Best Goalkeepers to sign in EA Sports FC 26

In the last few years of EA Sports games, goalkeepers have seen the biggest direct adjustments of any position. The mission for EA was to make FC 26’s best goalkeepers not just better and more reliable shot stoppers, but stronger at claiming crosses and more predictable in 1-on-1 situations.

This refinement has taken a few forms. Firstly, more varied PlayStyles give goalies more personality not just in their saves, but in their distribution with their feet as well, allowing them to launch attacks with long balls and ping passes to their defenders to play out from the back.

Manual keeper movement has also been massively reworked since its overpowered implementation a couple of games ago, now giving high-level players a subtle way to narrow shooting angles with a single step rather than the odd-looking and unrealistic guessing game that emerged when keepers could scuttle sideways faster than a crab up a beach.

Finally, and most importantly in FC 26, the frustrating pin-ball of rebounds falling straight back to your opponent – even if it was genuinely a result of realistic physics – has been manually addressed. Now, goalkeepers in general are much better at pushing away a shot to one of their teammates, or an empty space on the pitch, instead of impotently palming the ball into the path of an opposition player for yet another rebound goal.

With these ideas in mind, the best goalkeepers to sign in FC 26 all have a few things in common. They’re either literally big enough to reach the corners of the goal, or have the Far Reach PlayStyle to pluck the ball out of the air when all seems lost.

Or they have passing stats and PlayStyles that even a decent midfielder would envy, letting them hoof the ball upfield with enough sense and direction to actually contribute to your attack.

Then, most importantly for Career Mode players, they also all have at least 10 years of longevity in the tank, allowing them to either reach their already burgeoning Potential stat, or even exceed it with Dynamic Potential. Because goalies tend to play longer in their careers, their age profile works a little differently, with mid-20s keepers still being considered young (they could be your starter for the next 15 years after all).

Here are our picks of the best goalkeepers to sign in EA Sports FC 26, including a good variety of different shot stoppers, some (hopefully) lesser-heard names, as well as some realistic signing for a host of different clubs and budgets.

If you’re looking for just the best young goalkeepers to sign, you can also check out our list of EA Sports FC 26’s best Wonderkids.

Best goalkeepers to sign in EA Sports FC 26

If you’re playing with one of the world’s biggest teams and biggest budgets, then one of your best options for a new keeper is Benfica’s Anatolii Trubin, who at 6ft 6” is pretty huge himself. Going from strength to strength, Trubin now also has a potential ceiling to match the ones he needs in his house, with a mighty +7 growth for a total potential of 87. His reflexes and positioning are already top-notch, with enough quality to be thrown into basically any top-flight club.

For a realistic option who seems destined to reach the top of the game, check out Freiburg’s Germany Under-21 goalie, Noah Atubolu. After showing a great account of himself in Germany’s run to the final of Under-21 Euros, Atubolu just keeps getting better-and-better in-game, now boasting both of the meta Footwork and Far Reach PlayStyles. What’s even more exciting is that he’s also a penalty specialist. This season he’s already set a Bundesliga record for saving 5 consecutive penalties. Definitely one to watch.

Another relatively expensive option is Maarten Vandevoordt, who’s been a Career Mode staple for a good few years now. At 23 he’s at the upper end of the Wonderkid bracket, but still has a huge 86 potential and a slew of great PlayStyles which make him probably the best 2nd choice goalkeeper in the world. With Peter Gulacsi still in situ at Leipzig, it’s not unrealistic to expect him to want more game time elsewhere.

A key part of the emergent Greece side that seems loaded with great talents, Konstantinos Tzolakis is first-choice in both the league and Champions League for Olympiacos at just 22, but could likely be tempted away with top-flight football in one of Europe’s top 5 leagues.

Again, Guillaume Restes has been at the top of the list of many Manager Career Mode saves for a long while now, but remains a solid pick-up for a host of rich teams. With great kicking and reflexes, as well as the well-liked Footwork PlayStyle, he’s the archetypal Wonderkid who could be your starting keeper for the next decade or more.

If you prefer more realistic signings than just scooping up all of the most overpowered players, then Marcin Bulka is definitely someone to consider. Similar to Forest’s Matz Sels, after turning in Player of the Month-worthy performances in Ligue 1, Bulka looked set to make a big move to the Premier League or another top club – however, it never materialised. Now playing in Saudi, or rather not playing, after suffering an ACL injury in real life Bulka finds himself in a strange situation where NEOM now have both Bulka and ex-Sporting goalie Luis Maximiano on their books. Since they obviously don’t need 2 European competition-quality keepers, go and get one for your team.

Finally for rich clubs, Filip Jorgensen at Chelsea is a well-known option who’s often cited as one of the best 2nd choice goalies around. He’s good in-game and relatively accessible for mid-table clubs, similar to how Bournemouth got Petrovic.

For smaller clubs looking for a longer-term investment though, Matthieu Epolo is a standout. With 85 potential, good diving and reflexes and the meta combo of Footwork and Far Reach PlayStyles, he’s perfect for the bench or Championship Road to Glory.

If you’re looking for a modern, ball-playing keeper though, Pascal Loretz is even more accessible, but also has both the Long Ball Pass and Far Throw PlayStyles for distribution.

Finally, for the smallest budgets, Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro in the Eredivisie has the best ratio of cheap fee, good starting stats and strong PlayStyles. But if you’re really strapped for cash, there’s also Fran Gonzalez who’s 3rd choice at Real Madrid. His starting wage is higher because of that, but it can be bartered down at the negotiating table.

One more to mention is Deniz Donmezer, who has 82 potential at 59 overall. His fee is peanuts, but you probably don’t want to throw someone with such a low overall straight into your team. It’s not very realistic, but you can buy him cheaply in the lower leagues and loan him from there to take advantage of that as you rise through the ranks.