In previous editions of football game FIFA, as it was still called back then, realism in Ultimate Team was already not the biggest priority. It was not uncommon to witness matches with Mbappe facing off against Mbappe, or seeing them play alongside players who had long retired from the sport.
EA Sports FC 24 will make yet another dive into fantasy, by enabling players to include both male and female players in their Ultimate Teams.
The chemistry system remains unchanged. Men and women who play for the same clubs will receive an extra-strong link that grants a statistical bonus.
Speaking of statistics, how will that work? The top female players cannot compete with the top male players. This is not being unfair; it is simply stating the truth. How does this translate to the pitch?
The female players’ statistics will be relative to the team and the league they play in. A female footballer with a rating of 91 (like Chelsea’s player Sam Kerr) will perform just as well as a male player with the same rating.
Where you will notice the difference, is in the physical attributes. However, this doesn’t necessarily have to be a disadvantage. In previous years, lightweight Lionel Messi gracefully danced across the field. Smaller, more agile players have had an advantage in almost all editions compared to “heavier” players, like Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, for instance. So, who knows, maybe selecting female players will become the new ‘meta.’
This is what senior producer Gareth Reeder had to say about it:
“The ratings, the attributes, the animation systems: there’s no differences between men and women. When we look at how we do the ratings across men’s and women’s football, we’re doing those based on the respective competition they play against in the real world. So if you think about how amazing Sam Kerr is in the real-world WSL, we’re representing her in the game that way. In the same way as how Erling Haaland is represented for how he plays for Manchester City. Ultimate Team allows both of those worlds to come together.”
A woman has also been added off the field. Former footballer Sue Smith will take on the role of co-commentator alongside commentator Guy Mowbray. Players will have the option to choose between the new duo, or the voices of Derek Rae and Stewart Robson, who have been commentating together since FIFA 22.
Whether the new teams will still shower together is not yet known.
