EA Sports FC Pro 26: Launch Date, eSports Mode, and $2.5M Prize Pool

The wait for the season reset of EA FC 26 is on, which is set to release on 26th September 2025, with Ultimate Edition owners having early access a week before the big launch day on 19th September. While the excitement of the gameplay improvements, new features, and new modes is evident within the community, this year, the spotlight is shared equally between casual gaming and competitive gaming.

EA Sports FC Pro 26, the competitive side of EA FC, is about to begin its 3rd season. The fully incorporated third season is set to bring the players together within the game as it introduces an eSports ecosystem. From an easier registration system in the game to giving the players the accessibility to engage directly through the dedicated mode of the game, EA Sports FC Pro 26 aims to make the competitive side of football more fierce yet welcoming to newcomers.

What are we competing for? Well, at the top, we have a massive prize pool of $2.5 million awaiting us. It is one of the biggest prize pools in football eSports history. Players from FC Por Open ladder and regional qualifiers to the World Championship will battle it out for recognition and the massive prize pool.

In this post, we will take a deeper look at the launch date, eSports mode, and the staggering prize pool of EA Sports FC Pro 26.

Launch Date of EA Sports FC Pro 26

Let us first take a look at the launch date of EA Sports FC Pro 26. The full release of it is on 26th September 2025. However, there is an early access period from a week before, on 19th September, for the Ultimate Edition owners. It coincides with the dates of the launch of EA FC 26.

FC Pro Open Ladder will begin on 22nd September 2025 and will end on 1st October 2025. The gamers who can achieve and go beyond Division 4 in Rivals can start competing through the FC Pro Open Ladder right away. Please be mindful that FC Pro registration and FC Pro Open Ladder will be accessible in the game from this year.

Gamers who finish at the top of their respective regions in the FC Pro Open Ladder will take part in an online competition to determine who will move to the FC Pro Open Global Qualifier, which will run from 11th October 2025 to 12th October 2025. Stay tuned for further dates of the forthcoming competitions coming your way this season.

Esports Mode of EA Sports FC Pro 26

With the early access of FC 26 beginning on 19th September 2025, the game attempts to attract more players into the eSports ecosystem. As mentioned earlier, there will be a live eSports mode designed to connect the fans and players more directly to the competition.

The competitive ecosystem FC Pro starts its third season around this month. The expanded eSports mode will make registration and participation from the experts and newcomers more seamless and easy.

The players who reach and go beyond Division 4 in Rivals will be able to take part in the FC Pro Open Ladder directly. FC Pro Open Ladder, FC Pro Open Global Qualifier, monthly FC Pro Open Cups, Play-Ins, and the FC Pro World Championships are the highlighted events.

EA Sports FC Pro 26 Prize Pool

The total EA Sports FC Pro 26 prize pool is announced to be around US$2.5 million.

• US$1 million is allocated throughout different FC Pro Open competitions that include qualifiers, regional events, and others.
• There will be US$1.5 million assigned to the FC Pro World Championship that includes Play-Ins and a Last Chance Qualifier.

FC Pro Open will keep on granting direct access to the World Championship. However, if there are gamers who are not competing on the FC Pro Open, they can play the three monthly cup tournaments to get a place in the FC Pro World Championship Play-ins. EA Sports has already confirmed that the selected partner football leagues will continue to send players directly to the World Championship, offering two seats each. The new league and returning partners will have players placed at the World Championship Play-ins.

Meanwhile, check out our EA FC 26 Trial Guide to know the details on the release date and how you can download and play it.