Jude Bellingham Adorns EA Sports FC 25 Cover, More Authentic Improvements to Come

As the ball rolls towards the end of the third quarter and the highs of both Euro 2024 and Copa América 2024 are now behind us, Electronic Arts is back to give us a much-needed football boost ahead of the new season with EA Sports FC 25. The annualised sports franchise with its newish name is back, and this time, with yet another true-blue superstar leading the way.

Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham has been revealed as the cover athlete for EA Sports FC 25, making him the youngest-ever cover star in history. If you have witnessed his goalscoring exploits in the last season, that iconic image of Bellingham posing in his renowned
Belligol celebration will be a familiar one.

If one superstar wasn’t enough, an earlier reveal of the Ultimate Edition cover also sees Bellingham joined by the likes of Ballon d’Or Féminin winner Aitana Bonmatí, and football icons David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Gianluigi Buffon, accompanied by 17 of the world’s most coveted football trophies.

For those wanting to learn more about the actual football being played in EA Sports FC 25, the team continues to build on the success of their maiden outing last year, with the new Rush Mode and FC IQ being the marquee additions.

“With EA Sports FC 25, we’re strengthening our vision of a fan-first future for football and redefining what’s possible on the pitch with FC IQ, using AI and real-world data to modernize player tactics and complement the power of HyperMotionV and PlayStyles,” said Nick Wlodyka, SVP and Group GM. “We’re bringing our fans innovative ways to play with Rush, our most social and engaging experience we’ve ever created, and continuing to craft an authentic representation of the world’s game with the introduction of women’s football into Career Mode.”

Rush in EA Sports FC 25

This will be an all-new 5v5 experience that harnesses the same gameplay controls and true-to-football mechanics of 11v11. Available across Football Ultimate Team, Clubs and Kick-Off, Rush is tailor-made to play with your friends as it allows groups of four to team up and take to the pitch together, with an AI-controlled goalkeeper.

As IGN reported, It replaces the Volta mode, which can still be accessed via the Kick-Off menu as a 3v3 option. Each match will be seven minutes long. If the scores are still level, two minutes and 20 seconds of golden goal rules will be in play, following which a penalty shootout will settle an even game.

Kicking off will see both teams rush towards the centre circle where the ball will be dropped, and there are also some tweaks to look out for. Offsides are a thing in this new mode, but only applicable to the attacking third of the pitch. Instead of red cards, serious offences will see blue cards used to banish players to one-minute sin bins. Every time an opponent scores, the timer goes down by 15 seconds, so watch out. As for penalties, players will have to run at the keeper and try to score a 1v1.

As a single-player, fast-paced experience in Manager Career, Rush will have you take control of your Youth Academy development throughout the season with new playable 5v5 tournaments, making it possible for you to see just where your young talents can take you in the future.

FC IQ in EA Sports FC 25

If you want smarter and more realistic play, FC IQ will likely help. The new innovation ushers in an overhaul to tactical foundations in every 11v11 match by delivering greater strategic control. A new AI model, powered by real-world data from some of the greatest teams in football, influences player tactics through all-new Player Roles.

A revamp of team tactics and more realistic collective movement modernises positioning at both ends of the pitch, changing how every team plays—based on their real-world style of play—and delivering greater variation from match to match.

31 player roles, with more added later, will determine how players act in games. There are usually three to five roles for each position, which tweak their offensive and defensive positioning and the runs they will make. For the truly elite players, look out for their role-plus icons when placed in their favourite positions, giving you even more of a boost. If you ever wanted to overload a particular flank and put in place passing combinations to bamboozle your opponents, this is your chance in EA Sports FC 25.

Career Mode

A cool addition this year is that of Live Start Points, which puts players at the centre of the biggest real-world storylines as they take place, such as taking over a club after mid-season transfers or managerial shifts. This can be started in 11 of the top leagues, including six major cup competitions.

Those who love scouting would be happy to know that there are now over 160 nations that you can scout in, with over 90 new territories added to make the academy scene even more vibrant. Youth players will grow older with time as well, with physical appearances to match their journey. For the first time ever, women’s teams can be managed in Career mode, with five major leagues to choose from and the Women’s Champions League trophy to vie for. You can manage both the men’s and women’s clubs within a single save.

Perhaps a feature that only hardcore transfer fans would appreciate is the addition of social media transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who will likely pop up in your social feeds about pending transfers just like in real life.

If you rather play than manage, new origin stories can give your narrative more meat when starting a player career. You could be the child of a legend, someone bursting onto the scene from the streets, or a player coming back from a serious injury.

Or, there is always a choice of living the life of actual icons. At launch, players can choose to start a player career as Andrea Pirlo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Theirry Henry, and Kelly Smith. Pre-ordering EA Sports FC 25 will also give you access to Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, and Ronaldo, with more Icons added to Career mode throughout the season.

There is definitely more to look forward to, as EA Sports FC 25 runs towards its September 27 launch date, with early access through the Ultimate Edition beginning September 20.

Jake Su Editor-in-Chief

Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and a part-time Steam Sale victim. He has been writing about games for more than 15 years, covering news, previews, reviews, and guides, and can be found across continents and time zones to provide the key info gamers need to enjoy their games even more.

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