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.

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.

The main issue is whether Pulisic can stay hot. While talented, the 26-year-old is prone to having a few quiet games after a hot streak. Consistency is something that Pulisic is improving on; first, it was with injuries. Last season, he went injury-free; now it’s about staying in form throughout the year.

Pulisic is up for the award, which is determined by fan voting, against Gleison Bremer of Juventus, Santiago Castro of Bologna, Patrick Cutrone of Como, Federico Dimarco of Inter Milan, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Napoli.

Christian Pulisic Continues on the Rise at AC Milan

Christian Pulisic has been, without question, AC Milan’s best player in the young season. Sadly, Paulo Fonseca’s side has struggled during the second month of the season, with 2 straight UEFA Champions League losses and a current third-place spot in the standings of Serie A.

Milan will play a big game against Fiorentina on Sunday away from the San Siro, where Pulisic will be one of the central figures of the team.

To start the season, Pulisic has scored against Parma, Venezia, Lecce, and had an excellent finish against Inter in the Milan derby. Pulisic also has two assists in games against Lazio and Venezia.

But unlike the Inter Miami captain, the Al Nassr striker is not expected to suffer a downgrade this year. According to a leak that went viral on social media, Ronaldo will have an 86 overall rating in EA Sports FC 25.

This means the Portuguese star will keep his EA FC 24 rating, where he dropped four points compared to his FIFA 23 card. Messi, on the other hand, is reportedly losing two points from the previous installment, though he’d still have a higher rating than CR7.

The Argentine star’s card also leaked out on the Internet and it shows he’ll have an 88 overall rating, two points less than last season’s game.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s FIFA/EA FC rating history

Even though they’ve dominated the game with very similar stat cards throughout the years, it’s been a while since Ronaldo topped Messi’s numbers. Cristiano hasn’t had a higher rating than Leo since FIFA 18, when the Portuguese star had a 94 overall rating compared to the Argentine’s 93.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s FIFA / EA FC rating by year

• FIFA 04 – 77
• FIFA 05 – 88
• FIFA 06 – 91
• FIFA 07 – 87
• FIFA 08 – 91
• FIFA 09 – 91
• FIFA 10 – 89
• FIFA 11 – 89
• FIFA 12 – 92
• FIFA 13 – 92
• FIFA 14 – 92
• FIFA 15 – 93
• FIFA 16 – 94
• FIFA 17 – 94
• FIFA 18 – 94
• FIFA 19 – 94
• FIFA 20 – 93
• FIFA 21 – 92
• FIFA 22 – 91
• FIFA 23 – 90
• EA FC 24 – 86

Lionel Messi’s FIFA / EA FC rating by year

• FIFA 06 – 78
• FIFA 07 – 84
• FIFA 08 – 86
• FIFA 09 – 90
• FIFA 10 – 90
• FIFA 11 – 90
• FIFA 12 – 94
• FIFA 13 – 94
• FIFA 14 – 94
• FIFA 15 – 93
• FIFA 16 – 94
• FIFA 17 – 93
• FIFA 18 – 93
• FIFA 19 – 94
• FIFA 20 – 94
• FIFA 21 – 93
• FIFA 22 – 93
• FIFA 23 – 91
• EA FC 24 – 90

Since we’re talking about the record Ballon d’Or winner, Messi’s rating is always one of the most anticipated by fans before a new installment of the EA Sports franchise is released.

And even though many still consider him as the world’s best, it looks like his age is starting to take a toll on his stats. According to content creator @LeanDesign_ on X (formerly known as Twitter), Messi will have an 88 rating in EA FC 25.

This means he’ll reportedly have two points less than in the developer’s previous videogame, as the Inter Miami ace had a 90 overall rating in EA FC 24. Before that, Leo boasted a 91 rating in FIFA 23, the last installment of the FIFA saga before EA and the governing body parted ways.

EA FC 25: Messi may have his lowest rating in the Ultimate Team era

This downgrade, however, means this will be the first time in the Ultimate Team era—since FIFA 2010—that Messi’s rating will be lower than 90, a rating he had both in FIFA 11 and EA FC 24.

Lionel Messi’s FIFA / EA FC rating by year

At 37, Messi is not getting any younger, and his latest cards in the most popular soccer videogame prove his age is starting to become a factor when deciding his rating.

