EA FC 26's Fantasy FC promo is running a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Fantasy Premier League, giving every player access to free special cards that upgrade permanently based on how their linked footballer performs in real Premier League matches. The Fantasy FC Live sub-event covers ten players spread across all ten Matchweek 29 fixtures, and you can pick up to two of them by completing in-game objectives before the matches kick off.
Quick answer: Play the Fantasy FC Rush Event between February 28 and March 3 with a player from the relevant club's men's team, complete the linked objective, and your chosen Fantasy FC Live card will upgrade automatically after the real-life fixture based on FPL points scored.
All Ten Fantasy FC x FPL Players and Their Fixtures
Each of the ten cards is tied to a specific Premier League match taking place between Tuesday, March 3, and Thursday, March 5. The player's club is bolded in the fixture column below.
| Player | Fixture | Match Date |
|---|---|---|
| Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall | Everton vs. Burnley | March 3 |
| Álex Jiménez | AFC Bournemouth vs. Brentford | March 3 |
| Brendan Aaronson | Leeds United vs. Sunderland | March 3 |
| Milos Kerkez | Wolves vs. Liverpool | March 3 |
| Leandro Trossard | Brighton vs. Arsenal | March 4 |
| Matheus Nunes | Manchester City vs. Nottingham Forest | March 4 |
| Raúl Jiménez | Fulham vs. West Ham | March 4 |
| Robert Sánchez | Aston Villa vs. Chelsea | March 4 |
| Amad Diallo | Newcastle United vs. Manchester United | March 4 |
| Mathys Tel | Tottenham Hotspur vs. Crystal Palace | March 5 |
How to Earn a Fantasy FC Live Card
Step 1: Open the Fantasy FC Rush Event, which is available from February 28 through March 3. Build a squad that includes at least one player from the men's team of the club linked to the Fantasy FC Live card you want. For example, slotting any Tottenham Hotspur player into your Rush squad is the requirement for Mathys Tel.
Step 2: Play a match in the Rush Event with that squad. This will unlock the corresponding linked objective in the Fantasy FC Live objective group.
Step 3: Complete the objective to receive the card. You can repeat the process for a second player, but the objective group locks after two selections, so choose carefully.
Once the real-life fixtures conclude, the card upgrades are applied automatically. There is no additional action required on your end after selecting your two players.
Fantasy FC Live Upgrade Tiers
Upgrades are permanent and scale directly with the number of Fantasy Premier League points the player accumulates during their Matchweek 29 fixture. Every selected card receives at least a small boost, even if the player doesn't feature in the match at all.
| FPL Points | OVR Boost | Additional Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 | +1 | One additional Role++ |
| 2–3 | +2 | All Roles++ for main position |
| 4–5 | +3 | All Roles++ for all positions, 2nd PlayStyle+, 1 base PlayStyle |
| 6–7 | +4 | All Roles++ for all positions, 2nd PlayStyle+, 2 base PlayStyles |
| 8+ | +5 | All Roles++ for all positions, 2nd PlayStyle+, 2 base PlayStyles, 5-Star Skill Moves or Weak Foot |
The gap between the floor and the ceiling is massive. A player who sits on the bench and earns zero FPL points still gets +1 OVR and a Role++, but a midfielder who scores a goal, plays 60-plus minutes, and picks up bonus points could easily clear the eight-point threshold and walk away with a +5 OVR bump plus five-star Skill Moves or Weak Foot.
FPL Points Scoring Breakdown for Fantasy FC Live
The scoring mirrors the official Fantasy Premier League system. Understanding how points accumulate helps you pick the two players most likely to hit the higher upgrade tiers.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Playing up to 60 minutes | 1 |
| Playing 60+ minutes (excl. stoppage time) | 2 |
| Goal scored by a forward | 4 |
| Goal scored by a midfielder | 5 |
| Goal scored by a defender | 6 |
| Goal scored by a goalkeeper | 10 |
| Goal assist | 3 |
| Clean sheet (GK or defender) | 4 |
| Clean sheet (midfielder) | 1 |
| Every 3 saves (GK) | 1 |
| 10+ CBI and tackles (defenders) | 2 |
| 12+ CBI, tackles, and recoveries (mids/fwds) | 2 |
| Penalty save | 5 |
| Penalty miss | −1 |
| Match bonus points (best performers) | 1–3 |
| Every 2 goals conceded (GK or defender) | −1 |
| Yellow card | −1 |
| Red card | −3 |
| Own goal | −2 |
Attackers need a goal involvement to push past the lower tiers, since a forward who plays the full 90 without contributing offensively only banks two points from minutes played, plus potential bonus. Defenders and goalkeepers, on the other hand, can stack clean sheet points with appearance points more easily, making Robert Sánchez an interesting pick if you expect Chelsea to shut out Aston Villa.
Which Players Offer the Best Upgrade Potential
Leandro Trossard stands out because Arsenal's trip to Brighton gives him a realistic shot at a goal or assist, and midfielders earn five points per goal in FPL rather than the four that forwards receive. A single goal plus 60-plus minutes of play would put him at seven points before bonus, landing squarely in the +4 OVR tier.
Amad Diallo is another strong candidate. Manchester United's fixture at Newcastle is competitive, but Diallo has been a consistent attacking threat this season. A goal contribution and full match involvement could push him into the top tier.
Matheus Nunes benefits from Manchester City's home fixture against Nottingham Forest, where City are expected to dominate possession. Midfield recoveries and tackles count toward the defensive action threshold, giving Nunes a secondary path to bonus points beyond direct goal contributions.
Robert Sánchez is the only goalkeeper in the group. Goalkeepers have a unique scoring profile: a clean sheet alone is worth four points, three saves add another point, and penalty saves are worth five. If Chelsea keep a clean sheet at Villa Park and Sánchez makes a few saves, he could comfortably reach the 6–7 point bracket without any attacking output.
What Happens if a Player Doesn't Play
If your selected Fantasy FC Live player is not in the matchday squad or is an unused substitute, they receive zero FPL points. The card still upgrades, but only at the lowest tier: +1 OVR and one additional Role++. There is no mechanism to swap your pick after the objective group locks, so checking expected lineups before March 3 is worth the effort.
The Fantasy FC x FPL collaboration runs alongside the broader Fantasy FC Team 2 content, which arrived on February 27 with new pack players, Squad Building Challenges, and Hero cards. The FPL-linked cards are entirely separate from those pack items and cost nothing beyond completing the Rush Event objectives. With matches running from March 3 through March 5, upgrades should be finalized and applied to cards shortly after the final whistle on Thursday night.