The Europe leg of Journey of Nations is the final wall between you and the 97-rated Maradona in FC 26 Ultimate Team. It is the longest continental set in the event, and the card only lands once Europe and the four earlier continents are all finished. The fastest way through is to stop clearing tasks one by one and instead build squads that trigger several requirements in the same match.
Quick answer: Complete the four Europe phases below using the exact nationality-based squads, then confirm the previous four continents (North America, Asia + Oceania, Africa, South America) are already done. The moment the European set closes with the others complete, the untradeable Maradona is added to your club automatically.
What you need before starting
Journey of Nations is a limited-time Ultimate Team event built around five regions: North America, Asia + Oceania, Africa, South America, and Europe. You reach it from the Objectives menu inside Ultimate Team, then open the Journey of Nations hub. Europe is the last of the five, and Maradona is the Completionist reward for finishing every continent, not Europe alone.
Two rules save the most time. First, most tasks accept any FUT game mode, but a handful must be done in Squad Battles on World Class or higher, or in Live Events, Rivals, or Champions. Second, assist tasks that call for a midfielder only count when the player’s preferred position is CM. A CDM that can also play CM will not register the assist.
Phase 1: Spain, England, and a French/German core (six games)
Run this in Live Events, Rivals, or Champions. The 4-2-3-1 formation is required for the win tasks to count.
| Squad slot | Players |
|---|---|
| Spain | Six players |
| England | Three players |
| France or Germany | Two players |
- Win all six matches.
- Score a finesse shot from outside the box in three of those wins.
- Score a volley with a German player in one match.
- Score a penalty with a French player in one match.
- Score a goal off the woodwork.
- Get a backheel assist with a German or French player, plus five assists with English or Spanish players.
Phase 2: Portugal, Netherlands, Norway, Belgium (eight games)
This phase works in any game mode, including Friendlies, which makes it the easiest to grind. You need one card with at least 88 Shooting and one with at least 88 Dribbling in the starting 11.
| Squad slot | Players |
|---|---|
| Portugal | Four players |
| Netherlands | Two players |
| Norway | Three players |
| Belgium | Two players |
| Attribute cover | One player with 88 SHO, one with 88 DRI |
- Score with your 88 Shooting and 88 Dribbling players across five separate games.
- Score from one through ball assist and one lobbed through ball assist in five games.
- Score a low driven shot in three wins.
- Score four goals with a Norwegian striker and two goals from outside the box with Portuguese players in one match.
Swap players as you clear the harder single-match tasks. Once you land the two outside-the-box Portuguese goals, replace Portugal with the Netherlands. After four goals with a striker in one game, replace Norway with a Belgian player. After three wins with six Dutch players, switch to six players from Norway and Belgium combined.
Phase 3: The mixed European squad (six games)
Any game mode works here too, Friendlies included. Spread the nationalities so each single-match scoring task has a body to trigger it.
| Squad slot | Players |
|---|---|
| Bosnia and Herzegovina / Czechia | Two players |
| Switzerland | One striker |
| Croatia | One player |
| Austria | One player |
| Scotland | One player |
| Turkey | One player |
| Sweden | One striker |
- Two through ball assists with an Austrian player and one through pass assist with a Bosnian or Czechia player across three games.
- Score four goals with a Croatian player in one match.
- Score three goals with a Swedish striker in one match.
- Score three chip shots with a Turkish player in one match.
- Score two goals with a Swiss striker in one match.
- Score a finesse shot with a Czechia player in one match.
- Score from outside the box with a Scottish player, get three clean sheets, and provide three assists with a midfielder.
Phase 4: England win run (six games)
The closing stretch is the simplest. Field six England players and play in Live Events, then win all six matches. Clearing this after the other three phases finishes the European set.
- England: six players.
- Win all six games.
Full Europe objective list by nation pairing
If you prefer to track the raw challenges rather than the phase plan, here is every Europe objective grouped by its nation pairing. Unless noted, each can be done in any FUT game mode.
