EA Sports FC 24 complete guide: Walkthrough, release date, name change, cover, Ultimate Team, Career Mode and tips

EA Sports FC 24
(Image credit: EA Sports)

EA Sports FC 24 season is upon us – and this is your complete guide to the brand-new game. 

Be prepared to waste hours of your life raging against the machine, as FIFA rebrands into something new yet familiar. Whether you're looking for the best wonderkids or legendary icon cards to sign for your Ultimate Team squad, we've got everything you could possibly want with this walkthrough.

Here's what to expect from FC 24 and how to get ahead of the game.

EA Sports FC 24 ditches FIFA and goes it alone after 24 years together – the result is a new look, but still hugely enjoyable, experience

Specifications

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Reasons to buy

+
New playstyles
+
Ultimate Team upgrades
+
Improved graphics
+
Atmospheres in stadiums feel more real

Reasons to avoid

-
New gameplay takes a little getting used to

EA Sports FC 24 complete guide: a walkthrough of the new game, with release date, name change, cover, Ultimate Team, Career Mode and tips

Release date

When is the release date for EA Sports FC 24?

EA Sports FC is out on September 29, 2023, though people who pre-order the Ultimate Edition have been able to start playing a whole week earlier than everyone else. EA teased that you can "join the club" from July

Cover

EA Sports FC 24 cover

The EA Sports FC 24 cover (Image credit: EA Sports)

The EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate Edition cover features 31 players from across history, men's and women's football, international and club sides. 

A full list of players included on the cover

Front row (left to right):

  • Alexander Isak
  • Selma Bacha
  • Alexia Putellas
  • Virgil van Dijk
  • Son Heung-min
  • Trinity Rodman
  • Federico Chiesa
  • Enzo Fernandez.

Second row (left to right):

  • Jude Bellingham
  • David Beckham
  • Vinicius Junior
  • Erling Haaland
  • Sam Kerr
  • Leah Williamson
  • Marquinhos
  • Youssoufa Moukoko.

Third row (left to right):

  • Johan Cruyff
  • Alex Scott
  • Ronaldinho
  • Alexandra Popp
  • Juan Roman Riquelme
  • Didier Drogba
  • Leicy Santos.

Back row (left to right):

  • Marta
  • Mia Hamm
  • Marcus Rashford
  • Rudi Voller
  • Pele
  • Zinedine Zidane
  • Bukayo Saka
  • Andrea Pirlo.

Pricing

Will EA Sports FC 24 be free to play?

For a number of years now, there has been talk about whether EA would move to a free-to-play structure, similar to games such as Fortnite.

Speculation intensified, too, when Konami took the step of rebranding their iconic Pro Evolution Soccer series into the free-to-play title, eFootball. eFootball gives users rolling updates to the franchise, such as new player ratings and kits, rather than producing a whole new game – and fans have questioned whether this is the direction that EA Sports FC will ultimately move in.

But while free-to-play titles with subscription-based features become the future for EA, EA Sports FC will not be free to play. With the Standard Edition costing £64.99, and the Ultimate Edition priced at £99.99, players will have to fork out for the privilege of playing the game. 

Best prices are below

Name change

The logo for EA Sports FC

The logo for EA Sports FC (Image credit: EA Sports)

Why is FIFA 24 called EA Sports FC 24?

With the license of using the FIFA name coming to an end, EA have changed the name of the series – similar to Konami's eFootball.

This was hinted at in a press release from EA, with EA Sports GM Cam Weber claiming, "We’re reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA, which is separate from all our other official partnerships and licenses across the football world.”

Now, FIFA 23 has been announced as being called EA Sports FC

EA have also recently renewed their deal with FIFPRO though, meaning that EA can continue using the "thousands of player names and likenesses" in the game.

Career Mode

EA Sports FC 24: 300 wonderkids set for the new game

Jude Bellingham is one of several wonderkids in EA Sports FC 24 (Image credit: EA Sports FC24)

Who shall I sign in EA Sports FC 24 Career Mode?

FourFourTwo has a complete guide of the top players on EA Sports FC 24, including a list of the stars you should be signing.

With Career Mode improved even further this year, there are plenty of stars with potential and stats that separate them from the rest. Whether you're looking for free transfers to sign in Career Mode, wonderkids to sign in Career Mode or bargains to sign in Career Mode, we have guides for each. 

Ultimate Team

All EA Sports FC 24 Icon cards

All EA Sports FC 24 Icon cards (Image credit: EA Sports)

Which players have Icon and Heroes cards in EA Sports Sports FC 24 Ultimate Team?

There are over 100 players in EA Sports FC 24 who have Icon cards and Heroes cards. You can find a full list of the stars here

Soundtrack

Who features on the EA Sports FC 24 soundtrack?

EA Sports FC 24 soundtrack

EA Sports FC 24 soundtrack (Image credit: EA Sports)

The EA Sports FC 24 soundtrack was announced on September 21. The likes of Stormzy, the Rolling Stones and Fred Again.. all feature on the prestigious playlist. 

Expert tips

EA Sports FC 24

(Image credit: EA Sports FC 24)

We have all the best tips and tricks to help you with EA Sports FC 24 – including specific skill moves. 

General expert tips
Attacking tips
Defensive tips

How to do stepovers
How to do the Heel to ball roll
How to do the Elastico
How to do an explosive fake shot
How to do the Bridge
How to do the Ball Roll Drag
How to do the Drag Back Turn
How to do Flair Nutmegs
How to do a Flair Rainbow

More EA Sports FC 24 stories

With EA Sports FC 24 out, FFT has the complete guide to football's biggest game along with our big review for FC 24.

We have a guide to the best wonderkids, the best free agents and the best bargains available to sign in Career Mode. We also have lists of the fastest players in the game, the best passers, the best free-kick takers, the best tacklers, the best finishers – and of course, all 5-star weak foot players and all 5-star skill move players.

If you're a player of Ultimate Team, we have a full list of the 100+ stars available as Icon and Heroes cards.

Need help with our best 10 expert tips – or more specifically, attacking tips or defensive tips? We have a complete catalogue on how to do skill moves, including specific looks at stepovers, the heel-to-ball roll, the Elastico, an explosive fake shot, 'the bridge', the ball roll drag, drag back turn, flair nutmegs and the flair rainbow – plus, this is the best formation for beating any opponent.

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.

With contributions from