Full disclosure: I’m not much of an Ultimate Team guy in EA FC 25. I’ve played the mode enough over the years to be a decent player at it, but it’s far from my favorite. I’m not much of a Career mode guy, either. Instead, my mode of choice has always been Pro Clubs (or simply Clubs as it’s known today).

I just love being a part of a team. In particular, I love playing 11v11 leagues. Unfortunately, Clubs in EA FC often feels like an afterthought for EA Sports each year. And I get it — the mode isn’t the cash cow that Ultimate Team is. And for better or worse, Clubs is the only game in town when it comes to a mode in a football game that gives you the ability to play 11v11.

That said, it doesn’t hurt to ask for more when it comes to Clubs. For years, the mode has been in desperate need of optimization and game-changing improvements that could make the mode all the more enjoyable. With that in mind, I’ve taken it upon myself to make a wishlist for Clubs in EA FC 26.

To be clear, I mostly play 11’s when it comes to Clubs. So most of my desired changes are based around that kind of experience. So if you’re the type to just hop into Clubs and play with one or two of your friends, many of these changes might not mean much to you.

Regardless, here are the changes I’d like to see made for Clubs in EA FC 26.

Operation Sports’ EA FC 26 Clubs Wishlist

More Friendly Options

If you play in an 11v11 league, games are started by both teams lobbying up before the home team sends a friendly invite to the other. It’s a simple enough process, but it certainly is in need of more options.

In most other sports games, any kind of match between two participants allows you to adjust certain settings. For example, in Undisputed, a custom match between two opponents allows the host to select from multiple options such as match length, time modifier, arena, and others.

In EA FC, teams should be given the option to change the length of the match should each team wish to do so. They should also have the ability to choose whether a match can end in a draw, or require extra time and penalties. By default, all friendly matches go into extra time should the score be level at the end of regular time. And while this is fine enough, it could use with some fine tuning.

Custom Leagues

As of right now, if you wish to join an 11v11 league, all games are organized through a third-party website, mobile app, and/or Discord server. This is the status quo, and most competitive Clubs players probably aren’t bothered by it. But maybe it’s time for EA FC to introduce a Custom League option into the mix.

Instead of Clubs leagues having to keep track of everything itself, a Custom League option could provide teams a table, schedule, stats tracking, multiple divisions, and cup competitions. Depending on the type of league, a transfer and contract system might also be possible, though that one could be a tad too complicated to implement.

More Stable Lobbies

Anyone who’s played Clubs, be it casually or competitively, can tell you how unstable the lobbies for it are. For whatever reason, the Clubs lobby will occasionally be glitched, making it impossible to find a match. And even if you do find a match, some players will have their connection to the match severed before its even begun.

As someone who’s played a ton of EA FC over the years, I’ve never had these matchmaking issues in any other mode. Yeah, things are occasionally not working as they should in Ultimate Team. But should it be a legit problem, everything is almost immediately shut down for maintenance. When it comes to Clubs, players are lucky should something be fixed at all. That needs to change in EA FC 26.

More Kit Customization Options

Should players not want to don the badge and kit of a real-life team, they can alternatively create their own kits and sport a custom badge. There’s only one problem — the badges to choose from don’t give you much control. Unlike games such as MLB The Show where players are given quite a few tools to create their own unique team logos, EA FC doesn’t provide any such option when it comes to a club’s badge. Instead, you’re limited to choosing the badge’s shape and color, all of which don the game’s name on it (and can’t be removed).

This lack of customization options when it comes to custom team kits and badges feels way behind most contemporaries. And it doesn’t just apply to Clubs either, as this is an issue in Ultimate Team as well. It’s likely there’s no such customization option in EA FC due to issues with moderation. But the ‘Report’ button exists for a reason.

These are some of the things on my wishlist for Clubs in EA FC 26. If I missed anything, feel free to let me know in the comments!