FC 27 Online Seasons:
Not Real Madrid Again!

I've got a question for everyone playing EA Sports FC 27 Online Seasons.

Does anybody actually support a football club outside of Real Madrid, PSG or Barcelona?

Seriously.

There are hundreds of teams in this game. Clubs from all over the world, different leagues, different abilities and different styles of football.

And yet, every time I search for a match, it feels like I'm entering some sort of never-ending European Super League.

Honestly, I'm starting to wonder whether EA have accidentally deleted the rest of the clubs from the game.

Where are the Burnleys? The Málagas? The West Hams of this world?

Where are the people who just want to play as the club they actually support?

Because apparently, in 2026, everybody in the world is a lifelong Real Madrid fan.

Funny that.

Whatever Happened to Playing as Your Own Team?

Maybe I'm old-fashioned.

But when I load up a football game, I want to play as Leeds United.

Not because they're the highest-rated team in the game.

Not because they've got the fastest forwards, the best defenders or somebody capable of scoring from 40 yards every time they press shoot.

But because they're Leeds.

And surely that's the whole point?

I want to take a team I actually care about and see how far I can get.

I'd much rather lose a brilliant 3–2 match against somebody playing as Burnley than spend another 90 virtual minutes chasing Mbappé around the pitch.

West Ham against whoever fancies an afternoon of footballing chaos.

Actual football clubs with identities, histories and supporters.

Instead, it's basically Real Madrid versus PSG on repeat.

You'd think the entire footballing world consisted of about six teams.

Restrictive Matchmaking – What's the Point?

Now, before somebody tells me to change my matchmaking settings…

Yet somehow I still find myself facing teams packed with some of the best players on the planet.

And look, I understand that matchmaking isn't always going to find two perfectly equal teams.

But surely there's a better solution than repeatedly throwing Leeds United into matches against Europe's elite?

If I choose a club because I support them, why should I feel like I'm putting myself at a disadvantage before a ball has even been kicked?

There is a setting specifically designed to help match teams of similar quality.

So why does it sometimes feel like it's doing absolutely nothing?

I don't need every match to be easy.

I just want a bit of variety and a reasonably level playing field.

Apparently, that's asking too much.

The Mbappé Problem

There's something uniquely frustrating about defending against Real Madrid in FC 27.

You can spend ten minutes carefully building an attack.

Passing the ball around.

Working your way through midfield.

Creating a lovely opportunity.

Then you lose possession.

One pass.

Mbappé is away.

And suddenly my defenders are running like they're carrying their weekly shopping home from Morrisons.

I wouldn't mind if I'd been completely outplayed.

But when you've worked hard to create chances and the opposition can undo everything with one sprint down the wing, it starts to get a little tiresome.

And before anyone says it's a skill issue…

Yes, sometimes it probably is.

I'm not claiming to be the greatest FC player in the world.

But surely the fun of Online Seasons should be testing your ability against different opponents and different teams.

Not seeing whether you can survive 90 minutes against the same handful of ridiculously talented forwards.

Even My Leeds Team Has Become a Tactical Experiment

I've actually ended up changing the way I play just to try and cope with it.

Forget the traditional back four.

I've been experimenting with a back three, pushing Bogle and Gudmundsson further forward and trying to make the most of their pace down the flanks.

And to be fair, those two have been absolute beasts at times.

There's something wonderfully satisfying about watching Bogle charge down the right while Gudmundsson causes chaos on the opposite side.

Then I've got Ampadu and Tanaka doing the hard work in midfield, with Calvert-Lewin and Okafor providing options up front.

It's attacking.

It's aggressive.

And occasionally, it's absolute carnage.

Some matches resemble basketball more than football.

And because I insist on playing a ridiculously high defensive line, there are enough offsides to keep the assistant referee permanently employed.

But at least I'm trying something different.

At least I'm playing as the club I support.

I'd rather experiment with Leeds and lose than spend every match hiding behind a squad full of superstars.

And Don't Get Me Started on the Substitutes

As if Online Seasons wasn't frustrating enough, there's another issue that's been driving me mad.

The substitutes.

I've been changing my squad before matches, only to find the game resetting the bench when the match starts.

Poor Dan James can't even get a place among the substitutes, despite me specifically trying to put him there.

I've found a workaround by changing my starting eleven and formation so that players such as Wilson and Aaronson are available to bring on later.

But why should I have to?

It's a football game.

Choosing your substitutes shouldn't require the sort of planning normally reserved for a NASA mission.

I can accept being beaten by a better player.

I can accept a tactical mistake.

I can even accept watching my defence get completely torn apart by Real Madrid for the fifth time in an evening.

But at least let me pick my own bench.

Surely that's not unreasonable?

Where Have All the Proper Football Fans Gone?

This is what I miss.

The random matchups.

The people choosing unusual clubs.

The bloke who decides he's going to take a three-star side all the way to Division One because he actually enjoys a challenge.

Imagine loading into a match and discovering your opponent has chosen Málaga.

Or Portsmouth, Aberdeen, Blackburn, West Ham, Deportivo, whoever.

You'd immediately know you were in for something a bit different.

There might be limitations in their squad.

There might be a striker who's got all the pace of a broken-down tractor.

There might be a goalkeeper who couldn't catch a cold.

But that's part of the fun.

Winning with a team that isn't packed with world-class players is genuinely satisfying.

And losing with them?

Well, at least you've got an excuse.

Instead, Online Seasons increasingly feels like everyone is terrified of selecting a team that might give them a disadvantage.

It's almost as though winning has become more important than actually enjoying the football.

Maybe EA Should Introduce a Proper Underdogs Mode

Here's an idea.

Why not introduce an Online Seasons competition where five-star teams aren't allowed?

Or better still, let people choose exactly what level of opposition they're prepared to face.

Want to play as a three-star team?

Fine.

We'll find you another three-star team.

Want to spend your evening playing as Real Madrid?

Absolutely fine as well.

But you can play against all the other people who've also chosen Real Madrid.

Everyone's happy.

You could even introduce themed competitions.

There are so many possibilities.

And it would give people an actual reason to explore the enormous collection of teams already included in the game.

Because right now, most of them might as well not exist.

My verdict: I'm Not Asking to Win Every Match

I know what some people will say.

Stop moaning and get better at the game.

And fair enough.

I could probably improve my defending.

I could probably stop playing such an aggressive high line.

I could certainly learn to stop giving the ball away in ridiculous positions.

But that's not really my point.

Football is brilliant because of its variety.

A wet Tuesday night at West Ham might not have quite the glamour of the Bernabéu, but it's still football.

And that's what I want from Online Seasons.

Not just the biggest names and the highest ratings.

I want the unpredictability.

I want the occasional ridiculous result.

I want to come up against someone playing as a club I've barely thought about in years.

And if they absolutely batter me 5–0?

Fair play to them.

At least it wasn't Real Madrid again.

So come on, FC 27 players.

Put down the five-star teams for once.

Pick your local club.

Pick your childhood team.

Pick somebody completely random.

Give the rest of us a bit of variety.

Because if I have to watch Mbappé sprint past my defence one more time, I'm seriously considering putting myself in goal.

At least then he'd have to run around something bigger.

Marching On Together. Even if we're apparently playing Real Madrid every bloody week.