EA’s summer of speed: FC 26 goes global while F1 25 jumps into the future
EA is currently doing its best to ensure your social life remains non-existent this summer. The publisher just dropped a double-whammy of news for its two biggest sports franchises, and if you’re a fan of either international football or high-speed tactical racing, you might want to start clearing your calendar now.
First up is EA Sports FC 26, which is gearing up for "The World’s Game Update" on May 28. The headliner here is a massive 48-team international tournament mode launching on June 4. We’re talking 53 fully licensed national teams, ranging from the usual suspects like Brazil and France to "emerging stories" like Uzbekistan. It’s basically EA’s way of letting you live out your underdog fantasies on the global stage.
But for the Ultimate Team (FUT) grinders, the real news is the introduction of "Tokens." Starting June 4, these will be the primary way you earn rewards. You can bag up to 1,000 tokens a week across various modes like Rivals and Squad Battles, which you then spend in a dedicated store. It sounds like a move toward more player choice, though the 5,000-token season cap means you’ll have to be picky about what you unlock. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the community to find the most "meta" way to spend them.
The update also brings a massive quality-of-life fix: "Evo Undo." Finally, you can roll back and reset your Evolutions if you realize you’ve made a terrible mistake with your favorite card. Add in a free 93 OVR Festival of Football ICON Pelé for anyone who logs in, and it’s clear EA is trying to keep the vibes high as we head into the summer.
Meanwhile, F1 25 is pulling a fast one by jumping straight into the future. The "2026 Season Pack" launches on June 3, and it’s effectively a total overhaul of the grid. We’re getting two new major manufacturers—Cadillac and Audi—bringing the total team count to eleven. It’s the first time in ages the grid has felt this fresh, with veteran favorites like Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez leading the charge for Cadillac.
The gameplay changes for F1 are equally aggressive. The 2026 cars are lighter and smaller, featuring active aerodynamics that you can adjust on the fly to optimize speed. But the real kicker is the new "Overtake Mode," which grants a staggering 500-horsepower boost. It sounds less like a simulation and more like a tactical battle of nerves. Managing that power surge while wrestling with active wings is going to separate the pros from the casuals very quickly.
Both updates show EA leaning hard into "live service" territory, offering a mix of free content and tactical depth to keep players hooked. Whether you’re trying to win the cup with Cabo Verde or mastering the active aero of an Audi in Madrid, there’s a lot of game to get through here. Just remember: you can’t buy tokens in the FUT store, so you actually have to play the game this time. Imagine that.
Sources: EA Sports FC News, F1 25 Features Deep Dive.
