FC 26 Update: New Celebrations, Career Mode Immersion, Retro Kits & World Cup Hints

EA Sports FC 26 has just received a major update, adding new celebrations, a more immersive Career Mode experience, retro kits, and new faces.

There are clear signs that more World Cup-related content may be coming in the future. If you've been waiting for a reason to return to FC 26, this update might be it.

Let's take a look at the main updates!

New Kits

EA Sports added a fourth kit for Spurs in FC 26, which should have been good news, but the reality was disappointing - the kit looked terrible. Fortunately, this issue will be fixed in a future update. However, Spurs fans can only wear this awful kit in Career Mode for now.

Meanwhile, Manager Live has added a batch of retro kits to unlock, including about 10 different clubs and eras. Here are some highlights:

Real Madrid 2002 kit: This kit represents the exceptional talent of this Champions League team. Manchester City 2002 kit: A completely different era for Manchester, and this kit perfectly captures that.

Liverpool 1984 kit: This historic kit will evoke nostalgia in older fans and spark curiosity in younger fans, drawing them into the team's glorious history. Juventus also has a retro kit, as does FC Porto 1907 kit. These kits have a strong vintage feel and will appeal to those who appreciate football history aesthetics.

These kits can be unlocked via Manager Live or FC 26 Coins and can be used when creating a club, providing some fun customization options if you're planning to build your own team from scratch.

Expanded Social Media Post Content

The content and variety of social media posts by teams and players during game saves in Career Mode have been significantly increased.

For example, Liverpool recently announced that one of its players suffered a mouth injury and will be out for 12 days. Besides injury announcements, clubs will now also release other content, such as anniversary celebrations for players.

Just as teams in real life post on social media to celebrate a player's first year with the club, these kinds of expanded details make Career Mode feel more vibrant and add a layer of immersion, something Career Mode has long needed.

Similarly, transfer rumors have also been updated with new post styles, meaning the game now offers more variety in how speculation and news are released in save files. While this is a slight change, it's these minor details that make long save files feel more substantial and the information flow throughout a long career less repetitive.

Cup Competition Rebranding

In this update, most cup competitions across various leagues have been rebranded. New logos, new sponsors, and updated visual identity. If you're playing in lower leagues or international cups, you might notice the visuals are fresher than they were a few months ago.

For example, Norwegian Cup has a completely new logo and sponsor music, perfectly matching its real-world counterpart. When you save in Career Mode, you'll see a completely refreshed look, unlike the outdated appearance of two seasons ago. Keeping pace with the rebranding of dozens of global events in the real world requires a significant effort.

Two new celebration emotes have been added to the game.

The first is the Lingard flute celebration. Jesse Lingard's iconic flute celebration has been added to FC 26. However, you need to unlock a specific online seasons objective to obtain it.

Career Mode players make up a large portion of the player base, so if you're a pure Career Mode player who doesn't want to participate in any online modes, you'll have to grind a lot to get this emote.

The second is Alexander Arnold chest celebration. This emote is free to obtain and available in all game modes without any restrictions. If you've already added him to your roster, or want your other players to use this emote, you can use it immediately without any additional steps.

Roy Hodgson Returns

Roy Hodgson will return to FC 26 as a coach in an upcoming game update. He currently serves as the head coach of Bristol City until the end of the season, meaning EA is obligated to add him to the game's database. This is especially useful for Bristol City's Career Mode save file, as having a suitable, realistic coach is crucial when building immersion in the lower leagues.

Women's Football Broadcast Upgrades

The women's matches in FC 26 receive two significant broadcast upgrades in this update. The official broadcast visuals and overlays for Barclays Women's Premier League were recently updated. Now, Women's Champions League receives the same treatment.

The overlays around the stadium have been completely revamped. The animations have been remade, the fonts have been changed, and the overall broadcast presentation is consistent with the actual footage of the matches currently on television. This update refreshes the game, making it feel more modern and relevant, and this change is evident throughout the entire match presentation, not just the menus.

Women's Championship is one of the top club competitions in football, and it deserves visually commensurate with its status. Therefore, this upgrade is crucial. In recent years, the production quality of live broadcasts has improved significantly, and for the game's visuals to match this is undoubtedly a major step forward.

New Player Faces

EA has been steadily improving the player faces in Major League Soccer (MLS), and this update adds several new realistic faces to the league. Having actual players' faces during a long season greatly enhances immersion.

New faces in this update include Allende from Inter Miami, who had an outstanding season and now finally has a realistic face in the game. Andre Blake from Houston Dynamo also has a realistic face. Andres Herrera from Columbus Crew has now joined the game. San Jose Earthquakes also welcomes a new player, Ronaldo.

The biggest MLS star to join the game soon is James Rodriguez from Minnesota United. He recently signed with the club and will officially join in the next game update. His portrait, stats, and everything else will be updated. If you're playing a Minnesota United Career Mode save file, he'll soon be in your roster.

This update is one of the most important recent for FC 26, and if the recent update pattern continues, there's likely to be at least one or two unexpected surprises. FC 26 has had a fairly stable pace this year, and April looks set to be one of the most content-rich months. If you haven't played Career Mode in a while, now might be a good time to get back in.