Bosnia and Herzegovina + Czechia
| Challenge | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Scoring Start | Score 2 goals in a match with min. 1 European player in your 11. |
| Zmajevi | Assist with a through pass in 3 matches with min. 2 Bosnia/Czechia players. |
| Glory in Zenica | Play 3 matches with min. 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina player. |
| Narodak | Assist 3 times in one match with min. 1 Czechia player. |
| Big Pete’s Czechia | Concede 1 or fewer goals with min. 1 Czechia player. |
| Furia Ceca | Score a finesse shot with min. 1 Czechia player. |
Switzerland + Croatia
| Challenge | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Brick Wall | Concede 2 or fewer goals in 3 matches with min. 1 European player. |
| Nati | Assist 3 times with a midfielder with min. 1 Swiss or Croatian player. |
| Swiss Cheese | Score 2+ goals in a match with a ST while playing min. 1 Swiss player. |
| Vatreni | Play 3 matches with min. 1 Croatian player. |
| Sahovnica | Score 4+ goals in a match with min. 1 Croatian player. |
Austria + Scotland
| Challenge | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Perfect Preparation | Play 5 matches with min. 1 European player. |
| Das Team | Score at least 1 goal with min. 1 Austrian or Scottish player. |
| Austria’s Return | 2 through pass assists per match with an Austrian player in 3 matches. |
| The Tartan Army | Assist with a cross with min. 1 Scottish player. |
| McLean’s Moment | Score from outside the box with min. 1 Scottish player. |
Turkiye + Sweden
| Challenge | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Flurry of Assists | Assist 3+ times in one match with min. 1 European player. |
| Swedish Strike | Score 3+ times in one match with a ST while playing min. 1 Swedish player. |
| Blagult | Assist 3+ times with an attacker with min. 1 Turkish or Swedish player. |
| Ay-Yilizlilar | Concede fewer than 2 goals in 3 matches with min. 1 Turkish player. |
| Bizim Cocuklar | Score 3 chip shots with min. 1 Turkish player. |
Norway + Belgium
| Challenge | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Technical Excellence | Score in 5 matches with a min. 88 DRI player and min. 2 European players. |
| Lovene | Score 3 goals with min. 2 Norway or Belgium players. |
| The Robot | Score 4 goals in a match with a ST and min. 3 Norway players. |
| Red Devils | Assist a through ball goal in 5 matches with min. 3 Belgium players. |
| Diabolix Lives On | Win 3 matches with min. 6 Norway or Belgium players. |
Portugal + Netherlands
| Challenge | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Scoring Star | Score in 5 matches with a min. 88 SHO player and min. 2 European players. |
| Selecao das Quinas | Assist 3 goals with a min. 87 PAS player and min. 2 Portugal/Netherlands players. |
| Black Panther | Score 2 goals from outside the box in a match with min. 4 Portugal players. |
| Oranje | Assist a lobbed through pass in 5 matches with min. 4 Netherlands players. |
| The Flying Dutchman | Score a low driven shot in 3 wins with min. 6 Portugal/Netherlands players. |
Germany + France
| Challenge | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Stepping Up | Score in 10 matches with min. 6 European players. |
| Die Nationalelf | Score 3 finesse shots with min. 2 Germany/France players (World Class Squad Battles or Live Events/Rivals/Champions). |
| Gotze’s Gift | Score a volley with a German player and win. |
| Bar Down Brilliance | Score off the woodwork with a German or French player. |
| Panenka Prince | Score a penalty with a French player. |
| Les Bleus | Score a low driven shot and win in 6 matches with min. 6 Germany/France players (World Class Squad Battles or Live Events/Rivals/Champions). |
| Squad of Stars | Win 3 matches in Live Events, Rivals, or Champions with min. 6 Germany/France players. |
England + Spain
| Challenge | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Final Foes | Play 15 matches with min. 6 European players. |
| The Three Lions | Assist 5 goals with an England or Spain player (World Class Squad Battles or Live Events/Rivals/Champions). |
| Home Soil Glory | Score 4 goals and concede fewer than 2 in a match with min. 3 England players (World Class Squad Battles or Live Events/Rivals/Champions). |
| Ghost Goal | Score off the woodwork. |
| The Young Spaniard | Score a finesse shot from outside the box in 3 wins with min. 3 Spain players (Live Events/Rivals/Champions). |
| Tiki Taka | Win 6 matches with the 4-2-3-1 formation and min. 6 Spain players (Live Events/Rivals/Champions). |
How to confirm Maradona unlocked
Track everything from the Journey of Nations hub under Objectives, then View all Objectives. When the Europe group shows fully complete and the four earlier continents already read as done, the Completionist objective closes and the untradeable Maradona is delivered to your club straight away. The card is a starting-11 piece, not tradeable fodder, so it stays in your collection.
Common reasons a task will not count
- Wrong mode. Tournament Mode and Ultimate Team progress are tracked separately, and several tasks demand World Class Squad Battles or Live Events, Rivals, or Champions specifically.
- Midfielder assist tasks only register with a player whose preferred position is CM, not a CDM listed as an alternate CM.
- Formation mismatch. Win tasks tied to 4-2-3-1 will not track in any other shape.
- Shot type mismatch. A finesse, volley, low driven shot, chip, or backheel must be that exact action for the goal or assist to count.
If a completed challenge does not hand over its reward, restart the game to refresh progress before assuming it failed. The whole Europe run comes to roughly 26 matches across the four phases, and clearing it is the only thing standing between a well-built European club and the Maradona card.
