The Physical stat — that PHY number on every card — covers four things: Jumping, Stamina, Strength, and Aggression. In FC 26 it matters way more than it did last year. Shoulder-to-shoulder duels feel heavier. Defenders with low PHY get flattened by anyone with 85+ Strength. And in midfield? You try holding the ball with a 60 PHY playmaker while Joelinton comes barreling at you. It's not pretty.
Top 10 Strongest Players by PHY
This table is pure EA official data — every stat pulled straight from the FC 26 ratings database. I left out goalkeepers because PHY on a GK doesn't play the same way. These are the outfield monsters:
| # | Player | POS | Club | League | OVR | PAC | SHO | PAS | DRI | DEF | PHY | Why Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viktor Gyökeres | ST | Arsenal | Premier League | 87 | 90 | 86 | 73 | 81 | 36 | 91 | Only player above 90 PHY. 90 PAC + 86 SHO = target man who can actually run. Hold-up play is genuinely elite. |
| 2 | Joelinton | CM | Newcastle Utd | Premier League | 82 | 74 | 73 | 77 | 81 | 82 | 90 | Best PHY midfielder in the game. 81 DRI + 82 DEF makes him a two-way bulldozer. Costs pocket change. |
| 3 | Barış Alper Yılmaz | LM | Galatasaray | Süper Lig | 80 | 93 | 77 | 72 | 79 | 69 | 90 | 93 PAC + 90 PHY is a unicorn combo. Outruns defenders and shrugs them off. Süper Lig makes him tough to link though. |
| 4 | Gabriela García | CDM | Atlético de Madrid | Liga F | 82 | 71 | 80 | 79 | 80 | 78 | 89 | Box-to-box CDM with surprising 80 SHO/80 DRI. Liga F chemistry is awkward, but she's a budget gem if you're running a women's hybrid. |
| 5 | Alexandra Popp | ST | VfL Wolfsburg | Frauen-Bundesliga | 85 | 74 | 84 | 76 | 78 | 52 | 89 | Pure target ST. 84 SHO means she finishes everything in the box. Slow but almost impossible to shove off the ball. |
| 6 | Erling Haaland | ST | Manchester City | Premier League | 90 | 86 | 91 | 70 | 80 | 45 | 88 | The meta striker. 91 SHO, 80 DRI, 88 PHY — finishes from anywhere, bodies CBs with ease. You've been scored on by him 500 times. You'll score 500 more. |
| 7 | Millie Bright | CB | Chelsea | Barclays WSL | 87 | 57 | 51 | 70 | 62 | 87 | 88 | 87 DEF + 88 PHY center-back. Slow but if she catches you, you stop. Chelsea chemistry helps for women's-league hybrids. |
| 8 | Racheal Kundananji | LM | Bay FC | NWSL | 82 | 91 | 80 | 75 | 84 | 59 | 88 | 91 PAC + 84 DRI + 88 PHY winger. Feels like a freight train on the flank. NWSL links are limiting but she's dirt cheap. |
| 9 | Sergej Milinković-Savić | CM | Al Hilal | ROSHN Saudi League | 84 | 62 | 80 | 81 | 81 | 78 | 88 | 81 DRI, 81 PAS, 88 PHY — complete midfielder who feels like a cheat code in possession. 62 PAC is the only real flaw. |
| 10 | Davinson Sánchez | CB | Galatasaray | Süper Lig | 82 | 82 | 58 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 88 | 82 PAC + 82 DEF + 88 PHY at ~1.5K coins. Best value physical CB period. Pairs with Yılmaz for Süper Lig chem. |
Couple things worth pointing out. Gyökeres is the only player in the entire game north of 90 PHY — and he can actually run (90 PAC). Joelinton is the hidden gem here: 82 OVR but his 90 PHY midfield engine costs basically nothing. And Yılmaz at 80 OVR with 93 PAC and 90 PHY is genuinely unfair for his price bracket.
