aware, with them making smarter, more responsive, contextually appropriate curved runs to better support your attacking progress.
New Manually Triggered Run Options Give More Off-Ball Control
In addition to smarter, more spatially aware AI attackers, FC 27 also gives you the all-new manually Triggered Curved Run, where players bend their movement around the defensive line, breaking the offside trap to get a clearer run at goal. The trade-off, of course, is curved runs take longer to execute than regular forward runs, so you’ll need to adapt your timing. Elsewhere, the new Pass & Follow Runs sees the passing attacker curve their follow-up run, either overlapping or cutting inside, to meet a return pass behind the opposition’s defence.
Through Passing Relies on Directional Input
In a shift similar to what we’ve already discussed with crosses and corners, through passes in FC 27 are no longer assisted. Now, instead of steering into open lanes, through passes rely more strictly on your directional input. You need to tell the ball where it needs to go, and through the aforementioned AI attacker awareness and run options, finding and meeting the space becomes more deliberate, skillful, and satisfying. On the flipside, deliberate aim also gives manually-controlled defenders a better chance to read the play and make an interception.
Dinked Passes Demand Higher Skill
All of the refinements to passing placement and defensive control discussed so far point to FC 27 wanting to ensure attacking creativity and out-of-possession anticipation are more evenly matched. Supporting this, Dinked Passes now heavily rely on precise aiming and power too, raising the skill ceiling for this specific pass type.
Playstyles Have Been Rebalanced
Based on community feedback, EA has addressed pre-existing balance issues between Playstyles and Attributes, and how some felt too impactful in specific situations. Take Finesse Shot, for instance, where player attributes now play a more significant role in taking a successful shot, while non-Intercept style players have an improved chance of gaining possession off the ball, reducing the gap between Playstyle and Attributes. Elsewhere, Low-Driven shots have had their shot speed boost reduced, meaning velocity now scales based on shooting Attributes and input power. Overall, the performance gaps are being reduced, with both Playstyles and Attributes having more meaning without feeling overpowered.
The Grounds is a New Social Hub
With a central Terrace surrounded by three distinct districts – Montclair’s French urban football, Zeiza’s Argentinian spirit, and Parkside’s UK working-class heritage – The Grounds is an all-new way to experience FC in a social space. Available on current-gen consoles and PC only, this ever-evolving world gives you access to 11v11 stadium drop-ins, Clubs access, mentors, Leagues, Playoffs, and other in-world activities. The mode seems intent on celebrating football’s global cultural imprint as much as providing centralised access to a variety of match types.
The Grounds Gives Many Opportunities for a Kickabout
If you’re just after a quick kickabout, or want to face off in some competitive football from a choice of match types, The Grounds has you covered. Small-sided 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 matches, plus Rush matches, Bocce Ball’s obstacle course-come-target practice, the possession-based Team Keepaway, basketball-adjacent Bucket Ball, yet more obstacles in The Big Race, and more can be played across a range of pitches throughout The Grounds’ districts.
Career Transfer System Sees Significant Overhaul
At the core of FC 27’s Manager Career changes are significant overhauls to how transfers play out. Now, the negotiation process has been reworked, with deals progressing through distinct stages to give you more control over every step of the transfer. Plus, there is a larger range of clauses and contract options, and numerous ways to sweeten the deal for both you and your new team. To acclimatise you to the changes, EA has redesigned the transfer interface to an easily-navigable 2D hub, too.
Dynamic OVR Reflects a Player’s Performance Throughout the Season
In FC 27, a player’s Overall Rating now reflects how they’re actually performing throughout the season, rather than being a static number. Through form, confidence, fitness, injuries, time on the pitch, and competition for places, a player’s rating can rise and fall, ensuring underlying ability isn’t the only metric that matters when balancing your squad.
The All-New FUT Gallery Records Your Players’ Achievements
As a way to recognise the legacy your players earn, FC 27 is introducing the new FUT Gallery. Here, you can create records of Player Items to enhance your gallery rating, even if the Item is no longer an active part of your club. Additionally, the FUT Gallery isn’t just about recording memories, but adding obtained Items to your gallery opens new paths to earning rewards. Built around Sets which you can fill with Items earned, reaching specific set grades can earn you cosmetics or Gallery Tokens, the latter which you can spend in the Gallery Token Store on kits, badges, and other additions for your club’s identity.
