FC 26 Holiday Update: Full Breakdown of New Features

The much-awaited FC 26 Holiday Update is about to go live on the live servers. A recent post from EA Sports' official handle on X (formerly Twitter) posted regarding all updates that will be addressed in the upcoming update. As stated in the November Feedback update, starting from the goalkeeper movement nerf to the return of classic XI in Kick Off mode has been addressed.

Furthermore, starting from AI defending improvements to visual updates, every major and minor aspect is also about to be fixed in the future, and this might set a new meta, especially for the goalkeepers. On that note, this article will explore what's inside the EA FC 26 Holiday Update and how it can benefit the community.

FC 26 Holiday Update is bringing in a plethora of changes

With the upcoming holiday season, EA Sports is presenting its player base with an FC 26 Holiday Update. Most of the pivotal aspects have already been discussed in the November Feedback update. In case you've missed it, to get full information about the issues that have been addressed in the FC 26 November Feedback Update. Coming back to the new patch notes, the goalkeeper nerf and the return of classic XI will surely be the highlight of this upcoming patch. That being said, here's a small brief about what's on the plate for the community:

Goalkeeper Nerf

The developers at EA Sports have finally responded to the calls of the community, especially the Division Rivals and FUT players. Based on the official info, the goalkeepers will now receive greatly reduced movement speed and amount of ground covered when using manual Goalkeeper movement in open play. This will open up different strategic ways to defend goalscoring rather than depending on AI.

First Time Shots

The developers have received multiple feedback about the goalkeepers not dealing properly with the first-time shots. Hence, they'll be addressing the issue in the next update and are expected to buff it.

Career Mode

A bunch of new weekly live challenges will be introduced to expand the fun of the Career Mode in EA FC 26. Meanwhile, here's a brief of all the changes:

• Added a new field in Squad Hub indicating players' willingness to extend their contracts.
• Added a new tab in the Manager Live Hub to streamline starting a new Live Start Point and Manager Live save, providing quicker access to previously earned retro kits rewards.
• Shortcut selections are now remembered automatically when exiting the switcher menu rather than requiring a manual selection save.
• Added an in-menu preview for mascots in the Create Your Club flow.
• Addressed an issue in Create Your Club that prevented replacing a club other than your favourite team.
• In Player Career, the Player Archetype preview tile now displays both current XP and XP needed to reach the next level.
• Added Recommended Archetypes in the Player Career creation flow instead of Attributes.

Clubs

In a fortunate turn of events, the developers have decided to increase the Clubs Archetype Max Level to 75 from 60. Players will be able to use the AXP Instant Boost up to level 40, while originally it was capped at level 25. Moreover, it also adds a brand-new customizable slot to introduce signature PlayStyles, which is upgradable to PlayStyles+ after hitting level 75.

On the other hand, the developers will also tweak the CAM Match Ratings based on the community's feedback.

Rush Rematch in UT

The Ultimate Team Rush mode will be getting a new rematch function. It'll allow everyone to keep playing Rush matches with the current group without coming back to the main menu and searching for a match again.

Return of Classic XI in Kick Off

The upcoming FC 26 Update is bringing in the FC 26 Classic XI team at the kick-off. Different legends and Icons from different domestic leagues will be a part of the team.

AI Defending Status

EA Sports developers have received the community's feedback on AI defending. Currently, they're testing out new features to make some improvements based on the feedback. We'll make sure to make an article as soon as we get any official information on this.

Visual Updates

A lot of Visual Updates will be addressed in the upcoming FC 26 Holiday Update. Seven new player star heads and only one updated manager star head will be introduced. Meanwhile, players can expect the likeness of certain players, such as Jarrod Bowen, Granit Xhaka, Jack Harrison, and Rayan Aït-Nouril.

That's all we know regarding the upcoming Holiday Update in EA FC 26. If you've come this far, make sure to check out our latest news on FC 26 Joga Bonito promo predictions.