Black Friday in EA SPORTS FC 26 is built around Thunderstruck, a live promo that ties some of the strongest Ultimate Team items of the year to real-world club performances. It brings a new batch of dynamic players, returning Best-of items, flash events, and a dense schedule of SBCs and Evolutions that will shape the meta heading into the holiday period.
Thunderstruck Black Friday start time and campaign schedule
Thunderstruck is the centerpiece of EA FC 26’s Black Friday content cycle in Football Ultimate Team 26.
| Component | Start date (2025) | End date (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Best of TOTW in packs (85+ from TOTW 1–10) | 26 November | 5 December |
| Best-of Campaigns re-releases | 27 November | 5 December |
| Black Friday: Thunderstruck Team (main squad + ICONs) | 28 November | 2 December (team 1 window) |
The Thunderstruck promo itself goes live on Friday, 28 November, at the usual Ultimate Team promo drop window of 1 PM Eastern Time (6 PM GMT / 10 AM PT). EA is rotating content in stages: the core Thunderstruck team and ICONs arrive first, with further Thunderstruck players added later on the same day and again on 30 November.
How Thunderstruck dynamic upgrades work
Thunderstruck items are live cards: their strength is linked directly to how their club performs in domestic league matches after the promo begins. Tracking starts from 28 November and covers a five‑match window in each club’s main league.
Each Thunderstruck item can trigger up to three separate boosts based on three performance thresholds:
| Condition (next 5 league games) | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Team wins or draws at least 2 matches | +1 Base PlayStyle |
| Team wins or draws at least 3 matches | All Roles++ in every position |
| Team scores 10 goals in those 5 matches | +1 PlayStyle+ (max 1) or an extra base PlayStyle |
The result is a promo that changes as the season progresses. Players tied to dominant clubs with favorable fixtures have a realistic path to all three upgrades, while items at smaller or inconsistent teams carry more risk but can spike if form improves.
Note: Cosmetic Thunderstruck designs earned via Evolutions do not receive these live upgrades. Only Thunderstruck promo items and ICONs with the dynamic tag track real‑world results.
Current Thunderstruck players and ICONs
Thunderstruck splits its roster between active players and ICONs. The power level is high across both groups, with several cards already positioned as end‑game options before upgrades are applied.
Headline Thunderstruck current players
The pool of active players includes both Black Friday-specific Thunderstruck items and Thunderstruck versions of reprinted in‑forms. The top of the promo is stacked with elite attackers and midfielders:
| Player | Club role | Item type | Initial OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexia Putellas | Central midfielder and playmaker | Thunderstruck live | 92 |
| Mohamed Salah | Right winger / inside forward | Thunderstruck live | 92 |
| Jude Bellingham | Attacking or box‑to‑box midfielder | Thunderstruck live | 91–92 range (variant across lists) |
| Erling Haaland | Central striker | Thunderstruck live | 91 |
| Harry Kane | Striker / deep‑lying forward | Thunderstruck live | 90 |
| Vini Jr. | Left winger | Thunderstruck live | 90–91 range (across lists) |
| Mapi Leon | Centre‑back | Thunderstruck live | 90 |
| Vitinha | Central midfielder | Thunderstruck live | 90 |
| Shaw | Striker | Thunderstruck live | 90 |
| Debinha | Attacking midfielder | Thunderstruck live | 88–89 |
| Moises Caicedo | Defensive midfielder | Thunderstruck live | 88 |
Alongside these, there is a broad supporting cast that fills out most positions on the pitch. Highlights across different lists include:
- High‑end full‑backs and wing‑backs such as Theo Hernández, Olga Carmona, Sakina Karchaoui, Jeremie Frimpong, and Juan Cuadrado.
- Powerful central midfielders including Rodri, Federico Valverde, Nicolò Barella, Ryan Gravenberch, and Giada Greggi.
- Explosive wide forwards like Pedro Neto, Raphinha, Lauren Hemp, Burak Yılmaz, Athenea, and Ansu Fati.
- Target strikers such as Alexia Russo, Dušan Vlahović, Wout Weghorst, and Romelu Lukaku.
