The Highest Rated EA Sports FC 26 Ultimate Team Squad at Launch

EA Sports FC 26 is upon us with the game launching in early access on Friday, Sept. 19 for Ultimate Edition owners.

As part of the buildup for any Ultimate Team cycle, fans are hard at work to theorize the best starter squads in the game—which players work best in certain positions, which PlayStyles best suit certain roles and more.

For those who indulge and spend money on the game via microtransactions, it’s all about fielding a high-end squad on release. That doesn’t necessarily mean the best team in the game, but one that includes the highest rated players possible in every position.

Let’s take a look at the highest rated teams at the start of FC 26 Ultimate Team including an all-gold squad, and variations including Icons—all while trying to get as much chemistry as possible.

Worth mentioning, achieving any of teams here will be extremely difficult at launch.

The Highest Rated EA Sports FC 26 Team at Launch: All Gold Cards

FC 26 Highest Rated Squad — The highest rated team doesn’t quite reach full chemistry. | FUTBIN

Formation: 3-1-4-2
Total Chemistry: 29/33
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma / Manchester City (89)
CB: Virgil van Dijk / Liverpool (90)
CB: Mapi León / Barcelona (89)
CB: Irene Paredes / Barcelona (88)
LM: Kylian Mbappé / Real Madrid (91)
CM: Aitana Bonmatí / Barcelona (91)
CDM: Rodri / Manchester City (91)
CM: Alexia Putellas / Barcelona (91)
RM: Mohamed Salah / Liverpool (91)
ST: Erling Haaland / Manchester City (90)
ST: Ousmane Dembélé / Paris Saint-Germain (90)

There are some variations at certain positions like Alisson or Thibaut Courtois at goalkeeper given both players are also 89 rated, but this formation fits in the highest rated players as best as possible. Sure, players could venture outside of the norm and play certain players out of position given Irene Paredes is 88 overall, but that would greatly affect squad chemistry.

It’s also worth mentioning most players don’t opt for a three center back formation. Though, for highest rated squad purposes, having three center backs raises the overall squad given Sakina Karchaoui and Achraf Hakimi are among the highest rated wing backs at 87 and 89 respectively.

There are some additional variations to get other players in for one extra chemistry. In total, the gold squad caps out at 90 overall without including a bench.

How does the highest rated team change though when you bring Icons into the conversation?

The Highest Rated EA Sports FC 26 Team at Launch: Icons Included

FC 26 highest rated team — There are three Icons rated 92 at launch in FC 26. | FUTBIN

Formation: 3-1-4-2
Total Chemistry: 32/33
GK: Oliver Kahn / Icon (91)
CB: Steffi Jones / Icon (89)
CB: Virgil van Dijk / Liverpool (90)
CB: Giorgio Chiellini / Icon (89)
LM: Kylian Mbappé / Real Madrid (91)
CM: Alexia Putellas / Barcelona (91)
CDM: Aitana Bonmatí / Barcelona (91)
CM: Andres Iniesta / Icon (92)
RM: Mohamed Salah / Liverpool (91)
ST: Ronaldo / Icon (92)
ST: Zlatan Ibrahimović / Icon (92)

Slight upgrades in multiple positions, but including Icons drastically changes how players can reach the highest rated team in FC 26. New Icons Oliver Kahn comes in as the highest rated goalkeeper overall at 91 while Andres Iniesta also is the highest rated midfielder at 92.

Zlatan Ibrahimović and Ronaldo also remove Haaland and Dembélé from the team. A two striker formation is critical to get both 92 rated items into a squad.

Players have their choice of León, Giorgio Chiellini or Steffi Jones for two of the three center back positions given they will receive full chemistry and won’t affect other players in the squad. Virgil van Dijk is the only defender, central or wide, to be 90 rated or higher. After the Liverpool star, everyone else is 89 rated or lower.

However, keeping the same formation allows players to remove the need for an additional 89 rated defender. If players were to use a 4-4-2—as shown in a variation below—there would be three 89 rated cards in the starting lineup. Using the 3-1-4-2 removes the need for one of those players while bringing in the Barcelona Femení star duo alongside Iniesta in midfield.

The squad comes in at 91 rated without taking into consideration a full bench. On players alone, the squad just misses out on full chemistry, but players can use a French manager to get Mbappé that final point.

The variation below also comes in at 91 rated.