Kickabouts are the casual, party-style corner of The Grounds in EA SPORTS FC 27. Instead of full 11v11 matches, these mini-games blend football with sports like dodgeball, basketball, and bocce, and you queue for them by walking up to their spots inside the shared world. They cover everything from quick head-to-head duels to chaotic four-player free-for-alls.
Quick answer: At launch, The Grounds includes eight Kickabouts — Goal Control, The Big Race, Bucket Ball, Balloon Ball, Bocce Ball, Team Keepaway, Attacking Scenarios, and Drop Kick Targets. A new mode called Bulldog arrives later during the Screaming Grounds Halloween event.
Every Kickabout in The Grounds at launch
Each Kickabout has a fixed player count and format. Use the table below to pick the right one for how many people you have online, then read the detailed rules further down.
| Kickabout | Format | Core idea |
|---|---|---|
| Goal Control | 1v1 | Score on and capture as many targets as possible |
| The Big Race | 4-player free-for-all | Dribble through an obstacle course to win the race |
| Balloon Ball | 4-player free-for-all | Football meets dodgeball; eliminate opponents |
| Bocce Ball | 3-player free-for-all | Land balls in splitting targets and through rings |
| Bucket Ball | 2v2 | Football meets basketball; net the ball in raised buckets |
| Attacking Scenarios | 2v2 | Score while meeting a random challenge each round |
| Team Keepaway | 3v3 | Keep possession with passing to rack up points |
| Drop Kick Targets | Open world | Spawn a ball anywhere and smash targets across the map |
Solo and free-for-all Kickabouts
Goal Control (1v1)
Goal Control is a fast one-on-one duel. You go head to head with another player and try to score on and take control of as many targets as you can before the timer ends. It rewards quick dribbling and accurate shooting, since the player controlling the most targets when time runs out wins.
The Big Race (four players)
The Big Race is a four-player free-for-all run across a full-sized pitch. You play three races on one track, and each track gives you up to two minutes to finish. Only dribbling is enabled, and the course throws in gates to pass between, lava floors to avoid, moving colliders to dodge, and defender zones to weave through.
Once the first player crosses a finish line, everyone else has 15 seconds to complete that track. Points are handed out by finishing position, and the highest total after all three races wins.
| Finish | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 9 |
| 2nd | 6 |
| 3rd | 3 |
| 4th | 1 |
Balloon Ball (four players)
Balloon Ball mixes football with dodgeball. Four players fight in one arena, and you smash the ball at rivals to knock them out. It moves quickly and is hard to predict, which makes it a good fit for casual group sessions.
Bocce Ball (three players)
Bocce Ball is a three-player free-for-all played over three one-minute rounds, with each round adding obstacles and making the path to the targets less direct. The pitch splits into a Player Zone, where balls keep spawning, and a Gameplay Zone that holds the targets, rings, obstacles, and dead zones.
You score by passing or shooting balls into targets. When a ball lands in a target, a timer starts, and when it runs out the target splits into smaller ones, moving from Large to Medium to Small. Every ball still inside a target when it splits earns points, and balls in the very center score bullseye values. You can also send balls through rings for points, even if another ball knocks yours through. After three rounds, the highest score wins.
| Target or object | Points |
|---|---|
| Large Target | 100 |
| Large Target Bullseye | 200 |
| Medium Target | 500 |
| Medium Target Bullseye | 750 |
| Small Target | 1,250 |
| Small Target Bullseye | 2,000 |
| Ring | 300 |
| Dead Zone | -150 |
Team-based Kickabouts (2v2 and 3v3)
Bucket Ball (2v2)
Bucket Ball is football crossed with basketball. You and a teammate chip, flick, and volley the ball into raised buckets on a medium-sized pitch. Matches run three minutes, with a one-minute overtime for ties, and a goal in overtime ends the game instantly. The vertical aiming gives it a very different feel from a normal street match.
Attacking Scenarios (2v2)
Attacking Scenarios is a 2v2 match on a medium-sized walled pitch, made up of four one-minute rounds. Each round picks a random challenge from a pool of ten, shown on a banner before the ball is launched down the center. There is no goalkeeper, no fouls, and no offsides — only the current scenario’s requirement counts. If you score a goal that does not meet the scenario, a new ball is launched straight away.
When a round’s clock hits 0:00 the ball pops, which stops any late goals. The team with the most points after round four wins. A tie triggers a fifth one-minute round using one of the two unused scenarios, and the first goal wins.
| Tier | Scenario | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Dribble the ball in | 1 |
| Bronze | Score a first-time shot | 1 |
| Bronze | Break a target when scoring | 1 |
| Bronze | Score off a wall bounce | 1 |
| Silver | Complete three passes before scoring | 2 |
| Silver | Collect three balloons before scoring | 2 |
| Silver | Score an aerial goal | 2 |
| Gold | Score from inside a zone | 3 |
| Gold | Score through gates | 1 per gate |
| Gold | Ball Hog (hold the ball to build points) | Up to 6 |
Team Keepaway (3v3)
Team Keepaway is a 3v3 game over one three-minute round on a medium walled pitch. The aim is to hold possession as long as possible by passing between teammates. Play starts with the ball dropping in the center. You can use any pass while attacking and any tackle while defending, but fouls are still called, so reckless tackles cost you.
The team with the most points at the final whistle wins, and a 1,000-point lead ends the game early. Passing sequences build multipliers, so stringing passes together is the fastest way to climb.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Holding the ball | +5 per second |
| Regular pass | +20 |
| First-time pass | +40 |
| 5 passes in a sequence | x2 multiplier |
| 10 passes in a sequence | x3 multiplier |
| Intercepting a pass | +15 (plus opponent’s active multiplier) |
| Successful slide tackle | +20 |
| Committing a foul | -100 |
Drop Kick Targets in the open world
Kickabouts are not limited to their arenas. Drop Kick Targets turn the whole map into a playground, letting you spawn a ball at any moment while walking the streets of The Grounds. You spawn the ball, aim, and kick, then hunt for the unique targets tucked across buildings and alleys. It is a simple way to keep your shooting sharp while you wait for friends to come online.
How to start a Kickabout
EA Sports built these modes to be easy to jump into, whatever your skill level. You do not queue through a menu — you find the activity in the world and start it on the spot.
New Kickabouts coming after launch
The launch lineup is only the starting point. EA Sports has confirmed that more Kickabouts will arrive through seasonal updates. The first known addition is Bulldog, a new mode landing during the Screaming Grounds Halloween event, alongside themed touches like pumpkin targets appearing across the three districts.
The Grounds itself, including Clubs and Kickabouts, runs on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. With a mix of solo duels, chaotic free-for-alls, and team scoring games already available, there is a Kickabout to match nearly any group size the moment you step into the world.