- Goalkeepers like Jan Oblak, Mike Maignan, Lukas Hradecky, and Jordan Pickford in other Black Friday content.
Each of these items is built around aggressive stat profiles and at least one key PlayStyle+, then layers in the Thunderstruck upgrade path through league matches.
Thunderstruck ICONs and how they fit the meta
The ICON half of Thunderstruck is designed to be truly top tier. These cards combine very high base ratings with powerful PlayStyles+ and the same upgrade structure linked to their historic clubs’ performances.
| ICON | Position | OVR | Key strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diego Maradona | CAM | 96 | Elite dribbling and flair, Rapid+ PlayStyle, central creative hub |
| Ronaldo | ST | 95 | All‑round striker with pace, finishing, and physical presence |
| Ronaldinho | LW | 94 | Five‑star style winger with top‑tier dribbling and creativity |
| Johan Cruyff | CF | 94 | Versatile forward / CAM hybrid, high technical ceiling |
| Franz Beckenbauer | CB | 93 | Ball‑playing centre‑back with strong defensive stats and Anticipate+ |
| Paolo Maldini | CB | 93 (Thunderstruck version) | End‑game defender with Jockey+, pace and elite defensive awareness |
| Ferenc Puskás | CF | 93 | Left‑footed finisher with high shooting and technical quality |
| Thierry Henry | LW | 92 | Wide or central forward with pace and finishing |
| Gerd Müller | ST | 92 | Penalty‑box striker with exceptional shooting |
| Jairzinho | RW | 91 | Fast, direct winger with strong shooting and dribbling |
| Kaká | CAM | 91 | Tall, driving playmaker who carries the ball through midfield |
| Roberto Carlos | LB | 91 (Thunderstruck and separate Black Friday listing) | Very fast attacking full‑back with powerful shooting and Rapid+ |
| Andrea Pirlo | CM | 91 | Deep‑lying playmaker with high passing and vision |
| Patrick Vieira | CDM | 90 | Physically dominant holding midfielder |
| Eric Cantona | ST | 90 | Physical forward who can also drop into midfield |
| Iker Casillas | GK | 90 | Reflex‑heavy goalkeeper |
| Edwin van der Sar | GK | 89 | Tall, positionally strong goalkeeper |
A separate Black Friday SBC also centers on an 88‑rated Willian Pacho at centre‑back, giving players a non‑pack route into a high‑level defender during the event window.
Best-of TOTW and Best-of Campaigns during Black Friday
Thunderstruck sits on top of a broad re‑release program that temporarily puts many of the year’s strongest items back into packs.
Best of TOTW window
From 26 November to 5 December, all Team of the Week items from TOTW 1 to TOTW 10 with an overall rating of 85 or higher return to packs. This creates one of the best periods all year to obtain useable in‑forms from regular pack openings and upgrade SBCs.
| Best of TOTW example | Position | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Erling Haaland (TOTW version) | ST | 91 |
| Vinícius Júnior (TOTW version) | LW | 90 |
| Debinha (TOTW version) | CAM | 89 |
Best-of Campaigns selection
From 27 November to 5 December, a curated “Best-of Campaigns” squad draws standout cards from earlier FC 26 promos, including:
- Prime Time
- Ultimate Scream
- Festival of Football: Captains
- Ratings Reload
- Cornerstone and similar campaign squads
The Best-of pool reads like a highlight reel of the cycle so far, covering iconic attackers, midfielders and defenders:
| Player | Position | Best-of OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappé | ST | 92 |
| Erling Haaland | ST | 92 |
| Harry Kane | ST | 91 |
| Ousmane Dembélé | RW | 90 |
| Caroline Graham Hansen | RW | 90 |
| Virgil van Dijk | CB | 90 |
| Florian Wirtz | CAM | 89 |
| Lamine Yamal | RM | 89 |
| Debinha (campaign version) | RW | 89 |
| Eden Hazard | LM | 89 |
| Antonio Di Natale | LW | 89 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | ST | 89 |
| Yaya Touré | CM | 88 |
| Lionel Messi | RW | 88 |
These Best-of runs significantly increase the number of special cards in packs during the Thunderstruck window and make high‑end re‑releases more accessible, especially when combined with upgrade SBCs.
