EA Sports has now made the full list of stadiums for FC 26 public and the players have just gone through an emotional rollercoaster. To start with, the official tweet from EA Sports FC displays the big names joining the lineup—Allianz Arena, Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Tüpraş Stadyumu—and concludes with the claim that there will be more than 130 authentic stadiums in total for the new game, which in itself is exciting. But the real kicker is the comments. There is honestly no reason to hold back, and rather than silence, people are throwing a mixture of all-out requests, frustration, and utter bewilderment.
To add more context, those are some promising additions to EA Sports FC 26. Bayern Munich’s home, the Allianz Arena, Napoli’s Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, and this cool Turkish stadium, Tüpraş Stadyumu, are the Turkish stadiums that are part of the FIFA 26 stadium list. These aim to increase the realism compared to the previously released titles. But players seem to be a little bit concerned about what is exactly missing.
There is immediately a scramble about the particular clubs that have been left out. Looking through the comments, the one that sticks to me is the comment from @Ender_can61 asking about Trabzonspor with the earlier mentioned emoji of confusion. Next, there is @JorgeCastilloJ who is determined to find out the exact release date of Chile’s Claro Arena (formerly San Carlos de Apoquindo). The struggle of international representation feels like something that is felt by everyone.
In addition to missing players, there is also positive feedback about the available ones. To illustrate this, @carpediem_123 stated that ‘Tüpraş stadium is fantastic’, which is certainly a win for EA Sports. However, on the other hand, @rscafans chants loudly, ‘When fucking Belgian stadiums?’ which, to be fair, is a valid question. Not to mention the constant begging from @iamhodzha to get Trabzon Papara Park included, tagging the club in hopes to speed up the addition.
They respond to the feedback with the same justified statements. Their spokespeople, @HodieS1712 and @dzsi91 tweet that EA promised ALL Bundesliga stadiums months ago and now Heidenheim is the one missing, and that EA is lazy for using the old FIFA 19 Allianz Arena model. Their reputation is questionable, yet their tweets always cause more backlash.
Quite a few are simply done with this saga. @_TechDifferent_ is done with it, stating “But the game still st. No, thanks.” While that is harsh, it is subjectively within the realm of opinions I have come to accept. While @Melgalafan is asking for very specific updates to Ramos Park, the home of Galatasaray, so that their LED light boards are included around the stadium, it shows the level of detail players expect.
The controversy surrounds the different leagues as well. @IanD1977 calls it ridiculous, “Mad that there’s more MLS stadiums in there than Serie A!” which, if true, does feel absurd. @carlosxdd3 states their disappointment about the Champions League final stadium not being included again, which as a football fan, I understand. It is an iconic feature of football games, and I, too, expect EA to include the stadium as they do not include it, constantly feels forgettable.
Of course, the championship league fans feel excluded. “No new Championship stadium, poor that,” @JYOUFC states while @ClaMfc23 states with confusion about the fact that last year they added three new Championship stadiums but this year, there is seriously nothing. They thought EA was adding at least three per season to get the collection completed. Disappointment is very evident.
Fans of Spanish football have made their frustration about the stadiums clear. @bvb_pablo is requesting the return of Riazor and Rosaleda, and @NachoMenendez39 is asking “y el Molinon? pa cuando?” which translates to “and the Molinon? for when?” referring to Sporting Gijón’s stadium. The requests from Spanish fans for their stadiums are quite detailed.
Following the Brazilians fans such as @gagouveia_ stating “we want neo quimica arena” because every league deserves love right? And @MortenVeile is sad with no PARKEN in Copenhagen, calling it “Magic nights” showing the emotional connection of the stadiums to the local fans.
It’s not just complaining about what’s missing. @Gro3_ actually gives constructive criticism saying “Authentic details like these stadiums truly resonate with users, enhancing their connection and driving deeper engagement.” So at least one person praises the work EA went through.
The issue is… stadiums are undoubtedly a is a massive part of football culture, and going into Anfield with the chords for ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, or The Yellow Wall in Signal Iduna Park is something that makes football unique. So the impact is greatly deepened when players assume their clubs’ homes are either absent or underrepresented in the game.
Criticism is a two-sided coin. On one side, EA has a remarkable collection of over 130 stadiums. On the other, is a sea of comments spread across different leagues and clubs, all craving representation. The comments during the reveal expressed how global the FC player base is, fueling the desire, ‘to see their home ground in the game.’
What stands out is how detailed some requests are — instead of asking for stadiums, @unionjackboy asks for shadows to be removed in competitive modes and “rubbish like the bubbles at West Ham.” As strange as it is, players care about these things. Also, @DRE93___ asks if the City Ground cameras are still under the stadium, which sounds like a very strange visual bug.
Next is @cjcammy123 who complains about the inability to buy gold Mbappe cards and wants EA to “just throw 35 milion of them in so people can use him,” which… what was the context again? Oh right, stadiums.
It pulls us back, the FC 26 stadium reveal morphs into the winding football game player’s most wanted features discussion alongside meandering. It’s not about polished mechanics or properly licensed players— it’s about the spirit of the football games, the venues’ credibility and something which EA invested over 130 stadiums into, but the feedback shows authentic sentiments of players highlight the ones that aren’t there.
Whether these demands are PbP heeded remains to be seen, but the community has already started voicing their demands, even before the game has been released. There is no doubt that fans are fervently attached to football grounds, and, quite frankly, they do not hesitate to communicate the exact locations to developers that are missing.
