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Attacking tips for EA Sports FC 26 - taking lessons from the elite of the real world

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EA Sports FC 26 is out this week – and if you're looking to get ahead of the game with tips and tricks that others haven't found yet, you've come to the right place. Yes, e Sports is a sport of its own… but it's essential to remember that EA Sports FC 26 is based on a real-world sport: this is the most realistic game yet, and there are plenty of very real football philosophies that can be applied here. Gamers will be able to tell you exactly how to hit a Finesse Shot, which wonderkids to sign and who the top-rated players are, but you know all that: this is how to actually get better at attacking in FC 26 – with tips on how to defend for you, too. With improved gameplay, handy new features and tons more updates, EA Sports FC 26 is the most highly anticipated console release in the football world, and it's dropping on September 26.

Let's go back to the barest of basics here: yes, you're going to back to school for our first tip. The rondo might seem like a pointless exercise to teach you the controls of EA Sports FC but seriously, there is no greater skill in any version of the game than holding onto the damn ball. Practice makes perfect, all right, and the more you practice passing, the better you'll get. Alex Hunter practised rondos in the dressing room in The Journey as a direct reference to Barcelona doing it under Pep Guardiola – and believe us when we say that this game is more fun with the ball than without: before you master the fancier flicks, getting to a level where you're secure on the ball and can pass around other teams is vital. Passing is the starter before you move onto the main course of everything else. That’s why they call it possession football. And not shooting football or crossing football. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.

The only way you're ever going to break down a dogged defence is by moving it around, isn't it? Triggering runs is vital for exploiting space – hit L1/LB on your control – and just by hitting pass as you trigger a run, you can play simple pass-and-run football. This is a fundamental philosophy to any attacking side's attacking play. Often, when we think of using pacy players in FC 26, we think of beating defenders 1v1 with overpowered wingers, but actually, it's just as important to have attackers who can make runs off the ball. Learn who to trigger and who not to. Triggering a run from a full-back or a winger can stretch the play – but triggering a run from a centre-back can leave you short at the back.

OK, so now you can pass the ball and make runs to get the ball up the pitch. Let's combine this for an automatism. A lot of football is played off the cuff, especially in the final third, but an automatism is a rehearsed pattern of play to get you from one part of a pitch to another. Antonio Conte has long been the master of these: instead of trusting technically weak defenders to improvise, he'll give them set directions of who to pass to and when, in order to build out from the back. It's good to have a few set automatisms in FC 26. You've got a goal kick: the goalkeeper passes it to a full-back, who goes back to the nearest centre-back. The full-back makes a run, the centre-back passes to a CDM, who plays the ball back to the full-back, who's further down the touchline. Practice this specific move – and come up with new ones. Your next opponent will fall for it: you don't need to be inventive all the time, especially in your own third.

Real-world football is all about habit and angles. Likewise, in FC 26, if you have a right-footed RCM on the edge of the penalty box, they're going to have to find exactly the right time and space to hit a shot from distance. Gareth Bale was a left-back at Tottenham Hotspur who was converted into a flying right-winger who could cut in and finesse a ball into the top corner. Naturally, you're going to pick inverted wingers to do the same but consider other players in other positions. Is it worth playing Bruno Fernandes in the left half-space to hit the ball from distance? Is it worth playing a right-footer at left-back if they can't whip a cross first time? And do you have any five-star weak-foot players who are worth including across the side?

It's tempting to go with the quickest striker with the best finishing stats on FC 26. But hold-up strikers are just as important as the game further mirrors the real world. Strikers need to hold L2/LT to shield the ball and picking players with good physical stats can actually help you up the pitch. You're more likely to lose the ball to the opposition if you constantly try and take on defenders or look to play a pacy attacker in behind. It's useful to have a runner like Alexander Isak who can exploit space behind a backline – but it's just as useful in FC 26 to have a target forward like Nick Woltemade who can keep the ball while the wingers get up the pitch.

It's a pet peeve of ours at Four Four Two. Through balls are there to play balls into space. There isn't a lot of space in the penalty box. There are exceptions in FC 26, but by and large, if you're in the penalty box, you're going to have to play the ball to feet. Hitting Triangle/Y is there to get you up the pitch but once you're actually in sight of goal, passing will give you way more precision than a through ball possibly can. It's a simple thing to remember but vital.

OK, so where can you use a through ball? We'll tell you: when you're on the halfway line and you’re about to counter-attack. Look at Liverpool's use of Mohamed Salah: he's always ready to onto a pass when opponents are playing a hih line – and using the R1/RB button is a lovely little trick to spray the ball between a centre-back and a full-back for a wide attacker to run onto. It creates the perfect angle and leaves your opposition's defenders on their heels.

Counter-attacking is all about speed. Floating a ball onto the head of your attacker is not the fastest way to get the ball into the box. Simple. Manchester City mastered the cut-back under Pep Guardiola: the Catalan used the left-footed Leroy Sane on the left wing when he arrived at Eastlands and Sergio Aguero feasted, simply from the number of balls that came at speed to his feet. Use R1/RB to wallop that cross hard and low: it catches defenders out and gives you the advantage, as you don't have to battle aerially for the ball or give your opponent the opportunity to adjust and clear the ball with a header.

It's the hardest thing to do in football – but whatever situation you're in, in FC 26, there are ways to maximise your chances of putting the ball in the back of the net. If the keeper's rushed out to meet you, that's when you lob (use L1/LB) – and that's the only time you ever lob. If the keeper's stayed on his line, hold the R1/RB and L1/LB to drill the ball low and hard, as that's the best way to beat him in that situation. If you're at an angle, remember what we said about getting players on their best foot. Finessing the ball is best done on a player's best foot from the opposite angle – think of the way Thierry Henry or Kylian Mbappe hit it right-footed from the left-hand side. There's no point finessing with your right into the top-right corner, is there?

It's difficult to gegenpress for 90 minutes. Successful teams know when to go full-pelt and when to control a game. It’s tempting to hold the R1/RB button down the whole time but please refrain. Use the L1/LB button in possession a little more and conserve your energy a bit: make the opposition work more and only apply the sprint when you're pressing or taking on an opponent. It's common sense, but you'd be surprised how many FC 26 players run around like headless chickens. Mark White has been at on Four Four Two since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

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