• FIFA 06 – 78
• FIFA 07 – 84
• FIFA 08 – 86
• FIFA 09 – 90
• FIFA 10 – 90
• FIFA 11 – 90
• FIFA 12 – 94
• FIFA 13 – 94
• FIFA 14 – 94
• FIFA 15 – 93
• FIFA 16 – 94
• FIFA 17 – 93
• FIFA 18 – 93
• FIFA 19 – 94
• FIFA 20 – 94
• FIFA 21 – 93
• FIFA 22 – 93
• FIFA 23 – 91
• EA FC 24 – 90

While fans are eagerly waiting for its release, many will probably feel disappointed as two European giants will be missing in this game. According to @RaatjeFC on X (formerly Twitter), neither AC Milan nor Inter Milan will be in EA FC 25.

David Jackson, a higher up at FC25, confirmed the news to Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Milan and Inter will not be present in FC 25 in an authentic way, their athletes will be by virtue of the FIFPro license we have, but the iconography, the stadiums, the kits, the coats of arms will not be part of the product because they have made an agreement with one of our competitors.”

Both Milan rivals have reportedly signed an exclusive partnership with eFootball, Konami’s flagship soccer video game and biggest rival to EA FC. Therefore, both sides are expected to have generic names, logos, and kits in the latter.

Perhaps the only good thing is that all of their players will be in EA FC 25 with their real names. Even though it’s not the ideal situation for those who play the game, it’s something that has already happened in the past with other teams.

Serie A teams in EA FC 25 and eFootball

AC Milan and Inter Milan now join Lazio and Atalanta as the Italian teams who have exclusive deals with eFootball, meaning the Serie A will only have 16 licensed clubs in EA FC 25.

This year EA Sports franchise is recovering Napoli and Roma though, with both teams returning with official crests and kits to the game after being featured with ficticious names for a few years.

All the licensed leagues and competitions in EA FC 25

• 3. Liga
• A-League
• Allsvenskan
• Austrian Bundesliga
• Barclays Women’s Super League
• Belgium Jupiler League
• Bundesliga
• Bundesliga 2
• CONMEBOL Libertadores
• Chinese Super League
• Credit Suisse Super League
• D1 Arkema
• EFL (Championship, League 1, League 2)
• Ekstraklasa
• Eliteserien
• Eredivisie
• Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga
• Indian Super League
• K League
• LALIGA EA SPORTS
• Liga 1
• Liga F
• Liga Portugal
• Liga Profesional de Fútbol-Argentina
• Ligue 1 McDonalds
• Ligue 2
• MLS
• National Women’s Soccer League
• PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa
• Premier League
• Pro League
• Roshn Saudi League
• SSE Airtricity League Premier Division
• Scottish Professional Football League
• Serie A
• Serie B
• Superliga
• Süper Lig
• UEFA Champions League
• UEFA Europa Conference League
• UEFA Europa League
• UEFA Women’s Champions League

According to Sport Business, EA Sports FC 25 is expected to have the official licenses of Napoli, Roma, and Monza in the game. This would be great news for fans after years of having these teams with ficticious names and kits.

The report claims these clubs will be available in the different game modes such as Ultimate Team, Career Mode and Pro Club Volta. With these three teams, EA Sports would have almost complete control of the Serie A licensing rights.

All the licensed leagues and competitions in EA FC 25

• 3. Liga
• A-League
• Allsvenskan
• Austrian Bundesliga
• Barclays Women’s Super League
• Belgium Jupiler League
• Bundesliga
• Bundesliga 2
• CONMEBOL Libertadores
• Chinese Super League
• Credit Suisse Super League
• D1 Arkema
• EFL (Championship, League 1, League 2)
• Ekstraklasa
• Eliteserien
• Eredivisie
• Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga
• Indian Super League
• K League
• LALIGA EA SPORTS
• Liga 1
• Liga F
• Liga Portugal
• Liga Profesional de Fútbol-Argentina
• Ligue 1 McDonalds
• Ligue 2
• MLS
• National Women’s Soccer League
• PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa
• Premier League
• Pro League
• Roshn Saudi League
• SSE Airtricity League Premier Division
• Scottish Professional Football League
• Serie A
• Serie B
• Superliga
• Süper Lig
• UEFA Champions League
• UEFA Europa Conference League
• UEFA Europa League
• UEFA Women’s Champions League

When is EA FC 25 coming out?

