In FC 26, EA Sports is trying to settle a debate that’s raged at the heart of their football games for almost as long as they’ve been around: should FC be a true-to-life football sim, or a high-scoring, arcadey skills-fest that’s unmistakably a video game?
With the introduction of “Competitive” and “Authentic” match types, EA seems to be trying to mediate the discussion to the point where both camps can agree to disagree.
Rather than a toggle or slider, the two match types are being billed as a split into “two separate experiences”.
Competitive game modes will be:
- Ultimate Team
- Pro Clubs
- Online Seasons and Friendlies
While Authentic game modes will be:
- Manager Career Mode
- Player Career Mode
EA has said that this allows them to fine-tune and make changes to each gameplay mode discretely, without affecting the other. Hopefully this will also allow each game mode to grow off in its own direction and perhaps go some way to removing Career Mode from the shadow of the much more lucrative Ultimate Team.
But in the offline modes where you actually get a choice, which is the right gameplay type for you? Here’s what each one entails so you can make the most informed choice for your matchday experience!
What’s the difference between Competitive and Authentic match types in EA Sports FC 26?
Competitive Gameplay
Competitive Gameplay is specifically designed for the fast-paced, hyper-focused environment of Ultimate Team and is the locked-default gameplay mode for UT, Pro Clubs and Online Seasons and Friendlies, but can also be chosen for Kick Off and Careers too.
It aims to provide a more consistent and predictable gameplay experience, but also one which is more open, faster and high stakes. Tangibly, in Competitive you should feel more like mistakes you make are yours alone, rather than the results of AI defending, deflections and rebounds, and crunching through animations in crucial moments.
EA describes the main differences in Competitive Gameplay as:
- Goalkeeper deflections go away from danger to reduce rebound goals
- Tackles and interceptions are more likely to bounce to teammates than back to opponents
- Defensive lines are looser, with less AI defending
- Fewer auto-blocks and tackles, and less realistic animations when avoiding a ball to resolve marginal situations more consistently
- Smoother, but less true-to-life, transitions into and out of animations
- Players get up quicker after being tackled and don’t play reaction animations when hit by the ball
- Fatigue effects only apply to AI-controlled players, and player-controlled players always play to their full stats
- More variability in crosses and corners with fewer attackers in the box, as well as more difficult headers, to stop cross spam and overly repeatable corner routines
- Faster skill moves, tighter and faster dribbling in general
- Higher passing speed, with more responsive and snappier passing in general
Authentic Gameplay
On the other hand, Authentic Gameplay tries to deliver a slower and more realistic simulation experience that more accurately depicts the chaos and randomness of real-life football and the athletic abilities of real-life athletes as opposed to the superpowered, PlayStyle-fuelled ferocity of online modes.
EA says Authentic Gameplay will include:
- Wind, rain and snow weather effects with a sliding scale of severity
- Slower speed when dribbling and performing skill moves
- More realistic and less predictable tackling accuracy
- More AI defending with tighter defensive lines and authentic defender reactions when they’re close to the ball
- Tighter midfield positioning and solidity
- More physics-based goalkeeper deflections that can go anywhere, not just away from danger
- Less predictable shooting, but more realistic success rates with headed passing and shooting
- Corners and crosses “tuned to match real-world success rates”
- More human animations when falling over, getting up and avoiding the ball, which could take longer or lead to players getting hit by the ball depending on the situation
In addition to the above, EA has again tried to make AI teams more varied, with different teams favoring short passing, crossing or long vertical balls in attack and a high press or low block in defence.
Which gameplay mode should you pick in EA Sports FC 26?
Taking that all into consideration, it seems like Authentic Gameplay will best suit fans of the FC 25 experience, with a greater emphasis on teambuilding, tactics and working the ball into scoring positions using repeatable actions and patient passing.
On the other hand, this means that Competitive Gameplay will be best for players who want to dribble quickly and perform outlandish skill moves, go from attack to defence very quickly, and stay fully engaged with the game for every second they’re playing with little to no downtime as play builds.
Whatever gameplay mode you choose, EA has also revealed 5 new PlayStyles it’s set to introduce in EA Sports FC 26, alongside its plan to “make gameplay better” in general.
EA Sports FC 26 will release, fittingly, on September 26th, 2025, on PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo consoles and PC.