Are EA FC Ultimate Team packs gambling? Everything you need to know

It’s that time of the year again, and football simulator fans all over the world have geared up for EA Sports FC 26, the latest instalment in a franchise that needs no introduction. It’s slated to bring a lot of improvements to the table, some of which include changes and additions to the EA FC Ultimate Team mode, an inventive take on fantasy football leagues that let you actually bring the teams you create to the field.

However, the manner in which players obtain the champions they need to build their Ultimate Team has drawn a bit of flak, considering how Ultimate Team packs are implemented within the game. There have been concerns regarding building an FC Ultimate Team via purchasing packs and whether it counts as gambling. Here’s everything you need to know.

What is FC Ultimate Team?

Formerly called FIFA Ultimate Team, it’s one of the many ways players get to enjoy EA’s football simulator experience. It basically works as a sort of fantasy football league builder, allowing you to build a squad from a very wide roster of globally known players. You get the option of adding a player to your squad when you collect a corresponding card, complete with their stats, each of which can influence their performance on the pitch.

That’s where the FC Ultimate Team (FUT) packs come in. They are an important part of the FC 26 gameplay loop, allowing you to purchase them by exchanging in-game currency you earn by playing the game, or by spending real money. You don’t know which players you’re likely to get for the most part, and that’s where the gambling angle comes in.

Are Ultimate Team Packs gambling?

Considering that you don’t know the rewards you’re going to get out of any packs you’re buying, they could be seen as loot boxes. As such, you could find yourself purchasing several of them before finally obtaining the player cards you need for your ideal Ultimate Team formations.

While spending in-game currency on them is absolutely fine, players might be tempted to fork out significant sums of real money to build their best EA FC Ultimate Team, considering how important the mechanic is to progression in the game.

That’s especially true for FC 26 players since the game’s Live Pro Events are not integrated with Ultimate Teams. When you take how competitive those events can get, it’s easy to see how a player might be tempted to purchase enough packs to build a solid roster of players with whom they can compete against other equally viable teams.

The most victories go to players who bring world-class players to the pitch consistently, after all. And considering that your Ultimate Teams carry over from previous instalments, spending on packs could very well increase now that we’re past the FC 26 release date. However, it’s still early days to compare FC 26 against FC 25 and FC 24 Ultimate Team.

Hottest Ultimate Team players for EA FC 26

There are several Ultimate Team apps that can help you figure out the best players for your squad. For instance, Futbin lets you look at detailed stat spreads and even a few dream teams to give you an idea of the kind of teams you should be putting together.

The best Ultimate Team players often try to put together as many rare gold cards as they can, ensuring that each member of their team is up to the challenges that FUT brings to the table. That’s especially true in FC 26, considering how the game’s new player roles, AI responsiveness, and general control overhauls have made it quite a challenge to play at a competitive level.

Why is EA FC Ultimate Team so popular?

There are many reasons why this is a very popular mode among FC 26 players. For starters, the main draw of building a fantasy football team from scratch is one of the main reasons. But its virtual economy and the chance to pit your team against the best players out there, not to mention ones that your friends might have put together, is also a solid reason for its popularity.

There’s a lot of depth to FC Ultimate Team in terms of customizations, team setups, and more, and its integration with Live Pro events makes it an option that could have you spending hours poring over your player cards and making strategic switch-ups based on the situation at hand.

For franchise veterans, it’s a great alternative to the game’s Career Mode, and newcomers are sure to enjoy getting their team going from scratch. And that’s all you need to know about FUT packs and whether they are considered gambling. We hope to see you on the pitch. In essence, it’s the fantasy football simulation straight through the game.