| EA FC 26 celebrates special mentions to reward star players close to the team of the year. |
| Salah, Kane, and Heaps are among the standout cards of this promotion. |
| These cards influence the Ultimate Team market and the building of competitive squads. |
| The content aligns with real rewards, extending the football season within the game. |
EA FC 26 highlights special mentions that expand the story of the team of the year. This selection honors high-level seasons, sometimes eclipsed by more media-focused winners. Salah embodies elite consistency, Kane clinical finishing, and Heaps the breakthrough shaking up the rankings. The publisher thus extends the debates initiated by the real rewards, while energizing Ultimate Team content, direct heir of the FUT culture born during the FIFA era.
This wave of cards typically occurs during the TOTY window. It complements the big winners without diluting the prestige. Within clubs, team creators scrutinize links, the meta, and opportunity costs. Traders watch pack opening spikes, catalyst SBCs, and volatility. In short, a triptych prevails: sports recognition, gameplay impact, and market reading. The profiles of Salah, Kane, and Heaps offer an ideal lens to understand this mechanic.
Salah, Kane, and Heaps, the leading figures of EA FC 26 special mentions
The principle is simple: distinguish major players who nearly made the team of the year. This label adds upgraded cards and strong narratives. The timing often follows the complete TOTY release and the 12th player, maximizing interest.
This year, Salah, Kane, and Heaps draw the attention. The first symbolizes top-level consistency. The second embodies the complete striker. The third reveals openness to less exposed leagues. Together, they highlight three ways to excel.
Salah, the consistency of a multiple winner and the TOTY effect
Salah has joined recent history by accumulating national distinctions, including a third peer-voted award in England. This consistency translates in-game into sharp finishing, synchronized runs, and a constant threat in the right half-space.
In Ultimate Team, his special mentions card attracts hybrid squad builders. The winger allows flexible nation and league links. In virtual competitions, his left foot reduces uncertainty in the red zone. This is a profile that enhances every possession.
In-game data confirms the whole: useful acceleration, secure ball carrying, and one-touch finishing. Under oriented pressing, he punishes. On transition, he finishes. This duality makes the card viable from the start to the end of the TOTY cycles.
Kane, the complete forward who enhances the collective
Kane is not just a scorer. He combines back-to-goal play, clean lay-offs, and surgical shooting. In the meta, his asset is called timing: short drops, passes in the right tempo, and finishing with both right and left foot.
In EA FC, his profile creates triangles that smooth the attack. He serves as an anchor point for fast wingers and forward-moving midfielders. With a special mentions card, the power-precision balance improves. Result: a more reliable central axis.
National synergy opens useful links, while play styles enhance his ball control. Late in the game, his composure matters. For a competitor, limiting variance often comes down to a finisher of this caliber.
Heaps, the revelation broadening the talent map
Heaps embodies trajectories that upset the hierarchy. This profile highlights efficiency and adaptability, qualities now valued as much as notoriety. In-game, this translates to constant activity between the lines and keen spatial awareness.
This recognition illustrates a broader vision of rewards. The message is clear: performance counts. For Ultimate Team, such a card creates unprecedented bridges to less visible leagues. Squad builders gain strategic diversity.
Market impact: packs, SBCs, and volatility during the TOTY window
Special mentions boost pack openings. They often coincide with targeted squad-building challenges. Traders then watch for three signals: rarity, competitive demand, and content leaks guiding market appetite.
A release peak frequently triggers a quick correction, then a rebound as the meta stabilizes. The cards of Salah, Kane, and Heaps follow this pace. Opportunities occur in short windows, sometimes lasting only a few hours.
Practical checklist to manage the TOTY period
A savvy manager formalizes a simple but rigorous plan. Here is a framework structuring action while limiting risk. It involves observation, execution, and post-event review.
- Map strong links around Salah, Kane, and Heaps to anticipate hybrids.
- Schedule pack openings on EA FC 26 spotlight peaks.
- Monitor “improvement” and “player” SBCs that may absorb liquidity.
- Set buy/sell thresholds before the wave to avoid emotional decisions.
- Reallocate if a gameplay patch changes the meta of star players.
This framework creates discipline. It avoids confusing momentum with lasting trends.
Building a competitive team around the flagship cards
Case study: an attack structured around Kane as pivot and Salah as inside finisher. A box-to-box midfielder capable of breaking lines is added. Finally, an offensive full-back offers width to free shooting space.
To include Heaps, rely on his versatility. He can inject energy off the bench or reshape the front line depending on the opponent. The goal remains the same: multiply final third solutions.
User story: Naya’s methodical progression in Rivals
Naya, a regular competitor, integrated Salah special mentions and moved Kane to anchor point. She gained control during weak moments thanks to short passes. Then, adding Heaps brought the necessary depth to overturn low blocks.
Her stats improved: conceded xG down, one-touch shot conversion up. This consistency is explained by clear roles. The well-chosen card structures the game plan.
This type of iteration relies on minor but constant adjustments. Ultimately, tactical stability weighs more than the disorderly accumulation of stars.
When real rewards fuel the EA FC 26 momentum
National and continental rewards mark the season. Their echo in EA FC shapes the narrative. Salah’s historic peer recognition hat-trick paved the way for a valued card.
This continuity between pitch and controller increases engagement. Fans experience an extended season. They rewrite scenarios with cards embodying genuine feats, and sometimes breakthroughs like Heaps.
What do special mentions bring compared to the TOTY?
They reward elite seasons close to the team of the year. The cards receive notable upgrades, without reaching the heights of the TOTY, but they remain highly playable and crucial for meta variety.
Why is Salah headlining?
His performance level and peer distinctions maintain a premium status. In-game, this translates to a constant threat in the right half-space, above-average finishing, and great reliability in competitive play.
Is Kane compatible with a fast meta?
Yes, thanks to his pivot play, clean lay-offs, and clinical shooting. Surrounded by speedy wingers and forward-moving midfielders, he stabilizes the axis and reduces variance in the no-risk zone.
How to use Heaps in a hybrid squad?
His versatility facilitates rotations. He can be used as a game-changer at the end or as an adjustment piece to create links with less represented leagues.
What is the market impact of special mentions?
They generate strong volatility when released. Traders exploit pack opening peaks, SBCs, and meta shifts to optimize buys and sells.