EA SPORTS seems satisfied with the eSports ecosystem of its soccer simulation: The season in FC 27 is essentially a carbon copy of the season in FC 26. You’d have to look very closely to find any competitive changes.
New formats, new qualification paths, new concepts: FC Pro 26 was brimming with innovation—at least compared to FC Pro 27. For the upcoming esports season, EA SPORTS is essentially relying on “copy and paste,” with only minor adjustments. It’s up to each individual to interpret this as a sign of success or a lack of creativity.
EA SPORTS welcomes four new partner countries to the esports ecosystem in FC 27: Bahrain, Oman, Libya, and Jordan. All four are classified under the Middle East region. Their residents can now participate in official tournaments. That covers the most noticeable change. For a deeper dive, you’ll need a magnifying glass.
One fewer qualifier, a few more spots
The Last Chance Qualifier for the FC Pro Open Global Qualifier—which was held last year at DreamHack in Atlanta—has been removed from the competitive calendar. Speaking of the Global Qualifier: The final hurdle before the FC Pro Open—EA SPORTS’ “Super League”—will receive four additional qualifying spots from the Regional Qualifiers.
The Africa and LATAM South regions will benefit from this expansion, each being allowed to send two more players into the competition. Africa will also see its number of participants for the three FC Pro Open Cups double—from 64 to 128. Will the esports players there be happy about this? After all, there are still only two play-in spots for the World Cup.
Otherwise, pretty much everything stays the same
Not much else is changing in the transition from FC Pro 26 to FC Pro 27. The initial ladder in Ultimate Team remains the same, and there are no changes to the general format of the Regional and Global Qualifiers. As in 2025/26, the FC Pro Open will consist of four groups of six players each, spread over eight matchdays from November through early 2027—with the finals on January 25.
Once again, the top eight esports players will secure their spots in the FC Pro World Championship through the FC Pro Open. Following that, the FC Pro Open Cups and their corresponding rankings will determine the play-ins. And, of course, the national leagues, about which EA SPORTS plans to provide more details soon. These include the Virtual Bundesliga, which takes place in Germany.
Total prize pool of 2.5 million
The World Championship itself will follow the same format as this year’s edition in Paris: 36 professionals will first compete in the league phase “following its successful introduction last season.” The top eight will qualify directly for the round of 16, while players ranked 9th through 24th must first compete in the intermediate round.
In total, EA SPORTS will award $2.5 million in prize money as part of FC Pro 27—which represents no increase. As was the case this year, one million of that will go to the World Cup in the summer of 2027. A “copy-and-paste” world champion would be a huge surprise—after all, hardly anyone expected Razvan Puiu to win.
