The Futties promo wrapped up after five weeks of nonstop upgrade pack grinding. Unlimited 84×10 packs, near-repeatable 85x10s, and great player picks created one of the most rewarding grinds in recent memory. Despite this, the lack of 99-rated SBCs or EVOs left players wanting more. The long-awaited first 99-rated SBC card still hasn’t appeared, though there’s hope that later content may deliver.
Pre-Season Batch 1 launches with nearly 300 special cards reintroduced into packs. While that sounds huge, much of the selection mirrors Futties Batch 3. EA recycled many of the same 88–90 rated players, with a thin layer of new Futties, Shape Shifters, and PTG cards sprinkled on top. That leaves many players questioning the effort behind this release.
FC 25 Pre-Season Batch 1 Cards and Market Shifts
Eight 99-rated players headline Batch 1: Ronaldo Nazário, Pelé, Messi, Mbappé, Williams, Lamine Yamal, and Caroline Graham Hansen. Alongside them, Vinícius Jr., Shape Shifters like Rodri and McTominay return, as well as PTG Maldini and Futties Harry Kane. It’s an impressive top line, but beneath that the pool looks eerily familiar.
Recycled cards such as Dalglish, Xavi, Eden Hazard, and Ginola appear again, reinforcing the feeling of a carbon copy of the last Futties batch. Neymar’s special card, missing here, could show up in Batch 2 or 3 later in Pre-Season.
From a trading perspective, holding onto re-released cards is dangerous. Prices are already falling hard. For example, 99 Mbappé dropped from 7 million to 5 million coins and may go even lower. The upgrade grind remains attractive, though, with 85×10 packs capable of delivering all specials in one pull.
FC 26 Carryover Rewards
Pre-Season isn’t just about packs—it also sets up rewards for FC 26. Based on last year’s structure, players should watch for objectives and EVOs tied to carryover rewards. In FC 24, objectives like “For the Club” provided guaranteed packs such as 84×5 and 82×25 bundles. Similar objectives are expected again, this time under the slogan “The Club is Yours” for FC 26.
These rewards will likely appear in the season ladder, SBCs, and evolutions. The top pack to watch for is the 84×5, which stood out as the best last year. Expect multiple stages of objectives and crafting challenges rolled out across the next few weeks.
SBCs, Transfers, and EVOs in FC 25 Pre-Season
Transfer cards headline today’s SBCs, with Florian Wirtz’s move to Liverpool making him one of the biggest draws of the summer. His expected 98-rated SBC card should cost around 800–900k coins, requiring roughly 15 squads.
Meanwhile, Ronaldinho Shape Shifters could reappear through an SBC priced near 1.5 million coins, similar to past icon releases. Expect 20+ squads if EA sticks to recent pricing trends. Other leaked SBC players include João Félix, Kyle Walker, João Pedro, and Olivier Giroud, likely arriving as either SBCs or objective rewards.
Evolutions remain a key talking point. Last year, 99-rated EVOs appeared in mid-August, but so far FC 25 hasn’t delivered one. With only 98-rated EVOs released, fans are waiting for EA to unlock the first 99-rated Evolution upgrade. A max-97 EVO that boosts to 99 could revive interest in the system.
Finally, a new Blanc SBC tied to the FC Pro World Championship is coming soon. With the card design already in the code, this special edition should arrive any day.
