One of the most anticipated seasonal events in the football gaming calendar is making its comeback. The Winter Wildcards promotion is set to return to EA Sports FC 26, bringing a festive squad of enhanced player cards to Ultimate Team just in time for Christmas.
When Does The Winter Wildcards Promo Begin?
Players across the UK and beyond won't have to wait long to get their hands on the new content. The Winter Wildcards event is scheduled to go live on Friday, December 19. This start date marks the conclusion of the ongoing Unbreakable promo, which began exactly one week prior.
As is standard for new content drops in the football title, the promotion will commence at 6pm GMT. Fans should ensure their clubs are stocked with sufficient player fodder to dive straight into the new Squad Building Challenges and packs expected to accompany the event.
Leaked Winter Wildcards Squad Revealed
While EA Sports has officially confirmed only one player for the promo – the legendary Italian forward Gianfranco Zola – a comprehensive list of likely inclusions has surfaced online. The leak, courtesy of the reliable source FUT Sheriff on X, details a star-studded lineup for Team 1.
The rumoured squad features a mix of current stars and legendary icons, promising to shake up the meta for the holiday season. According to the leaks, the following players are set to receive special Winter Wildcards items:
- Ousmane Dembele (PSG/France)
- Federico Valverde (Real Madrid/Uruguay)
- Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal/Brazil)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool/Argentina)
- Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich/Germany)
- Claudia Pina (Barcelona/Spain)
- Selma Bacha (Lyon/France)
- Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit/USA)
- Rafael Leao (AC Milan/Portugal)
- Kingsley Coman (Al-Nassr/France)
- Armand Lauriente (Sassuolo/France)
- Geronimo Rulli (Marseille/Argentina)
- Gerard Moreno (Villarreal/Spain)
- Joshua King (Al-Khaleej/Norway)
Icon and Hero Cards Join the Festivities
The promo is also set to feature special festive versions of coveted ICON and Hero cards, adding even more prestige to the event. The leaked list of legends includes:
- Zinedine Zidane (France ICON)
- Ronaldinho (Brazil ICON)
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden ICON)
- Julie Foudy (USA ICON)
- Luis Figo (Portugal ICON)
- Jurgen Kohler (Germany Hero)
- Ivan Cordoba (Colombia Hero)
- Claudio Pizarro (Peru Hero)
This injection of high-rated special cards is designed to give players a major incentive to engage with Ultimate Team during the holiday period. The event typically features unique objectives, themed packs, and challenging SBCs that allow fans to earn and build around these powerful new items.
With the launch just days away, the community is advised to prepare their clubs. Completing pending objectives and managing resources now could provide a significant advantage when the Winter Wildcards content finally drops at 6pm GMT this Friday.
