EAFC 26 is set to launch in September and fans of the game will have Cole Palmer to thank for a key feature in this year’s version.
The 23-year-old is an avid EAFC player and has played against streamers such as Stokes, FUT FG and his Chelsea teammates in the past.
Palmer himself received one of the biggest upgrades in Ultimate Team history last year, when his rating rose a staggering 19 places from a 66 rated card in EAFC 24 to a whopping 85 in EAFC 25.
Brilliant performances for Chelsea would also see him earn several team of the week cards before featuring in a Team of the Season throughout the year.
Cole Palmer at the EAFC 25 launch in London last year. (Image: Getty)
Not only has Palmer’s rating shot up, the midfielder has also had his own iconic ‘cold’ celebration added into the game and when you’re one of football’s biggest stars and speak up, EA are only too willing to listen.
Speaking at a showcase event in Vancouver at EA’s headquarters, Sam Rivera, a senior producer on the game said: “We were working with Cole a few months ago on a shoot and when asked about improvements he’d like to see in the game, he had one comment. ‘Make goalkeepers more intelligent’.
Now you could forgive Palmer, a man whose job it is to score and create goals, for wanting EA to focus on attacking elements of the game. While EA have worked on forward play, gameplay fundamentals and new shot types, Cole’s request hasn’t gone unnoticed.
As part of their gameplay deep dive, EA announced that goalkeeping will have a major update in FC26. The main areas they have worked on are: fundamentals, positioning, new volumetric animations and a revamped be-a-goalkeeper experience.
In short, this means they want AI goalkeepers to make more realistic decisions, react better and quicker, look cleaner and generally be harder to beat.
Gameplay producer Paul Parsons added: “Expect goalkeepers to be smarter and more consistent in FC26. We’re using machine learning to train them in hundreds of thousands of in game situations, to find the best positioning. Including them little micro steps world class keepers use to close the angle.”
One of the big complaints in FC25, not just from Palmer, was the sheer number of goalkeeper rebounds. An opposition striker could have a pretty tame shot that should ordinarily be routinely saved, only for the goalkeeper to parry it straight to another forward for a tap-in. Not only this but there would be extreme inconsistencies in how keepers would react in certain moments.
One minute, the keeper is pulling out an unbelievable stop leaving you in disbelief, the next a controller is about to be broken after what should be a routine save ends up in the net.
It remains to be seen whether or not EA are true to their word but if they have listened to the Chelsea man, it will be a well-received improvement for fans of the game to enjoy.
EAFC 26 is available to pre-order now and will launch worldwide on September 25 2026.