EA FC 26 release date seemingly leaked – and there's a reason it could make complete sense

EA FC 26 release date leaks have started to surface on social media over the last few days, and as usual as an earlier release date may seem, it makes complete sense.

With the promo not even live in Ultimate Team, we've already started to see some supposed leaks on social media – and leaks-wise, this is much earlier than usual. EA FC 26 will be the next instalment in the game series, with usually releasing its latest football game annually in either late September or early October.

The release pattern has remained the same for over a decade, but some early EA FC 26 leaks have reported that we could be set for a much earlier release than usual. The EA Sports FC community has debated whether an earlier release to coincide with the real-life football calendar could work, but in this case, there's probably a much more obvious reason why may be tempted to release the game earlier than usual – .

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The EA FC 26 release date has been leaked, but is it true?

Leaker @AhcanFut

🚨 Infos sur FC26 – Ce qu’il faut savoir ! 🎮

📅 Ultimate Edition disponible le 23 août
🎞️ Trailer prévu entre le 20 et le 27 mai
🕹️ Disponible sur ancienne & nouvelle génération (PS4/PS5, etc.)

❌ Le mode Moments sera supprimé d’Ultimate Team
🔌 Pas de cross-play entre console…

— AhcanFut (@AhcanFut) April 14, 2025

about EA FC 26 on social media earlier this month, including the apparent EA FC 26 release date, trailer date, and information on some of the EA FC 26 game modes. The biggest takeaway was the supposed release date, with the leaker claiming that EA FC 26 Ultimate Edition will go live on August 23, 2025 a whole month earlier than the .

This would also mean that the Standard Edition release date would be August 30, again, a month earlier than EA FC 26. The leaker also claimed that EA FC 26 will be released on old gen and current gen, that FUT Moments would be removed from Ultimate Team, and wildly, there would be no crossplay between console and .

In my opinion, there is no way that EA removes Crossplay in EA FC 26. Yes, there have been some issues with it, but removing such a useful feature would be very damaging for the game's reputation. Also, reliable leaker @FutSheriff (in collaboration with @madfut.apps) has claimed that crossplay will be available in EA FC 26, which contradicts these claims.

What I do think makes sense is an August release date, and that could solely be down to the anticipated release of GTA 6. It's been 15 years sincewas released, and with GTA 6 , it will undoubtedly be the biggest game of the year and probably the decade.

EA admitted that earlier this year, with the publisher predicting a "mid-single-digit decline" in its live service net bookings. With this being the case, EA will want to do whatever it takes to avoid this happening for a second year in a row, and if that means releasing the game a month earlier than usual to avoid any major clash with the GTA 6 release, then it makes sense.

This would also see EA FC 26 release closer to the start of the real-life football season, so it opens up the door for more live promos in Ultimate Team alongside the football calendar. An earlier release date would also explain earlier leaks.

At the beginning of April, leaker @SizePlaystation revealed the

EA SPORTS FC™ 26 pic.twitter.com/3MtxR3OjhF

— Playstation Game Size 2 (@SizePlaystation) April 7, 2025

. The same account also correctly revealed the EA FC 25, and FIFA 23 logos after they were added to the database, but all three of these logos were revealed in July, not April, like EA FC 26.