EA FC 25 will be launched on Friday, September 27, 2024; following the tradition the developer has embraced in the last few years by releasing the new iteration of its soccer video game on the last Friday of September.

New stadiums in EA FC 25

• Portman Road Stadium (Ipswich/England)
• Estádio José Alvalade (Lisbon/Portugal)
• Voith Arena (Heidenheim/Germany)
• Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor (Darmstadt/Germany)
• Estadio Abanca-Riazor (Coruña/Spain)
• Stadio Renato Dall’Ara (Bologna/Italy)
• Stadio Artemio Franchi (Florence/Italy)
• Estadio Mâs Monumental (Buenos Aires/Argentina)
• St. Jakob-Park (Basel/Switzerland)

The developer took things to the next level for this cover, featuring not one, not two, but five prominent figures in the sport. Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham is front and center, but he’s not alone.

Apart from the English midfielder, the EA FC 25 Ultimate Edition cover shows three world champions: Aitana Bonmati, who won the Women’s World Cup with Spain in 2023; Gianluigi Buffon, Italy’s hero in Germany 2006; and Zinedine Zidane, who led France to their first World Cup in 1998.

Former Real Madrid and Manchester United David Beckham, current president and co-owner of MLS side Inter Miami, is also on the cover, which gave plenty to talk about on social media.

When is EA FC 25 coming out?

This is the only detail EA has so far revealed about the second game of the FC series, which replaced the FIFA saga last year. But more information will come out soon as a full reveal is scheduled for July 17.

While there’s no official release date yet, EA Sports FC 25 is expected to launch on September 27, 2024, as it usually arrives on the last Friday of September every year. The Ultimate Edition will be reportedly available with seven days of early access.

According to Fut Sheriff (@FutSheriff) on X (formerly Twitter), the EA FC 24 TOTY will be the following: Alisson (GK); Jeremie Frimpong (RWB), Ruben Dias (CB), Virgil van Dijk (CB), Theo Hernandez (LB); Jude Bellingham (CM), Rodri (CDM), Kevin De Bruyne (CAM); Lionel Messi (RW), Erling Haaland (ST), Kylian Mbappe (ST).

Messi seems to be the joint-highest rated player on the TOTY with 98, just like Manchester City stars Haaland and De Bruyne. However, it won’t be until January 19 that EA Sports reveals the official Team of the Year.

Messi gets more recognition than Ronaldo outside Europe

Both Messi and Ronaldo shocked the world by leaving Europe in 2023. After years of taking the limelight, the stars decided it was time to leave the Old Continent to try a new experience elsewhere.

The Portuguese striker packed his bags in January 2023 to join Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, whereas Messi signed for MLS outfit Inter Miami in July. Both have made an impact in their respective teams, but Leo has gotten more recognition than CR7.

Even though many thought Messi’s move would prevent him from winning more individual honors, that was not the case. In fact, the Argentine star went on to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s The Best 2023.

If he makes the TOTY, it would confirm that the world doesn’t care where Messi plays as long as he continues to deliver magical moments. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has been snubbed both from the 2023 Ballon d’Or shortlist and FIFA’s 2023 Team of the Year.

Developed by Strikerz Inc., UFL has been on the making for a while but it doesn’t have a release date confirmed yet. The game’s launch was postponed in August 2022, while it’s expected to enter a closed testing phase in autumn.

UFL will be a free-to-play soccer video game that may rival the popular installments produced by EA Sports and Konami. Ronaldo’s image may be very helpful for UFL to launch in the market. EA Sports FC 24 has Erling Haaland as its cover star, whereas Lionel Messi is the face of eFootball.

Ronaldo, Strikerz react to CR7’s investment

“I’m thrilled to be a part of this project as UFL can become the new breed in football (soccer) gaming,” Ronaldo said in a statement as he made the financial committment to the video game.

Strikerz, the company that develops UFL, is a brand of XTEN Limited, an international gaming entreprise founded in 2016. Eugene Nashilov, CEO of Strikerz, showed his happiness for having a prominent superstar such as Ronaldo on board.

“Having Cristiano Ronaldo join us as a partner and investor is a significant step forward and an endorsement of our vision to create the leading game for football fans in the world,” he said, via VentureBeat.

