The wait is almost over! EA SPORTS has officially detailed the Version 1.4.0 Update for EA FC 26, and it is a big one.
The EA FC 26 version 1.4.0 update is now available, and stay tuned for more exclusive articles and videos about the update.
This patch is a direct response to community feedback, targeting some of the most frustrating aspects of the current meta—specifically the “unbeatable” AI defense and the repetitive nature of offline play.
Whether you are an Ultimate Team grinder or a Career Mode loyalist, this update aims to make the pitch feel more rewarding and the menus more intuitive.
Here’s everything you need to know about the EA FC 26 update version 1.4.0 that will be released on all platforms.
Table of Contents
Gameplay
AI teammates and CPU AI
EA rebalanced multiple AI behaviours to reward cleaner attacking play and reduce frustrating defensive edge-cases:
Slower AI defending reactions: AI defenders will react more slowly when marking the ball carrier during certain transitions, which should open clearer lanes for timed runs and through-balls instead of automatic “robotic” tackles.
Squad Battles CPU: The Squad Battles CPU will prioritise moving the ball forward and creating chances more quickly rather than sitting on possession. Expect more direct, chance-heavy CPU matches and fewer long, possession-only sequences.
Less passive possession focus: Across offline CPU play the AI will be less obsessed with possession for its own sake and more likely to attempt forward actions that create real opportunities.
These changes are aimed at reducing passive CPU play and giving attacking players more space and reward for clever movement.
Acceleration types (Lengthy players)
An issue that mis-classified some players’ acceleration profiles was corrected:
Lengthy minimum heights: Male players are now recognised as “Lengthy” if they meet a minimum height of 185 cm, and women at 165 cm. This ensures players who are meant to feel physically long and powerful are consistently treated that way by the game’s movement system.
Physical play and goal-line clearances
Physicality and last-ditch defending have been made more reliable and lifelike:
Shielding: Strength and Aggression now have a clearer, moderate influence on shielding outcomes — stronger, more aggressive players will hold the ball more effectively in 50/50s.
Shoulder challenges: When there is a large Strength difference, the weaker player will now more often stumble — that gives physical battles more predictable outcomes.
Goal-line clearances: Defenders will attempt automatic clearances on the goal line in situations where the user cannot react in time, helping avoid some truly unlucky conceded goals regardless of individual settings.
Other gameplay fixes
A range of smaller yet meaningful gameplay issues were addressed:
- Fixed a case where the Secondary Contain player moved slightly faster than intended.
- Corrected situations where Wingbacks / Attacking Wingbacks would not push high enough to contribute to attacks.
- Further reduced the accuracy of acrobatic shots (e.g., bicycle kicks) taken immediately after a flick to prevent unrealistic immediate perfect executions.
- Fixed Be A Goalkeeper controls that were failing with certain camera angles.
- Corrected cases where a Chip Shot request incorrectly produced a Driven Shot.
Ultimate Team
Key UI and flow bugs were corrected to improve pack interaction and in-match presentation:
- Fixed a flow that caused the radial menu to appear unintentionally in specific UI sequences.
- Resolved an occasional issue where a trophy icon could be shown in the corner of the pitch.
- Corrected a preview bug where returning from previewing an Evolution consumable in an Item Pick defaulted the highlight to the previously selected item.
These fixes reduce friction during pack management and Item Pick flows.
Career Mode
EA FC 26 v1.4.0 restores and improves information clarity and fixes multiple UX issues:
Expanded Player Status: Contract and General fields are now separate — you’ll see a player’s willingness to negotiate alongside their potential again, giving clearer insight into contract and development choices.
Player Career Origin Story: Certain Archetype options are now ineligible depending on your chosen Origin Story; Starting Skill Level has been replaced with Starting AP, which shows how much Ability Points a created player qualifies for.
Manager Career job security logic has been adjusted for “Insecure” statuses to behave more sensibly.
ICONs & Heroes: Contract durations for ICONs and Heroes can now be extended up to 3 years.
Miscellaneous: corrected social media text mistakes, fixed a women’s Free Agent position suggestion bug, addressed a Nintendo Switch-only controller overlay issue for youth tournaments, repaired out-of-focus camera animations, touch input tab-switching in ICON screens, and a number of training and Live Start Point display bugs.
These changes make scouting, contract decisions, player creation and training more transparent and reliable.
Clubs
Several visual and data-correctness issues were fixed in Clubs:
- Corrected cases where users could set incorrect Acceleration Types; the Team Management screen will now display acceleration types correctly (this was a visual-only issue in some cases).
This ensures Pro customization and attribute displays match actual in-game behavior.
General Fixes and Additions
A broad sweep of presentation and stability improvements across platforms:
- Updated audio and commentary lines, crowd chants and SFX; refreshed placeholder images; fixed crests, logos, hair, boots, balls, gloves, 2D portraits, star heads, lighting, tattoos, kits, banners, flags, scarves, cameras, overlays, mascots and pitch trophies. A full list will be published alongside the official patch notes.
- Fixed issues that prevented Commentary Name Previews during Player Creation in some cases.
- Addressed multiple stability and camera-angle issues (including goal replay focus) and corrected placeholder text and menu visuals that occasionally failed to load.
- PC only: fixed cases where refresh rates would unexpectedly switch to 60Hz, and addressed some frame-rate drops that could appear in the second half of matches.
These updates target immersion, polish and cross-platform stability.
Final Whistle
Update 1.4.0 feels like the “course correction” many fans have been asking for since launch. By nerfing the AI’s defensive reactions and fixing the UI in Career Mode, EA FC 26 is becoming a much more polished experience.
What do you think of the new AI reaction times? Will this make the game more fun or too hard to defend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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