While this isn’t unheard of in gaming, it does reduce EA’s usual window to promote “season kickoff” events or align the game’s launch with major real-world football weekends. Traditionally, EA uses live football hype to FC 26 Coins drive pre-orders and engagement—whether it's announcing new kits, revealing team ratings, or hyping up major card releases in Ultimate Team.

With an earlier release, the game could be somewhat disconnected from those early-season football narratives—or forced to rely on preseason performances to drive its early campaigns.

How Will Ratings Be Handled?

Another potential wrinkle: player ratings. EA usually releases official player ratings in early to mid-September, often tying them into marketing pushes and sponsored content. If the game is out in late August, EA may have to finalize player ratings weeks earlier than usual.

This could create challenges when it comes to reflecting real-world performances, especially for players who were breakout stars in the preseason or over the summer. Players who shined during international tournaments or club friendlies might miss out on proper recognition simply because the game was locked too early.

Alternatively, EA might choose to update ratings dynamically post-launch, but that would be a shift from their usual pre-season rating reveal campaign. It also raises questions about fairness in competitive modes, especially if key attributes change after players have already built their Ultimate Teams.

Seasonal Content Timing Could Shift

EA’s annual content rollout—both for Ultimate Team and other modes—follows a fairly predictable pattern. Special events typically align with international breaks, holiday periods, and the Champions League schedule.

With FC 26 potentially launching in August, the entire content calendar may shift forward, giving players access to milestone events (like the first Ones to Watch or Road to the Knockouts promos) earlier in the season. That might sound great in theory, but if the player base isn’t yet large or active enough, early promos could be underwhelming in terms of cheap Fut 26 Coins engagement and pack value.