UFL will be available for free across the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S consoles with no mandatory fees, aiming to create a fair mechanism that rewards skill over payments.

Earlier this year, the video game FIFA underwent a huge transformation. EA Sports terminated its association with soccer’s largest governing body, opting to carry on with this successful product under a new name.

Despite losing the name, the essence of the video game remains unchanged. Each week, the company unveils a new promotion featuring modified card stats, and this week, Erling Haaland emerges as the most coveted item.

Haaland and Zidane, the new stars of the Ultimate Dynasties promo in EA FC 24

One of EA Sports’ primary priorities has been to stay updated and maintain freshness in their games. With EA Sports FC, formerly known as FIFA, they achieve this by regularly creating new cards for fans. These cards feature increased stats, enhancing the players’ performance during games.

Despite FIFA no longer existing, EA Sports FC continued with gameplay that remains largely unchanged. The Ultimate Team mode stands as the game’s most successful feature, and it’s the company’s approach to keeping it constantly updated that truly captivates gamers.

A new promotion has just landed in the Ultimate Team stores, and it’s quite intriguing. ‘Ultimate Dynasties’ showcases related players within soccer, like Lauren and Reese James or Juliane Wirtz and her brother Florian.

However, this promo doesn’t solely feature brothers. Erling Haaland makes an appearance alongside his cousin Jonatan Braut-Brunes, also a striker at OH Leuven.

Despite his impressive 94 overall rating, Haaland isn’t the highest-rated player in this promo. EA Sports has introduced new cards for icons, placing Zinedine Zidane at the top of the list with a stunning 95 overall rating.

Regarding the icons, seven players have been featured in this promo: Zidane, Paolo Maldini, Rivaldo, Gheorghe Hagi, Patrick Kluivert, Juan Sebastian Veron, and Henrik Larsson. The latter five mentioned have two cards, one with a lower rating.

Which is the highest-rated player in EA Sports FC 24?

At present, two cards boast a 95 overall rating: Pele and Zinedine Zidane (Dynasty Icon). Surprisingly, the French legend’s item is currently more expensive, valued at 5.2 million coins.

As for non-icon players, Haaland currently holds two cards rated at 94 overall, putting him on par with Robert Lewandowski’s Champions League card. The Dynasty card featuring the Manchester City striker is presently valued at 3.3 million coins.

“EA Sports FC 24 welcomes this summer’s European Championship to The World’s Game with the full UEFA Euro 2024 tournament experience at no additional cost.”

Electronic Arts acquires exclusive rights to the license to depict the competition next summer. The largest national teams tournament in Europe will have a prominent place in EA Sports FC, as it will extend to both quick play modes and Ultimate Team.

Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala will be some of the stars trying to hoist the trophy in the biggest event of 2024. That’s why this partnership between UEFA and EA Sports is great for millions of fans.

UEFA Euro 2024 is ready for EA Sports FC

That UEFA Euro 2024 update will be free for all EA Sports FC 24 users on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. Furthermore, players around the world could be part of an amazing challenge.

“EA Sports FC 24 will be the official platform for the UEFA eSports eEURO program: a new tournament featuring the best European players of EA Sports FC representing UEFA national teams. The eEuro will be an annual tournament program, including qualification phases leading to live finals. The first of these finals will take place this summer, and more information about the tournament structure will be announced soon.”

At the same time, everyone who plays before January 16, 2024, will receive an exclusive non-transferable item from one of the standout players in Europe. Users will start receiving it from December 18, 2023.

These are the chosen players: Jack Grealish (England), Federico Chiesa (Italy), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), Alvaro Morata (Spain), Florian Wirtz (Germany) and Ousmane Dembele (France).

UEFA announces big partnership with EA Sports

The license for one of the most important tournaments in the world is a tremendous win for EA Sports as explained by Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA events.

“We are delighted to further expand our partnership with EA Sports, with UEFA Euro 2024 becoming a part of the EA Sports FC game. UEFA Euro 2024 is one of the most vibrant and exciting football tournaments in the world, and we are thrilled that the enormous EA SPORTS FC 24 community worldwide will have the opportunity to participate in the tournament in such an authentic gaming environment. We are also looking forward to unveiling more details about the eEURO competitive gaming tournament in the coming weeks.”