Budget Physical Beasts
If you're working with 5K coins or less, here's your shopping list:
| Player | POS | Club | League | OVR | PAC | SHO | PAS | DRI | DEF | PHY | Est. Price | Why Budget Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wout Weghorst | ST | — | — | 78 | 54 | 78 | 62 | 68 | 57 | 87 | ~1K | 6'6" target man with 87 PHY. Slow as molasses, wins every header. Squad Battles merchant. |
| Calvin Bassey | CB | Fulham | Premier League | 78 | 81 | 44 | 63 | 68 | 77 | 87 | ~1K | 81 PAC + 87 PHY in a Premier League CB. Perfect early-game starter. Nigerian links a bonus. |
| Franck Yannick Kessié | CDM | Al Ahli | Saudi League | 80 | 78 | 77 | 73 | 78 | 78 | 86 | ~1.5K | All 70s across the board + 86 PHY. Pairs with Milinković-Savić for a Saudi midfield wall. |
| Nikola Milenković | CB | Nott'm Forest | Premier League | 83 | 57 | 46 | 63 | 62 | 84 | 86 | ~2K | 84 DEF + 86 PHY Premier League CB. 6'5" frame. Needs Anchor desperately for that 57 PAC. |
| Jonathan Tah | CB | FC Bayern | Bundesliga | 87 | 63 | 38 | 60 | 63 | 87 | 86 | ~8K | 87 DEF + 86 PHY at a top club. 8K for an 87-rated Bundesliga CB is a steal. Pairs with any German/Bundesliga squad. |
| Willian Pacho | CB | Paris SG | Ligue 1 | 86 | 80 | 34 | 62 | 62 | 86 | 86 | ~8K | 80 PAC + 86 DEF + 86 PHY. PSG links are valuable. One of the best value Ligue 1 CBs. |
Best Chem Style for Each
| Player | Chem Style | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Gyökeres | Hawk | PAC 90 → 95, SHO 86 → 91. You're not here for his passing. Make him faster and deadlier in the box. |
| Joelinton | Shadow | PAC 74 → 82, DEF 82 → 88. Turns him from "bulky CM" into "box-to-box nightmare." Worth every coin. |
| Yılmaz | Finisher | SHO 77 → 87, DRI 79 → 89. PAC 93 is already maxed out. Boost what's holding him back: finishing and dribbling. |
| Haaland | Engine | PAC 86 → 89, DRI 80 → 85, PAS 70 → 75. His shooting is already 91 — no need to touch it. Make him move. |
| van Dijk | Shadow | PAC 73 → 83. 90 DEF is already perfect. The only stat holding him back is pace. |
| Milinković-Savić | Shadow | PAC 62 → 72, DEF 78 → 86. 62 pace on a CM is criminal. Shadow fixes the biggest problem and makes him a genuine CDM option. |
| Sánchez | Anchor | PAC 82 → 86, DEF 82 → 87. Shadow is overkill — his 82 PAC is already decent. Anchor gives the balanced boost. |
| Bright | Shadow | PAC 57 → 65. It's still slow, but the DEF 87 → 94 means she turns into a wall when she gets there. |
Verdict
The PHY meta in FC 26 favors one clear truth: strength wins duels, and duels win games.
If you've got coins to burn, the Premier League quartet of Haaland, Gyökeres, Van Dijk, and Joelinton gives you four 87+ PHY monsters across ST, CM, and CB. That spine alone will win you games where you'd otherwise get pushed around.
Working on a budget? Grab Sánchez and Yılmaz for under 3K total, slot Milinković-Savić and Kessié into a Saudi-league midfield pivot for 7K, and fill the rest with whatever fits. That's a full physical spine for 10K coins.
One last thing: high PHY doesn't mean high OVR. Joelinton at 82 with 90 PHY outperforms plenty of 86+ midfielders who fold under pressure. Don't sleep on the number just because the rating isn't shiny.
