EA Sports released the first batch of club ratings in the upcoming FC 26, highlighting the 32 highest-rated teams in the game.
Compared to Madden as an example, also developed by EA Sports, FC 26 uses a star rating system for clubs in modes like Kick-Off. The best clubs in the game are rated five stars compared to a 99 overall that you might see in other games. While fans anxiously await confirmation on Ultimate Team ratings, EA Sports teased fans with the first look at club ratings for men’s and women’s football.
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Here’s a look at the highest rated men’s and women’s teams in EA Sports FC 26:
Team
Rating
Real Madrid
Five Stars
Barcelona
Five Stars
Paris Saint-Germain
Five Stars
Liverpool
Five Stars
Manchester City
Five Stars
Arsenal
Five Stars
Bayern Munich
Five Stars
Atlético Madrid
Four-and-a-half Stars
Newcastle United
Four-and-a-half Stars
Napoli
Four-and-a-half Stars
Borussia Dortmund
Four-and-a-half Stars
Tottenham Hotspur
Four-and-a-half Stars
Chelsea
Four-and-a-half Stars
Aston Villa
Four-and-a-half Stars
Manchester United
Four-and-a-half Stars
Bayer Leverkusen
Four-and-a-half Stars
Unless further teams are given five-star ratings closer to launch, there are just seven men’s teams to receive top billing. Barcelona, PSG, Liverpool and Bayern Munich won their respective leagues, but Napoli as the Serie A champions come in at just four-and-a-half stars. That likely speaks to their players’ ratings in-game, but teams to not win their league last season to get five stars include Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Team
Rating
Barcelona
Five Stars
Olympique Lyon
Five Stars
Chelsea
Five Stars
Arsenal
Five Stars
Bayern Munich
Five Stars
Real Madrid
Four-and-a-half Stars
Paris Saint-Germain
Four-and-a-half Stars
Manchester City
Four-and-a-half Stars
Wolfsburg
Four-and-a-half Stars
Manchester United
Four-and-a-half Stars
Kansas City Current
Four-and-a-half Stars
Washington Spirit
Four Stars
Eintracht Frankfurt
Four Stars
NJ/NY Gotham
Four Stars
Juventus
Four Stars
Orlando Pride
Four Stars
For the women’s game, just five teams received five-star ratings; Barcelona, Olympique Lyon, Chelsea, Arsenal and Bayern Munich. Barcelona represent as Liga F winners, OL as the Arkema D1 champions, Bayern Munich in the Frauen-Bundesliga, Chelsea in the Women’s Super League and Arsenal as Women’s Champions League victors.
More club ratings should be revealed closer to launch, but fans await confirmation on player ratings as leaks have been rampant in the community.
EA Sports confirmed the ratings reveal event will begin on Monday, Sept. 8. Given the language used, it seems ratings will be a multi-day event as EA Sports prepares for the launch of their latest entry in their popular video game franchise.
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MATCH REACTION
Casemiro could reportedly be closing the chapter on his Manchester United career following the expiry of his contract in June 2026.
The Brazilian midfielder’s blockbuster move from the Santiago Bernabéu to Old Trafford did not go according to plan. Casemiro’s form took a significant dip after a fast start to life in the Premier League and he ultimately fell down the Red Devils’ pecking order as his time in a red shirt progressed.
The five-time Champions League winner eventually found his way back into United’s XI last season amid the club’s worst Premier League campaign in history. The Brazilian made 42 appearances across all competitions and particularly impressed in the Europa League, earning himself some interest from the Saudi Pro League this summer.
The 33-year-old instead opted to remain with Ruben Amorim’s side for the 2025–26 season. With his contract set to expire in June 2026, though, Casemiro could be on his way out of Manchester next summer.
According to Fabrizio Romano, there is a “concrete chance” Casemiro leaves the club in 2026. The former Real Madrid star could be playing his final season at a “European high level” before he “maybe tries something different” next summer.
Casemiro has made his way back into Manchester United’s XI. / Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
“This is not something decided. This is not something guaranteed,” Romano added. The report draws attention to Casemiro’s hefty salary and the financial benefit which United reap by offloading that sum.
Casemiro is thought to earn a staggering £350,000 ($473,000) per week in wages at Manchester United. Ridding themselves of this huge financial burden would only aid the Red Devils in their continued efforts to overhaul their squad.
United welcomed six new faces to Old Trafford this summer, including Benjamin Šeško, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. Still, they failed to bring in a big-name central midfielder, leaving Amorim without much choice but to start Casemiro.
Should Casemiro indeed choose to leave Manchester United next summer, it could force the club to finally upgrade the position as Manuel Ugarte continues to struggle to live up to expectations.
READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
As the calendar turns to September, the countdown to the 2025 NWSL championship is officially underway. All 14 teams will jockey for position over the coming weeks in the hopes of securing a playoff spot and ultimately becoming one of the two clubs that advance to the championship match on Nov. 22 at PayPal Park in San Jose, California.
