FC 26 Ultimate Edition Cover Star Released: All You Need to Know

EA FC has revealed the new star who will grace the FC 26 Ultimate Cover Edition, and Zlatan Ibrahimović is officially back. Although the speculations were much favored with the likes of Lamine Yamal and Dembele, EA FC has taken the gaming world by surprise, to say the least.

The legendary footballer known for his remarks and boorishness has been a popular figure in the world of football in the past two decades. The Swedish Striker has been previously featured in the FIFA regional covers edition back in 2002, but this is the first time he'll be on the global cover.

FC 26 Ultimate Edition Cover Star Released

EA FC officially announced the new cover on July 14 via a new X post. The caption read, “You asked. Zlatan is back.” The post also mentions that the full cover release will be on the official YouTube channel of EA FC on July 18, 2025. The cover shows Zlatan wearing his Swedish tracksuit and reading a book with Brazilian Ronaldo in the background on the wall. His PSG jersey with the famous number 10 is hanging on the wall.

An Ajax flag represents his legacy in the Dutch top flight, along with several medals decorating the wall. In addition, a little glimpse of the new FC 26 edition on the computer is also visible. There might be some more easter eggs left for the FC audience to find. The move to choose Zlatan comes as a surprise to many due to his past feud with FIFA, now EA FC, back in 2021.

Ibrahimović posted a controversial tweet, tagging FIFPRO and demanding why EA FC was using his name and photos without proper licensing. FIFA later clapped back, saying it was completely legal to do so as they were within their rights per the FIFPRO player contract. After nearly four years, Zlatan is now on the cover of the EA FC 26 edition concludes that both parties have moved on from the feud.

Community Reaction to FC 26 Ultimate Edition Cover Star

The EA FC community's reactions were surprising at best and disbelieving at worst. Despite being one of the best games representing the sport, EA FC has faced several backlashes from the hardcore FC gamers who claim that the game has stagnated in the past few years. This might be the reason most of the comments were more focused on the game instead of the cover.

One user commented,

While half of them didn't acknowledge Zlatan, some were excited about it. Donktrading, a famous EA FC trading account, posted Zlatan's card showing his impressive stats with the emoji of a Goat. Others praised his striking era, reminiscing about his famous goals.

EA FC mobile's official account commented,