EA Sports’s Fifa franchisehas been dominating the world of football games for decades, thanks in large part to its vast portfolio of official licences. Now the developer is finally ready to lift the curtain on the next entry in the series.

With the World Cup behind us now, EA is ramping up its promotion of FC 27. The rumour mill is churning, but a few things have been confirmed, such as the game’s cover stars and when the gameplay trailer will release

While some fans think the series is in its best shape yet, with competitive and authentic gameplay modes, the addition of live challenges in Manager Career mode and slight changes to Ultimate Team in FC 26, others want something more drastic. With the launch of FC 27 expected imminently, here's everything we know so far.

‘EA Sports FC 27’ release date: When could the game come out?

EA recently released it's 'The World's Game' update for FC 26 to tie in with the FIFA World Cup (EA Sports)

This one is actually quite straightforward to predict because, since the mid-2000s with the launch of Fifa 06, EA has released its annual football title on the final Friday of September.

With that in mind, EA Sports FC 27 is likely to launch on Friday 25 September 2026. There’s also usually a week of early access for those who pre-order and purchase an Ultimate Edition of the game. Early access could open on 17 September.

There’s nothing to indicate so far EA will deviate from this.

When could ‘EA Sports FC 27’ be announced?

EA Sports FC 27 has been officially confirmed and was revealed through Kylian Mbappe starring as the Ultimate Edition star. He’s the cover star for the Standard Edition, too.

EA confirmed a gameplay trailer will release this Thursday (23 July).

‘EA Sports FC 27’ cover star

Despite widespread speculation pointing to Jude Bellingham featuring as the standard edition cover star, with Cristiano Ronaldo on the cover of the Ultimate Edition, it’s actually France and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe who is on the cover of both the standard and Ultimate editions.

Although France finished fourth at the 2026 World Cup, the forward had a great tournament from an individual perspective, scoring 10 goals to collect the tournament's Golden Boot award and becoming the tournament's top scorer of all time, sitting on 22 and one above Lionel Messi. He's only 27-years-old.

Mbappe said: "To be featured on the cover of an EA Sports FC title for the first time is a very special moment for me. It's an honour to continue my long-term relationship with the franchise in its latest chapter, alongside the players who have shaped its history. I can't wait for everyone to experience FC 27."

Mbappe has appeared on the cover of EA’s football franchise before but his last appearance was on Fifa 23, the last year EA had the FIFA license. The French forward will also be the cover star for EA Sports FC Mobile.

Kylian Mbappe is the cover star for EA Sports FC 27 (EA Sports)

‘EA Sports FC 27’ features

While nothing has been officially confirmed at the time of writing on this front, the big, heavily speculated new feature understood to be coming to EA Sports FC 27 is the inclusion of a new open-world mode. If it happens, it’s expected to be called ‘The Grounds’.

It’s rumoured this mode will operate in a similar way to the one found in the NBA 2K series, where players can jump in and out of minigames, explore an open world and build up their player. It’s understood EA has previously playtested this feature, but nothing has yet been confirmed.

Other rumoured features are the inclusion of a better replay system, so players can more easily analyse their performances. There could also be dynamic weather during matches. That means a game could start out dry, but then rain in the second half, affecting how the ball behaves on the pitch.

Aside from that, expect the usual graphical upgrades, updated teams and squads, gameplay tweaks and slight changes to modes such as Ultimate Team, Career Mode and Clubs, plus further quality of life updates.

‘EA Sports FC 27’ platforms

According to a new report from reliable insider publication Dealabs, EA Sports FC 27 will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PS4, Xbox One and the original Nintendo Switch console. If true, it means you won’t have to upgrade to the latest console generation to play the game.

‘EA Sports FC 26’, PS5: Was £44.99, now £21.99, Amazon.co.uk

If you’ve not yet picked up a copy of FC 26, now is a great time to do so with the business end of the Fifa World Cup approaching and EA Sports having launched ‘The World’s Game’ update, it’s take on unofficial World Cup content. The PS5 disc version has been slashed by half price at Amazon.

For more on all things gaming, check out our review of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced