For years, fans have dreamed of a game that goes beyond the 11 v 11 match. While The Journey and VOLTA have flirted with story and street football, a massive new leak suggests the franchise’s next big leap is a full scale, open world social hub, though you may have to wait a bit longer than FC 26 to play it.
Recent reports, emerging from the playtest confirms the leak about the playtest that I had written about a few weeks ago regarding the open world mode. The playtest has given players a stunning glimpse into a future, world based football experience. Here’s everything we know about the new modes and the revolutionary hub they’ll live in.
The core of the leak is a new, persistent online hub, drawing immediate comparisons to the popular The City and The Park modes in the NBA 2K series. This isn’t just a menu system, it’s a large, explorable virtual environment.
Based on multiple sources, players will use their own custom created avatars to, freely move around a large social space, potentially featuring different districts, courts, and training areas. Meet up with friends and other players from around the world, use emotes, and form groups. Watch other players’ matches in real time from the sidelines. Visit in game stores to purchase cosmetic items, apparel, and accessories to personalize their avatar. Leaks also point to features like customizable personal apartments, vehicles (like go karts and bikes), and gyms to train your player.
The most interesting part of the leak is the reveal of several new mini game modes found within this open world. These are designed to be quick, fun, and social, moving far beyond traditional football.
The playtest has reportedly given players access to at least six distinct modes:
2v2 & 3v3 Kickabout: A return to street style football. These small-sided matches feature no fouls, no offsides, and ball rebounds off surrounding walls. Games are reportedly decided by a golden goal rule if tied.
Foot Tennis: A classic training ground game brought to life. Players must lob and volley the ball over a net, with the first to 10 points winning the match.
Balloon Ball: Described as a football themed version of dodgeball. Players have three lives and must use the ball to hit and eliminate opponents, all while collecting power ups.
Closest to the Pin: A test of precision. Players must pass, chip, or curl the ball to get it as close as possible to a target on the ground, similar to a game of curling.
Draw the Line: A creative passing challenge where players must pass the ball to one another to draw geometric shapes (like a square or triangle) on the field, with points awarded for accuracy.
This is the key question. The leaks and reports from those in the playtest clarify this new content will not part of the FC 26 that has just been released. EA have stated that “This is an early look at a new FC experience, focused on testing a range of exciting features for release in future FC titles.” Most reliable sources indicate that this ambitious open world mode is being developed for a future title, most likely EA Sports FC 27 as these features have already reached Beta testing.
However i have a bad feeling for the other core modes, for years the community complaint has been a simple one which is that Ultimate Team (FUT) gets all the resources because it’s the primary revenue driver through microtransactions. Every week, FUT receives new content, new promotions, and constant attention. In contrast, Clubs and Career Mode typically receive a few iterative features at launch and are then left largely untouched bugs and all for the rest of the year.
This new Open World mode doesn’t just join the queue for resources; it threatens to become a second live service pillar next to Ultimate Team. Building and, more importantly, maintaining a persistent online social world with mini games (like the leaked Foot Tennis and Kickabout” modes) and a cosmetic driven economy is a massive undertaking.
This creates a new pecking order for development resources that could look like this:
- Ultimate Team (The Cash Cow)
- Open World Hub (The New Monetization Bet)
- Clubs & Career Mode (The Legacy Modes)
This new mode isn’t just a feature, it’s a fundamental shift in strategy. It risks siphoning even more development time, staff, and budget away from the modes that simulation focused players love. To be fair, EA did add features to FC 26. Clubs got the new Archetypes system, and Career Mode received Manager Live Challenges and a Manager Market.
However, this is where the core of the community’s frustration lies. These are seen as iterative tweaks, not the transformative overhauls fans have been begging for. For over a decade, the most requested features for these modes have been:
Online Career Mode: The ability to run a league with friends, competing in the same world for transfers and trophies.
Deep Customization: True stadium builders, kit creators, and sponsorship options.
AI and Logic Overhauls: Fixing legacy bugs in transfer logic, player development, and AI managers that have persisted for years.
Cross Play for Clubs: A feature that has been implemented in FUT but is still fragmented for Clubs.
Instead of dedicating resources to these deeply desired features, the Open World represents a move in the complete opposite direction. It focuses on individual avatars, cosmetics, and arcade mini games, a clear attempt to replicate the monetization success of NBA 2K’s The City.
The NBA 2K parallel is what has many fans worried. The City is often criticized by its own players for being:
A Pay to Win Grind: Players feel pressured to spend real money on Virtual Currency to upgrade their player, or else face a punishingly slow progression.
Filled with Clutter: The mode is loaded with cosmetic microtransactions and brand advertisements that many feel detract from the core basketball experience.
A Forced Experience: It often serves as the mandatory hub just to play online, forcing players to waste time running between locations.
The fear is that EA will adopt this exact playbook. The Open World will likely be fueled by FC Points to buy cosmetic items (rare boots, custom tattoos, apartment decorations) and potentially XP Boosts to speed up progression. This could hurt the game by shifting its identity. Instead of being a football game first, EA FC could become a lifestyle game where the on pitch gameplay is just one part of a larger, monetized social experience.
Not everyone wants to play Ultimate Team, and not everyone will want to run around a digital hub. A significant portion of the EA FC audience buys the game only for Career Mode or only for Clubs. They are fans who love the 11v11 experience, team building, and the journey of a season.
If these players feel that their modes are not just being neglected but effectively abandoned in favor of two separate, microtransaction heavy online modes, they may simply stop buying the game and switch to alternatives like FM 26. This could lead to a smaller, less diverse community, even if the revenue per player from the remaining live service fans goes up.
