With the worldwide release of EA Sports FC 26 fast approaching, fans are eager to see which stars command the game's highest ratings.
EA Sports has unveiled the top 26 players -- men's and women's -- and the list is stacked with some of the world's biggest names. Here are the key takeaways from the first batch of ratings.
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Salah joins Mbappé as top rated players
Despite scoring 44 goals in all competitions, Kylian Mbappé is forced to share the top spot with Liverpool's Egyptian king, Mohamed Salah -- and rightly so. Salah enjoyed an incredible 2024-25 season, winning the Premier League in Arne Slot's first season in charge. With 34 goals and 23 assists in all competitions, it's easy to see why he has earned a 91 overall rating alongside the Frenchman for the first time.
A treble-winning season also propelled Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé to a 90 overall, a three-point jump. The forward was arguably Luis Enrique's most important player during the French club's run, but he won't be alone at that level.
He shares the rating with four others: Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk (the game's highest-ranked defender), Manchester City's and reigning Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, and Manchester City's Erling Haaland.
Another standout is Barcelona's Lamine Yamal. Rated 86 in the previous edition, the teenager has surged to an 89 overall in FC 26, which is an incredible feat for someone who only just turned 18 last July. He joins teammate Raphinha, as well as PSG duo Achraf Hakimi and Vitinha, at that mark after all three played key roles in their clubs' success.
Finally, among the goalkeepers, Gianluigi Donnarumma leads the way after PSG's treble run. However, it will be Manchester City fans who get to use him in the game, as he completed a move to Pep Guardiola's side at the end of the transfer window. He headlines the list of shot-stoppers alongside Liverpool's Alisson and Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois.
Liverpool and Real Madrid will also share bragging rights, with five players each ranked among the top 26 even though the Reds claimed one title (the Premier League) last season and Real Madrid finished a distant second to Barcelona in LaLiga.
Putellas, Bonmati continues to dominate the women's game
The Barcelona and Spain duo of Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas may have fallen short of major continental titles for club and country (thanks to Arsenal in the Champions League and England at Euro 2025), but they can still take solace in dominating the virtual world. Both midfielders have been awarded a 91 overall rating for the first time in FC 26.
Barça's dominance doesn't end there. Caroline Graham Hansen checks in at 90 overall, while teammates Patri Guijarro and Mapi León are among the strong group of 89-rated players. That gives the Blaugrana seven players in the top 23, the most of any club.
Arsenal have also shone brightly, with Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey both rated 89 overall. The Gunners boast five players in the top 23, tied with OL Lyonnes for the second-most behind Barcelona. England's strength is clear too, with six Lionesses making the list: Arsenal's Russo, Chloe Kelly, Beth Mead and Leah Williamson, Chelsea's Lucy Bronze, and Manchester City's Lauren Hemp.
Across the Atlantic, American stars continue to make their mark. Portland Thorns FC's Sophia Wilson leads the way with an 88 overall, joined by Gotham FC's Rose Lavelle, OL Lyonnes' Lindsey Heaps and Chicago Stars FC's Mallory Swanson. With Kansas City Current's Debinha also included, the NWSL has four players in the top 23.
What's changed on the men's side
Looking back at the initial top 26 from last year's game, it's clear to see how the sport has seen a shift from some established veteran stars to the next generation. Fully 11 of the EA Sports FC 25 top players aren't in the list this year, including such luminaries as Lionel Messi, Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Antoine Griezmann. Other exits incude some notable goalkeepers (Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid, former Man City No. 1 Ederson and Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen), and wily defenders Antonio Rudiger and Ruben Dias.
New faces include Raphinha and Achraf Hakimi, both of whom were unplayable in 2024-25, and young stars Pedri, Yamal and Vitinha, the latter being one of the breakouts in the PSG's memorable run to a first UEFA Champions League crown.
The biggest add this year: Ballon d'Or hopeful Ousmane Dembele, thanks to his UCL heroics. He soars in at No. 3 on the list following a sublime season in which he helped PSG claim five trophies including a domestic treble (Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Trophee des Champions) and the UEFA Super Cup over Tottenham.
