eFootball Free to Play: Can You Still Compete Without Spending Money?

For many years, eFootball has made the commitment to provide a free-to-play environment where players can have some fun and build powerful squads without spending any coins. With eFootball 2026, the question remains more than ever, is free-to-play sustainable? The answer is yes, but with a catch.

Konami continues to provide some solid free cards and rewards, but the difference in quality from Epic Big Time rewards and chance events leaves a lot to be desired.

The State of Free-to-Play in eFootball

Konami should always get credit for its continued support of the F2P community. From even the first day a new player logs in, t hey are able to enjoy free login bonuses, event bonuses, or even free coins. Events like the 900 million downloads celebration handed out some insane stars, like Showtime Lewandowski, o ther events handed out legendary cards as well, like Messi, Neymar, Bellingham, Cannavaro, and Rooney.

With some luck on a free spin or event draw, squads can quickly look stacked. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising for free accounts to end up with a Maradona, Raul, Park Ji-sung, or even a rare Player of the Week. The key point here is that a free squad can absolutely compete with - and beat - a team that is running a full squad of the money-laden EPIC Big Time cards if they are managed by a manager that knows how to play smart football. For new players wondering how to build their team efficiently without spending, our eFootball Guide offers tips on squads, coins, and event rewards.

The Struggles of Staying F2P

This is where the difficulty lies: it's not a question of Konami handing out free cards - it's a question of what cards, exactly, they are handing out. The Legends Assemble pack is a prime example: it had a set of icons including Cannavaro, Rooney, Van Basten, Bale, Oliver Kahn, and Costacurta. The catch was that you only got one of them. This caused many fans distress over their decisions - the fans who support Manchester United wanted Rooney, but most could not pass Cannavaro, one of the best free defenders released to date.

Herein lies the real issue: free epics are amazing, but they do not always live up to the quality, stats, or versatility of Epic Big Time. More often than not, free epics never have the crazy skills or boosted attributes, so Big Time cards are straight better.

Again, some structure warrants some earlier exceptions: for instance, Batistuta, Bale and Costacurta as free epics were complete game-changers. Battistuta and Bale, as free Legends, met the quality of skill that many Epic cards offered. Essentially, Battistuta and Costacurta were to be comparable, or ridden worse, than some paid epics many F2P would have. These card opportunities show that more than occasionally, free-to-play players may be able to earn a game-changing card or reward the final pier these cards would have.

The critique, then, is not that Konami overlooks F2P-it’s that the quality dips and offers limited access. If you miss an event, the card is gone, and you don’t get a second chance to appeal to another of your favourite players. It goes against what I consider the spirit of free-to-play, which is to reward commitment over timing and/or luck.

That said, while this is not a great aspect in F2P formats, eFootball does not fall into the pure pay-to-win trap. At the end of the day, you can’t simply be a person who owns a roster filled with top-tier epics. This is not FC Mobile, where skill buttons simplify play. Skill execution is all based on timing, tactical awareness, and hours of practice in eFootball. Every feint, dribble, or ball control action is handled by the player's input (in combination with touches) and isn’t merely some assigned animation.

That’s why someone who plays F2P and is familiar with all the mechanics can and will beat very good stacked squads. You may very well have the money to buy yourself stars, but do you know how to use them?

What eFootball Needs for Better F2P Balance

Konami has hinted at an alternative, more improved system. Ground elements like scoring goals with specific players to unlock things like Isco or Alba were hints that they were going in the right direction. But it still relies too much on short-term logins and limited giveaways. A long-term objective system may become optimal: one can imagine scoring 100 goals with Brazilian players to unlock a special Neymar or defensive objectives unlocking Maldini.

Goals like these clearly show progression, incentivising loyalty over chance. Currently, eFootball gives away a lot, but not always in a way that showcases its free-to-play functionality.

Will free-to-play also be viable in eFootball 2026? Yes, but with some caveats. Konami provides enough free players to be competitive, and with skill, you can definitely defeat opponents who paid for premium players. Those hunting for their dream striker can explore our Best Center Forward eFootball picks to see which forwards fit perfectly into an F2P squad.

However, if you want a specific player or want the convenience of going after your beloved players, it can be restrictive as an F2P player.

In the end, eFootball remains among the most generous football simulations available. However, for free-to-play players, patience, smart decisions, and a bit of luck have never been more important.