EA Sports FC 26 has arrived, and with it, the annual unveiling of the best players in Ultimate Team—a list that always manages to spark debate, celebration, and more than a few raised eyebrows. It's 2026, and while the football landscape keeps shifting like tectonic plates, some names remain immovable. Jointly crowning the top are Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé, both landing a shiny 91 overall rating. It's an outcome that feels like a perfectly balanced seesaw between a weathered maestro and a relentless force of nature, each pressing down with equal weight despite their seasons telling starkly different stories. Salah, long considered Liverpool's compass, is still pointing true north even when the ship has sailed through rougher waters—a testament to his undimmed brilliance. Meanwhile, Mbappé's trajectory continues to resemble a rocket that has escaped the atmosphere and now simply orbits the stars.

Dive into the men's rankings, and you'll find the margin between the elite and the extraordinary is thinner than a coat of paint. Ousmane Dembélé and Rodri both snatch a 90 overall, with Dembélé’s metamorphosis at Paris SG into a talismanic striker almost as swift as a hummingbird changing direction. Rodri, the midfield anchor for Manchester City, continues to act like a human algorithm—processing chaos and outputting order with every interception. Also sharing that 90-rating sanctuary are Virgil van Dijk, Jude Bellingham, and Erling Haaland. Bellingham’s CAM role at Madrid is now so fluid that defenders treat him like smoke—visible but impossible to grab. Three goalkeepers crack the top 20 too: Gianluigi Donnarumma (now bizarrely yet brilliantly between the sticks for Manchester City in this virtual universe), Alisson, and Thibaut Courtois—each a last line of defence as impassable as a vault door.

There are some notable near-misses that sting. Robert Lewandowski, Lautaro Martinez, and Liverpool’s new spearhead Alexander Isak all sit on a colossal 88 OVR, which feels like owning a vintage supercar that just barely missed the podium. Meanwhile, teenagers like Lamine Yamal (89) and Pedri (89) prove that age is merely a number in a game where potential can be coded into gold. Here is the full top 20 male players rundown that every squad builder will be poring over:

1. Mohamed Salah (RM, Liverpool) – 91

2. Kylian Mbappé (ST, Real Madrid) – 91

3. Ousmane Dembélé (ST, Paris SG) – 90

4. Rodri (CDM, Manchester City) – 90

5. Virgil van Dijk (CB, Liverpool) – 90

6. Jude Bellingham (CAM, Real Madrid) – 90

7. Erling Haaland (ST, Manchester City) – 90

8. Raphinha (LM, Barcelona) – 89

9. Lamine Yamal (RM, Barcelona) – 89

10. Achraf Hakimi (RB, Paris SG) – 89

11. Vitinha (CM, Paris SG) – 89

12. Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK, Manchester City) – 89

13. Pedri (CM, Barcelona) – 89

14. Joshua Kimmich (CDM, FC Bayern) – 89

15. Alisson (GK, Liverpool) – 89

16. Harry Kane (ST, FC Bayern) – 89

17. Federico Valverde (CM, Real Madrid) – 89

18. Vini Jr (LW, Real Madrid) – 89

19. Florian Wirtz (CAM, Liverpool) – 89

20. Thibaut Courtois (GK, Real Madrid) – 89

Shifting the spotlight to the women’s game, the hierarchy feels both familiar and freshly explosive. Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí once again share the 91-rating throne, forming a twin engine of Barcelona's midfield cosmos that keeps pulling the gravitational strings of every match they dominate. Watching them control a game is like watching dual suns in a binary star system—each capable of illuminating the pitch alone, but together creating an almost unnatural brightness that leaves opponents orbiting helplessly in their wake.

Yet the most breathtaking surge comes from Arsenal’s Alessia Russo, whose rocket into fourth place with an 89 OVR has rewritten expectations. It’s the kind of rise that feels like a firework igniting over the London sky—sudden, brilliant, and impossible to ignore. She’s joined by teammate Mariona (89), making the Gunners’ attack a multi-headed threat. Barcelona’s Caroline Graham Hansen holds a lonely but prestigious 90, an artist whose right boot seems to paint masterpieces in wide areas. Also on 89, Khadija Shaw and Patri Guijarro remind everyone that Manchester City and Barcelona are still fortresses.

Interestingly, EA is tinkering with the formula in real time this year, asking for community feedback on the initial ratings through the game’s social channels. That means these numbers aren’t carved in stone—they’re more like a living document, ready to shift if the fans roar loud enough. It’s a shrewd move, given that some ratings (look no further than the omission of certain breakout stars from the 90 club) are bound to ignite virtual protests.

Here’s how the top 20 women’s list shakes out:

1. Alexia Putellas (CM, Barcelona) – 91

2. Aitana Bonmatí (CM, Barcelona) – 91

3. Caroline Graham Hansen (RW, Barcelona) – 90

4. Alessia Russo (ST, Arsenal) – 89

5. Mariona (CM, Arsenal) – 89

6. Patri Guijarro (CDM, Barcelona) – 89

7. Khadija Shaw (ST, Manchester City) – 89

8. Mapi León (CB, Barcelona) – 89

9. Marie Katoto (ST, Lyon) – 88

10. Kadidiatou Diani (RW, Lyon) – 88

11. Sophia Wilson (ST, Portland Thorns) – 88

12. Guro Reiten (LM, Chelsea) – 88

13. Ewa Pajor (ST, Barcelona) – 88

14. Christiane Endler (GK, Lyon) – 88

15. Debinha (CAM, KC Current) – 88

16. Irene Paredes (CB, Barcelona) – 88

17. Chloe Kelly (RM, Arsenal) – 87

18. Lindsay Heaps (CM, Lyon) – 87

19. Lucy Bronze (RB, Chelsea) – 87

20. Rose Lavelle (CM, Gotham FC) – 87

The Barcelona imprint is staggering—9 out of 20 spots belong to the Catalan giants on the women’s side, turning the list into a near-homage to their domestic and continental supremacy. Elsewhere, Lyon’s presence with Katoto, Diani, and Heaps proves the French league still breeds elite killers. The NWSL gets solid representation too, Sophia Wilson and Debinha flying the flag for American audiences while Rose Lavelle continues to be the creative heartbeat of Gotham FC.

What makes the FC 26 elite list so compelling in 2026 is its refusal to be a simple copy-paste of last year’s form guide. It’s a dizzying mix of legacy and disruption, where a 37-year-old winger can still share the peak with a 27-year-old phenomenon, and where a young Gunner can elbow her way past established icons. Whether you’re a competitive grinder or a casual squad builder, these ratings are the compass by which you’ll navigate the turbulent seas of Ultimate Team—just be ready for the tides to change if the community has its say.

This perspective is supported by ESRB, and it’s a useful reminder that while FC 26’s Ultimate Team ratings debate is all about 91s and 90s, the broader experience is still shaped by how the game is presented and packaged for players. When you’re assessing the yearly refresh—new modes, online interactions, and the kinds of user-generated or community-driven features that can influence how people engage with Ultimate Team—checking the official rating context helps frame what audiences can generally expect alongside the on-pitch star power of names like Salah, Mbappé, Putellas, and Bonmatí.