What's changed on the women's side
There has been less turnover in the women's rankings compared to the men, but some notables include seven players who dropped out of the top 26 (Sam Kerr, Wendie Renard, Alexandra Popp, Fridolina Rolfö, Selma Bacha, Lauren Hemp and Mary Earps), replaced with a quintet of England stars, fresh off their Euro 2025 victory this past summer: forwards Beth Mead, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo are in, as are holding midfielder Lucy Bronze and defender Leah Williamson.
Also new in 2026: Lindsay Heaps is back, fresh off a strong season for OL Lyonnes, and WSL star forward Khadjia "Bunny" Shaw, thanks to her 19 goals in 22 games (all competitions) for Manchester City.
EAFC 26's highest-rated men's players
- Mohamed Salah, forward, Liverpool, Egypt: 91
- Kylian Mbappé, forward, Real Madrid, France: 91
- Ousmane Dembélé, forward, Paris Saint-Germain, France: 90
- Rodri, midfielder, Manchester City, Spain: 90
- Virgil van Dijk, defender, Liverpool, Netherlands: 90
- Jude Bellingham, midfielder, Real Madrid, England: 90
- Erling Haaland, forward, Manchester City, Norway: 90
- Raphinha, forward, Barcelona, Brazil: 89
- Lamine Yamal, forward, Barcelona, Spain: 89
- Achraf Hakimi, defender, Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco: 89
- Vitinha, midfielder, Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal: 89
- Gianluigi Donnarumma, goalkeeper, Manchester City, Italy: 89
- Pedri, midfielder, Barcelona, Spain: 89
- Joshua Kimmich, midfielder, Bayern Munich, Germany: 89
- Alisson, goalkeeper, Liverpool, Brazil: 89
- Harry Kane, forward, Bayern Munich, England: 89
- Federico Valverde, midfielder, Real Madrid, Uruguay: 89
- Vinícius Júnior, forward, Real Madrid, Brazil: 89
- Florian Wirtz, midfielder, Liverpool, Germany: 89
- Thibaut Courtois, goalkeeper, Real Madrid, Belgium: 89
- Robert Lewandowski, forward, Barcelona, Poland: 88
- Lautaro Martínez, forward, Internazionale, Argentina: 88
- Alexander Isak, forward, Liverpool, Sweden: 88
- Jamal Musiala, midfielder, Bayern Munich, Germany: 88
- Gabriel Magalhães, defender, Arsenal, Brazil: 88
- Bukayo Saka, forward, Arsenal, England: 88
EAFC 26's highest-rated women's players
- Alexia Putellas, midfielder, Barcelona, Spain: 91
- Aitana Bonmatí, midfielder, Barcelona, Spain: 91
- Caroline Graham Hansen, forward, Barcelona, Norway: 90
- Alessia Russo, forward, Arsenal, England: 89
- Mariona Caldentey, midfielder, Arsenal, Spain: 89
- Patri Guijarro, midfielder, Barcelona, Spain: 89
- Khadija Shaw, forward, Manchester City, Jamaica: 89
- Mapi León, defender, Barcelona, Spain: 89
- Marie-Antoinette Katoto, forward, OL Lyonnes, France: 88
- Kadidiatou Diani, forward, OL Lyonnes, France: 88
- Sophia Wilson, forward, Portland Thorns FC, United States: 88
- Guro Reiten, midfielder, Chelsea, Norway: 88
- Ewa Pajor, forward, Barcelona, Poland: 88
- Christiane Endler, goalkeeper, OL Lyonnes, Chile: 88
- Debinha, midfielder, Kansas City Current, Brazil: 88
- Irene Paredes, defender, Barcelona, Spain: 88
- Chloe Kelly, forward, Arsenal, England: 87
- Lindsey Heaps, midfielder, OL Lyonnes, United States: 87
- Lucy Bronze, defender, Chelsea, England: 87
- Rose Lavelle, midfielder, Gotham FC, United States: 87
- Sakina Karchaoui, defender, Paris Saint-Germain, France: 87
- Leah Williamson, defender, Arsenal, England: 87
- Beth Mead, forward, Arsenal, England: 87
- Mallory Swanson, forward, Chicago Stars FC, United States: 87
- Ada Hegerberg, forward, OL Lyonnes, Norway: 87
- Lauren Hemp, forward, Manchester City, England: 87