7 EA FC 25 tips you should know before playing

A handful of FC 25 tips can make all the difference in fast-tracking you to career mode glory or Division Rivals success – so we've gone two better. Our EA FC 25 scouting report covers new five-a-side mode Rush, ladder players, bronze pack method, and two critical tables charting the fastest players and best wonderkids. Get up to speed in minutes with these seven key FC 25 tips to know before you play.

1. Get stuck into Rush as soon as possible

So long Volta, hello Rush. FC 25’s new five-a-side mode is exceptional, and should be your first port of call. It takes place on a pitch around one third of the traditional size. Corners, free-kicks and throws-in are old school, but blue cards replace red cards – sending you to the sin bin for one minute – and there’s a specific offsides line, like in ice hockey. Rush is available in all modes. For instance, in career you use it to enter youth tournaments and level up your wonderkids. A particular hint for Ultimate Team, where you play alongside other humans: one player always needs to sit deep and mop up attacks if you want to win. If no-one else is doing so, be that guy or girl for more coins and Rush Points.

2. Know who the FC 25 fastest players are

Thanks to FC 25 Player Roles, speed isn’t quite as OP as it was in FIFA. Still, you’re never going to begrudge owning some of the game’s most rapid pros – particularly if you like to work the ball down the flanks. Below are the top ten FC 25 fastest players, with all stats taken from their base Ultimate Team cards. You can tweak attributes further using FC 25 chemistry styles.

3. Use all modes to earn FC 25 Ladder Players

FC 25 Season 2 Ladder Players are a hot commodity in Ultimate Team – but you no longer need to plough hours into FUT alone to earn them. The Season Pass now unlocks rewards across the game, such as coins for Pro Clubs, or new headpieces to use in Player Career. To cycle through potential SP earners, press L2/LB from the main menu, scroll down to Objectives, and then tap X/A. Now press L2/LB again to cycle through the available tasks in each mode. There’s a heavy focus on Rush early on – so it’s handy that that particular match type is so addictive.

4. Beware fake clubs such as Milano FC

AS Roma return to the series this year, and deservedly earn a spot in GR’s FC 25 best kits guide. Napoli are back too. Alas, those additions come at a cost, as two more Italian sides are now exclusive to Konami’s rival game eFootball. Inter Milan have turned into Lombardi FC, while their main rivals AC Milan are now Milano FC. Lazio and Atalanta also remain unlicensed, meaning they’re known as Latium and Bergamo Calcio. There’s a huge name again missing on the stadiums front, too, in Barcelona’s Camp Nou. Although three little surprises do offset that a little, as you’ll discover in point 7…

5. FC 25 bronze pack method is still a thing

What is FC 25 bronze pack method? It’s a way of constantly generating FC 25 coins whether you play on console, PC or the web app. A pack of 12 bronze cards costs 750 coins. Sell two of those cards for 500 coins each and you’ve already made a profit. Open a pack, then use ‘Compare Price’ on all players, managers and kits. (Other items can be Quick Sold.) Any listed at 150/200 can go straight on the market at that price. But some will be worth more – and you want to list these at 50 coins less than the cheapest Buy Now for a quick sale. So, in the example pictured, I'd just packed Spurs midfielder Mikey Moore. His cheapest card on the market was 850/900, so I immediately listed at 800/850. Check 3-4 times a day and open new packs each time there’s transfer list space, and you should make 7,000-10,000 coins per week. Tidy.

6. Pinpoint the FC 25 best young players list

Career mode is more than serviceable this year, with women’s teams available for the first time, and those Rush matches used to test and improve youth players. But for all those new features, there’s one tradition you still need to maintain: forking out for anyone you can afford on the FC 25 best young players list. Below are the ten FC 25 wonderkids aged 21 or under with the highest career mode potential – and the number one won’t be a surprise to anyone who watched Euro 2024.

7. Three Championship teams have their stadiums included

EA’s deal with the Premier League means we always get the full set of 20 English top-flight stadiums in-game. Sometimes that leads to a wait – Luton Town’s Kenilworth Road was only added to FC 24 last April – but it is welcome, and means Ipswich Town’s home of Portman Road is on that way. More surprisingly, however, is the shock addition of three fresh EFL Championship grounds. Ewood Park (Blackburn Rovers), Ashton Gate (Bristol City) and Coventry Building Society Arena (Coventry City) are all present and current, and among 10 new grounds on offer. Hit our FC 25 stadiums guide for the complete list.