What NWSL games are on ESPN in September?
*All times Eastern
Sept. 7, 2025
Gotham FC vs. Angel City FC – 5 p.m.
San Diego Wave FC vs. Houston Dash – 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 14, 2025
Chicago Stars FC vs. Portland Thorns FC – 3 p.m. (also on Disney+)
Sept. 21, 2025
Bay FC vs. Gotham FC – 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2
How can fans access more soccer content from ESPN?
Check out the ESPN soccer hub page for the latest news, analysis, scores, schedules and more.
Orlando Pirates staged a late comeback to start to their DStv Diski Challenge season a with a 3-3 draw on Saturday afternoon.
The Buccaneers were under new management this as former SuperSport United tactician took charge of his first game in charge, while former Pirates star Daine Klate was in charge for City.
The Soweto giants go the early breakthrough when Samkelo Zikalala found the back of the net after just nine minutes.
However, City took control thereafter as Lindokuhle Chonco stole the show by equalising on 17 minutes before completing his brace seven minutes later to complete the turnaround.
Chonco was not done there as he managed to complete his hat-trick before the interval after converting a penalty.
With the game seemingly headed for a City win, Pirates popped up with the equaliser in the 93rd minute when Cristian Derbyshire found the back of the net with a towering header.
Golden Arrows 1-3 Richards Bay
Richards Baye enjoyed a winning start to the season after defeating Golden Arrows 3-1 in the first KwaZulu-Natal derby of the season.
The Natal Rich Boyz opened the scoring as early as the ninth minute courtesy of a strike from Wandile Ngema.
Richards Bay made their dominance count as Bomelo doubled the lead from the penalty spot on 18 minutes before Ngema completed his brace before the 30-minute mark.
Siyabonga Khumalo netted a consolation for Arrows in the second half.
Magesi FC 1-1 Sekhukhune United
Magesi FC and Sekhukhune United played to a 1-1 draw in their season-opener on Saturday morning.
Sekhukhune travel to KwaZulu-Natal to take on AmaZulu next week, while the Limpopo outfit take on Richards Bay.
Sunday Fixtures:
Polokwane City v Chippa United Mamelodi Sundowns v Siwelele AmaZulu v Stellenbosch FC Kaizer Chiefs v Orbit College
Kaizer Chiefs’ Marketing and Commercial Director, Jessica Motaung, says every piece of silverware will be important to the club this season as they also prepare for their long-awaited return to continental football.
Motaung spoke at the handover of a brand-new multipurpose sports court in Kwa-Thema, Springs—a project born out of Chiefs’ Nedbank Cup win and aimed at giving back to the community.
The Phefeni Glamour Boys have hit the ground running in the 2025/26 campaign, unbeaten so far after five matches and showing significant improvement from last season. Their turnaround began with a long-overdue triumph in the Nedbank Cup, which ended a decade-long wait for silverware just towards the end of the last campaign.
That victory not only restored pride but also secured their place in this season’s CAF Confederation Cup, giving the Soweto giants a platform to compete continentally once again.
With confidence high and momentum firmly on their side, Motaung expressed her satisfaction with the team’s progress and outlined the club’s ambitions—including defending their Nedbank Cup trophy.
“The floodgates are open; you can see how the team has started. The energy is different, and the mood is different, not just with the players but also with supporters,” Motaung commented at the ceremony.
“Every trophy on offer is important for us, and defending it is definitely on our cards, and we will make sure that we play for every trophy on the table.
“Also very important is us playing in CAF. We’re excited to be back in the Confed Cup, and we look forward to our game in Angola, and we are asking our supporters both here in South Africa and continentally to support the team to succeed locally and internationally.”
The state-of-the-art court was officially handed over to Phulong Secondary School in Kwa-Thema. The initiative was made possible through a partnership with the Premier Soccer League and Nedbank, with Chiefs nominating the school as part of their Nedbank Cup victory prize.
The facility, the first of its kind in Kwa-Thema, was built by Nedbank and The Sports Trust. It accommodates five sporting codes—soccer, netball, basketball, volleyball, and tennis—and will benefit Phulong’s 1,503 learners as well as other schools in the broader community.
On the football front, Amakhosi have further underlined their ambitions with a string of big-name signings, including the loan acquisition of former Cape Town City forward Khanyisa Mayo (on loan from CR Belouizdad), who joins a refreshed and competitive squad.
Motaung acknowledged the strength in depth but stressed the importance of integration and performance.
“It’s great to see that winning allows other people to win, and to see the community benefitting is really empowering,” she continued.
“It’s important to allow the technical team and players to integrate and gel, but we are certainly excited about the new players we have acquired, and we look forward to that depth being actualised and used by the team.
“The team is committed to ensuring that we have the best players with whatever coach we have. We are here to build a team that is going to last for Kaizer Chiefs. Obviously the coach is here to do his job, and we expect him to deliver.”
