EA FC 26 will be available in early access in just over a week, and the official team and leakers are releasing the starting player's overall ratings and stats. Pre-order players should already be scouting for players suitable for their squads or potential investment opportunities.
Unless you're an economics PhD with a keen eye for market trends, you should invest cautiously in FC 26 player market and manage your coins wisely to accumulate capital for player evolution and major SBCs later in the game. Here are some early-game investment strategies shared by IGGM.com.
Avoid Premier League Players
Premier League is the most popular and well-known league, and many players are fans of its players. This leads to a shortage of Premier League player cards in the early stages of the game. Player card values during this period are often inflated. For example, Tottenham Hotspur player Micky van de Ven in FC 25 initially takes 40,000-50,000 coins, but the value plummeted after just two to three weeks.
Therefore, in the first few weeks, you can look for players from other leagues with similar stats but significantly lower value as alternatives. For example, Roger Ibañez, with an OVR of 80, has similar stats to Micky van de Ven, though his dribbling and pace are slightly lower. However, this card is expected to only take 5,000 FUT 26 coins, so even if it depreciates, you won't lose much.
However, there are exceptions. Certain Premier League players in specific positions may not be inherently valuable. As long as they don't exceed 10,000 coins, you can invest as much as you like.
Avoid Community Hype Players
Because of early player leaks, community discussion will arise about these cards, leading to the creation of cards considered the best starters. These cards will be significantly overvalued and will drop sharply shortly after the game launches.
For example, Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush's card is expected to have an OVR of no less than 84, and he has an enormous fan base, so his initial market value is expected to be between 75,000 and 100,000 FIFA 26 coins.
Similarly, players who have been hyped because of transfers or EVO potential, such as Elye Wahi and Arda Güler, will probably take several weeks to return to normal values.
You can also look for players with similar stats but less hype. For example, Clémentine Martin (Bordeaux) has similar stats to Omar Marmoush, and his expected market value is likely less than half of his.
Of course, if you are lucky enough to draw one of these cards in a pack, you should sell it immediately within the first few days to maximize your profit.
Use Untradable Players
As FC 25 experience shows, player cards depreciate rapidly. If you acquire tradable players from the market and use them to build a team, their value will drop by half within a few weeks, effectively leaving you with a significant loss of coins and you were even doing nothing. After that, you'll likely have to buy FC 26 coins to get the latest player items.
While FC 26 strives to control the rate of player stat inflation to ensure players retain their value longer, player depreciation is inevitable in this type of game.
So, when building your initial roster, it's best to prioritize untradable players acquired from packs, saving your EA FC 26 coins for market investment and trades, rather than getting players whose value will depreciate.
Which Players Should You Invest In?
However, it's difficult to build a team solely based on untradable players. How can you use your coins safely?
First, focus on cards that are relatively inexpensive but very useful, such as those value around 5,000 coins. These cards won't take you much coins.
You can also invest the saved coins in cards with potential appreciation, such as Heroes or Legendary Icons. Even the lowest-valued Icons are worth investing in because they allow for flexible team formation, are required for completing trophies, and are in high demand on the player market.
Team of the Week player cards are also worth investing in. Ademola Lookman's TOTW card in FC 25 is a great example, having nearly doubled in value in a short period.
FC 26 places greater emphasis on player attributes this year, with restrictions on speed. Furthermore, EA FC 26 code reveals that Reactions may be crucial for strikers' shots (especially chip shots) and midfielders. Therefore, players with high speed and reactions are worth investing in.
IGGM.com also recommends not sticking to a fixed starting lineup. It's best to explore the players in the database and flexibly build your lineup based on the players you actually find in packs. This will help you save more FUT 26 coins.
In short, even if you really like a player or want a certain card, if they are hyped, it is best to hold off for a few weeks. This will save you a lot of coins, which can be used for investment, allowing you to gain a greater lineup advantage in future games.
