FIFA 22 Headliners guide to boosted Mbappe, Van Dijk and Cancelo cards

(Image credit: EA)

There's been loud buzz for FIFA 22 Headliners during the second half of the season, as real-life player performances lead to in-game upgrades. Kylian Mbappe and Virgil van Dijk are among the major names to have seen their FIFA 22 ratings boosted by domestic wins. These upgradable items work a bit like FIFA 22 RTTK and FIFA 22 OTW, but with a cheeky extra twist. Below we explain the system's intricacies, before taking you through the FIFA 22 Headliners cards list.

What are FIFA 22 Headliners items?

FIFA 22 Headliners are a set of dynamic cards which give each player an initial boost from their standard item, and are again upgraded if that player appears in a TOTW (Team Of The Week) squad. However, that’s not the only way they can earn boosts. Man Of The Match awards also earn the player an upgrade, and their card can be further improved based upon team performance: if at any point of the season his club wins four league matches in a row, that player will score yet another OVR increase.

Note that the following rule can only apply once. So if Liverpool go on an eight-match winning spree, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk get upgraded after the first four victories, but not after the next four.

Who was in FIFA 22 Headliners Team 1?

FIFA 22 Headliners Team 1 landed on Friday, December 31. Along with van Dijk the pick of the bunch was Paris St Germain megastar Kylian Mbappe (ST, 93), who immediately installed himself as the campaign’s most expensive card – more on that shortly. He's already received an upgrades all the way up to 96. The only other Premier League player to join VVD was Chelsea’s Reece James (RWB, 87), while additional standout items included Kalidou Koulibaly (CB, Napoli, 89), Christopher Nkunku (CAM, RB Leipzig, 89), and Yannick Carrasco (LM, Atletico Madrid, 88).

What about FIFA 22 Headliners Team 2?

The 93-rated Mo Salah mentioned earlier appeared to be the instant fan-favourite among FIFA 22 Headliners Team 2, which dropped on Friday, January 7 and was in packs until 6pm on Friday, January 14. Then the community looked closer at the 99 pace rating awarded to Vinicius Jr (LW, 88) and the hype switched over to the Madrid winger. Joao Cancelo (RB, Manchester City, 90) should see his OVR – and price – continue to rise if he maintains his current form, while Joshua Kimmich (CDM, FC Bayern, 91) and Nicolo Barella (CM, Inter, 88) also stand out.

Salah soon received an upgrade to 94, which is represented in the full cards list at the foot of this guide.

What can I expect from FIFA 22 Headliners prices?

FIFA 22 Headliners card prices are hefty if you want the best of the best, with Mbappe far and away the costliest. As I write this on Monday, May 2, you need to fork out 3.1 million coins to snag him on PlayStation, while his Xbox price is a mildly more affordable 2.4 million. Salah is the most expensive Premier League card, at around 760,000 coins on both console formats. Rivalling that pair is Vinicius Jr, who sets you back 745,000 on PlayStation, and 545,000 on Xbox.

Hunting for FIFA 22 Headliners bargains? There is one tempting Premier League player in Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale, who sells for 16,500 on PlayStation, and 18,000 on Xbox. Otherwise consider casting your eye towards Spain’s La Liga, where Aritz Elustondo (CB, Real Sociedad, 84) and Joselu (ST, Alaves, 84) are both available for a very reasonable 13,000 coins.

Is there a FIFA 22 Headliners SBC?

Yes – or at least, there was. As is traditional among mainstream EA promos, a selection of cards were exclusive to FIFA 22 Headliners SBCs (Squad Building Challenges): current West Ham midfielder Said Benrahma (CAM, 86), former Hammers favourite Dmitri Payet (CF, Marseille, 86), Julian Brandt (CAM, Dortmund, 86) and Jonathan Clauss (RWB, RC Lens, 86).

FIFA 22 Headliners objectives were also a thing. Denis Zakaria (CDM, Borussian M’gladbach, 86) could be earned by completing four sets of objectives in the Live FUT Friendly: Headliners Challenge match type – such as winning four matches, and assisting five goals with crosses. Skip over to the Live FUT Friendly Silver Lounge and you could earn another Headliners player from the Bundelisga: 72-rated Nico Schlotterbeck of Freiburg. To nab him you needed three wins, eight goals and six assists in that specific match type.

Felipe Anderson (LM, Latium, 87) and Anthony Modeste (ST, FC Koln, 72) were also available as an Objectives-based rewards. Sadly all Headliners SBC and Objectives Challenges have now expired.

Where is the full FIFA 22 Headliners cards list?

Naturally, GR has the complete FIFA 22 Headliners cards list below. All ratings are correct as of Monday, May 2.

Kylian Mbappe (ST, Paris SG) – 96
Mohamed Salah (RW, Liverpool) – 94
Joshua Kimmich (CDM, FC Bayern) – 94
Virgil van Dijk (CB, Liverpool) – 93
Kalidou Koulibaly (CB, Napoli) – 91
Joao Cancelo (RB, Manchester City) – 90
Nicolo Barella (CM, Inter) – 90
Christopher Nkunku (CAM, RB Leipzig) – 89
Yannick Carrasco (LM, Atletico Madrid) – 89
Giovanni Simeone (ST, Hellas Verona) – 89
Vinicius Jr (LW, Real Madrid) – 89
Reece James (RWB, Chelsea) – 89
Luis Diaz (LM, Liverpool) – 89
Gaetan Laborde (ST, Rennes) – 89
Serge Gnabry (RM, FC Bayern) – 89
Kevin Trapp (GK, Frankfurt) – 89
Marcos Acuna (LB, Sevilla) – 88
Seko Fofana (CM, RC Lens) – 88
Rafael Leao (LW, Milan) – 88
Denis Zakaria (CDM, Borussian M’gladbach) – 88 [Objectives only]
Felipe Anderson (LM, Latium) – 87 [Objectives only]
Teji Savanier (CM, Montpelier) – 87
Ibrahim Sangare (CDM, PSV) – 87
Jonathan Clauss (RWB, RC Lens) – 87 [SBC only]
Julian Brandt (CAM, Dortmund) – 87 [SBC only]
Dmitri Payet (CF, Marseille) – 87 [SBC only]
Patrik Schick (ST, Leverkusen) – 86
Harry Wilson (CAM, Fulham) – 86
Aaron Ramsdale (GK, Arsenal) – 86
Said Benrahma (CAM, West Ham) – 86 [SBC only]
Ollie Watkins (ST, Aston Villa) – 86
Antonio Candreva (RM, Sampdoria) – 85
Duvan Zapata (ST, Atalanta) – 85
Arthur Theate (CB, Bologna) – 85
Artiz Elustondo (CB, Real Sociedad) – 84
Joselu (ST, Alaves) – 84
Nico Schlotterbeck (CB, Freiburg) – 73 [Objectives only]
Anthony Modeste (ST, FC Koln) – 72 [Objectives only]