One of the biggest campaigns in FC 26 is almost here, as Team of the Year kicks off on January 16, 2026, at the usual daily reset time of 6 PM GMT, 10 AM PT.
Around two dozen players from hundreds of nominees across men's and women's teams will have their highly coveted TOTY cards. Packing these cards will be tougher than any other promo. Drop rates in the past have been far from generous, and the only thing you can do to increase your chances is prepare well for the grind that's ahead.
To help you with the Team of the Year grind, here are some things to keep in mind leading into the promo release.
5 Important Things To Do Before FC 26 Team of the Year Begins
1. Start saving packs
A week or two before the Team of the Year promo is the best time to start saving packs. Doing it too early is just not worth it, as you'll lose out on fodder for the ongoing SBCs and other valuable cards.
Complete as much content as you can that provides packs. Rivals, Champions, and Squad Battles, as well as other types of content like Objectives and Season, are things you should focus on.
Because odds tend to be so low, it is recommended to save packs with high overall odds. Anything rated above 82 can be saved. For the rest, open it and dump the cards into existing upgrade SBCs such as 82+ x10, 85+ x5, and similar.
2. Keep a stash of fodder ready
Opening packs through the store is never worth it. It doesn't matter whether you're buying through coins or FC points. The focus should be on completing Upgrade SBCs that hand out various OVR packs.
Of course, all these SBCs will require plenty of fodder. To build them, open any low-rated packs and continue doing the existing daily Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Crafting Upgrades.
TOTW players will also be in high demand because they'll be required for Upgrade SBCs. Make sure you have a decent amount of TOTW cards yourself and do not discard, use them on existing player SBCs, or sell them.
You don't need a big pile of fodder, as many of the upgrades during TOTY will give you plenty. A good amount means you'll be able to do both pack and other Flashback SBCs that pop during the promo. Generally, plenty of good players' SBCs will drop, and some of them will remain meta long enough to make them worth doing.
3. Save coins as much as you can
Coins will be important during Team of the Year because of Evolutions and cards that you might want to buy. While buying a pack isn't worth it, you can buy players from the market.
You might also run short of fodder during your grind. Buying cheap-rated players then becomes necessary if you want to continue farming packs. Likewise, expect plenty of high-priced Evolution with juiced upgrades.
Considering all that, we suggest not spending on anything right now. It is best to avoid doing player SBCs and existing Evolutions. Unless, of course, the EVO is a really good one and doesn't boost the overall past 86.
4. Sell before the market crashes
The market generally crashes during Team of the Year for multiple reasons. Some players that are hard to pack can become common because of how many packs are opened during the promo, resulting in a price dip. The power curve will also increase, so the value of older cards will generally fall.
Don't hesitate to sell players and other tradable items in your club for coins. You'll need more coins and can just buy back the player later at a lower price if you really want them.
Players panic-buy and sell a lot during the promo as well. Keep a close eye on the market and see if you have any tradable players that could rise in price because of Evolutions or SBC requirements. Prices also sometimes go lower during pack opening hours and go up later because demand and supply vary.
5. Open saved packs at the right time
Team of the Year cards are released in phases. Attackers, midfielders, and defenders are released at a couple of days' interval before all of them are available in the packs later. It is recommended to open packs when all of them are available, though EA can balance the odds accordingly.
Historically, attackers are the toughest to pack, and defenders tend to be relatively easier. So, we suggest opening only a few packs at all times to check your luck, but open the bulk of them during full release.
Those were all the notable things to keep in mind before the Team of the Year promo. There isn't anything major you can do to increase your odds, so the best bet is to just play regularly and hope for the best.
We'll be sure to keep you updated on the promo, including SBC solutions, top players for Evolutions, and much more.
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