FC 26 is a game that really tests your stick skills. As a new player, if you find the gameplay a bit too punishing, you can easily tweak the difficulty right in the settings. FC 26 lets you set a universal difficulty level for most modes, or you can customize it for individual modes.
Change the Difficulty Level
- First, head back to the main menu and click the gear icon in the top-left corner to open the Settings page, then select Game Settings.
- Toggle over to the Match tab. Under the GENERAL menu, just scroll left or right on Difficulty Level to adjust FC 26's global difficulty.
Which Game Modes Are Affected?
This setting doesn't force a blanket change across every single game mode. It mostly impacts single-player or offline modes. Here is exactly what it affects:
Kick-off
This includes classic 11v11, House Rules, Survival, and offline Rush mode. You can also temporarily adjust the difficulty on the kit selection screen right before kickoff.
Career Mode
This only applies to brand-new saves. When you start a new Career, the initial difficulty will pull directly from your global settings. For existing saves, you'll have to change the difficulty manually from within that specific save file.
Tournaments
This includes officially licensed tournaments like the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Women's Champions League, or any custom cups and leagues you set up.
Modes Completely Unaffected by Difficulty Settings
Most of these are online multiplayer modes. They have their own dedicated matchmaking and difficulty rules to keep the playing field fair, meaning your global settings won't touch them.
Ultimate Team
- Squad Battles: You have to manually select your difficulty before every match. Your global settings have no effect here.
- Offline Draft: You'll be prompted to choose a difficulty when starting a new draft. Once selected, it’s locked in for that run and cannot be changed.
- Moments: Each challenge stage is hard-coded with a specific difficulty level. There's no way to adjust it.
- Rivals/Champions/Online Draft: These are PvP modes against real players. You can't adjust the difficulty of human opponents!
Clubs
In 11v11 Club matches—whether you're playing with friends or matchmaking with randoms—the AI player attributes and intelligence are determined by your club's current division and tier. The higher the division, the smarter the AI. Your personal difficulty settings won't change this.
Seasons
The purest 1v1 online multiplayer experience. You'll match up against players with similar skill ratings and team star-ratings. Settings won't help you here.
The Verdict
If you mostly stick to Kick-off, Career Mode, or Tournaments, changing the global difficulty level in your settings is the easiest way to go. Crank it up if things get too easy, or dial it back if you're struggling.
For the modes where you can't change the difficulty, the game's matchmaking will naturally pair you against opponents of a similar skill level, so you won't get completely blown out of the water.