Flash Live Events, Objectives, and rewards
Thunderstruck is built around short, intensive modes that ask you to regularly refresh squads, tactics, and playstyles.
Flash Live Events cadence
There are four flash Live Events scheduled across the Black Friday period. Each event:
- Runs for a limited time, with new events appearing every 48 hours after the first begins on 27 November.
- Uses unique squad requirements and specific game types, pushing varied squad building.
- Can be previewed in advance in the Football Ultimate Team interface so you can plan line‑ups before the event goes live.
Objective rewards and cosmetics
Each flash event comes with its own Objective group. Completing these feeds into both local and campaign‑wide reward tracks:
- Event‑specific objectives unlock Thunderstruck cosmetics, such as themed kits or visual elements.
- A larger Black Friday: Thunderstruck Objective line grants extra packs, a Thunderstruck Regular Badge Cosmetic, and an untradeable Thunderstruck Special Objectives Player Item.
Beyond the flash events, Thunderstruck adds:
- A repeatable Daily Play Objective with coin and SP rewards.
- Daily Play and Daily Login Completionist rewards that include packs and ICON Loan items.
- A “You’ve Been Thunderstruck!” Objective path that hands out additional packs, a Thunderstruck Objectives Player Item, a cosmetic item, and other bonuses for completing campaign‑specific challenges.
SBCs and Evolutions during Thunderstruck
Black Friday in FC 26 is heavily SBC‑driven, with a focus on short‑lived puzzles, historical callbacks, and high‑value upgrade packs.
Squad Building Challenges
Throughout the event window, the SBC tab is populated with:
- Flashback SBCs that revisit standout Thunderstruck items from earlier years.
- 24‑hour Flash SBCs built around World Tour players, often paired with attractive pack rewards.
- MLS‑themed Showdown SBCs linked to specific real‑world fixtures.
- Thunderstruck ICON SBCs offering access to selected legends outside of packs.
- A Black Friday SBC featuring an 88‑rated Willian Pacho at centre‑back as a playable reward.
Separately from Thunderstruck, the broader Black Friday period traditionally includes repeatable high‑value upgrade SBCs (for example, multi‑player 83+ and 85+ packs) and campaign player picks. Combined with the Best‑of re‑releases, these SBCs are central to how players churn club fodder into special items.
Flash Evolutions and Thunderstruck cosmetics
Thunderstruck extends the Evolutions feature with a flash‑focused structure:
- Six new Flash Evolutions run for four days each, targeting one major face stat at a time: PAC, PAS, SHO, DEF, DRI, or PHY.
- Each Flash Evolution grants a +2 OVR boost, letting you continue upgrading club favorites during the campaign.
On top of that, there are Thunderstruck‑branded Evolutions that focus on Presentation rather than performance:
- PlayStyle+ consumable Evolutions that add or tweak key PlayStyles.
- Cosmetic Evolutions that apply Lightning‑themed animation effects in Green, Blue, Yellow, OG, and Purple variants.
These cosmetic upgrades are eye‑catching but purely visual; items that receive the Thunderstruck design via Evolutions are not live cards and do not track real‑world upgrades.
How to approach the promo as a player
Thunderstruck and the broader Black Friday content drop are dense enough that most players will need to prioritize. A practical approach is:
- Target one or two Thunderstruck players whose clubs are likely to meet the upgrade thresholds, particularly in attack or at key defensive positions.
- Engage with at least some flash events and daily objectives to secure the untradeable Thunderstruck players and cosmetics, as these provide guaranteed returns without pack luck.
- Reserve club fodder for the most efficient SBCs: limited‑time high‑rated upgrade packs and standout player SBCs (such as Pacho or any Thunderstruck ICONs) typically offer the best value.
- Use Flash Evolutions to keep a small core of favorite players viable as the power curve spikes.
Handled well, Thunderstruck can reshape a squad in a few days, opening access to top‑end ICONs, live‑upgrading stars, and some of the strongest recycled campaign cards of the FC 26 cycle, all tied into a tightly scheduled set of modes and objectives that reward regular play over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period.
