The most anticipated game of the year for sports fans—and especially soccer fans—lands once again with EA Sports FC. The 2026 edition is set to launch soon, and expectations are sky-high. One of the biggest questions this year was which players would earn the highest ratings—and the results have been announced. Kylian Mbappe leads the list, while Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are notably absent.

Mbappe appears with a 91 rating, tied only with Mohamed Salah, following consecutive seasons at the top of his game and maintaining one of the highest ratings in recent editions of the series.

Following the top two, players rated at 90 include Ousmane Dembele, Rodri, Erling Haaland, Virgil Van Dijk, and Jude Bellingham. One standout is Lamine Yamal, who, at such a young age, earns an 89 rating, making him one of the 26 highest-rated players in the game.

This list makes it clear that the era of legends like Messi and Ronaldo is slowly coming to an end. Both stars were absent from the top rankings this year; in the previous edition, Messi held an 88 rating and Ronaldo an 86, which likely decreased in the 2026 release.

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool

The full list of the 26 highest-rated players

With Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi missing—but with emerging stars like Lamine Yamal, Bellingham, Pedri, and Musiala—it’s evident that the future of the game is in capable hands and that EA Sports FC will continue to deliver excitement for years to come.

The 26 highest-rated players:

  1. Mohamed Salah – Liverpool – rating 91
  2. Kylian Mbappe – Real Madrid – rating 91
  3. Ousmane Dembele – PSG – rating 90
  4. Rodri – Man City – rating 90
  5. Virgil Van Dijk – Liverpool – rating 90
  6. Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid – rating 90
  7. Erling Haaland – Man City – rating 90
  8. Raphinha – Barcelona – rating 89
  9. Lamine Yamal – Barcelona – rating 89
  10. Achraf Hakimi – PSG – rating 89
  11. Vitinha – PSG – rating 89
  12. Donnarumma – Man City – rating 89
  13. Pedri – Barcelona – rating 89
  14. Joshua Kimmich – Bayern Munich – rating 89
  15. Alisson Becker – Liverpool – rating 89
  16. Harry Kane – Bayern Munich – rating 89
  17. Federico Valverde – Real Madrid – rating 89
  18. Vinicius Jr. – Real Madrid – rating 89
  19. Florian Wirtz – Liverpool – rating 89
  20. Thibaut Courtois – Real Madrid – rating 89
  21. Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona – rating 88
  22. Lautaro Martinez – Inter Milan – rating 88
  23. Alexander Isak – Liverpool – rating 88
  24. Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich – rating 88
  25. Gabriel Magalhaes – Arsenal – rating 88
  26. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal – rating 88

When was the last time Messi and Ronaldo were the top players?

The last time Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were the two highest-rated players in a FIFA game was in FIFA 21. Messi held an overall rating of 93, with Ronaldo close behind at 92. Starting with FIFA 22, a new generation of stars—including Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland—began challenging their dominance and now occupy the top spots in player ratings.