EA Sports finally released the complete matchups list for Madden 26, and game lovers seem to be wiping their hands off it as if a swift tackle was foiled on the field.
A simple one-line message composition reading, “Full matchup list! See you at 11,” tagged with a link, gave rise to mixed reactions: some hype, some chaos, and mostly faces of disbelief directed at the choices made by EA.
That brings us to the number one item hitting every gamer’s mind- Kurt Benkert. To be fair, it did appear much more often than a glitched QB sneak in the replies. Multiple gamers cursed it; one said, “Why would you guys try to ruin your brand by featuring that rapist Kurt Benkert?” The other added, “Can we stop pushing Kurt Benkert, that nigga is garbage.” Evidently, the community is not pleased at all with EA’s inclusion of him. And whether the people throwing accusations harbored genuine grounds or were just being angry (pun intended), there is certainly a lot of messiness by now.
Then we have the Xbox pre-download drama. Players were thrilled at being unable to download Madden 26 directly except through an app. “Let us download Madden on Xbox without the app,” one demanded, only to be asked by another, “You plan on fixing the Xbox pre download on console or???” This is not the first time EA would have messed up on Xbox downloads, and players are sick and tired of it now. One even joked, “Yeah, get a ps5,” which… fair, but also ouch.
And with that money-putting, it goes after missing for Wednesday matchups drama. For some matchups, EA actually went with TimTheTatman and Ochocinco, and let’s just say… not everyone is able to contain his excitement. “Tim is cooked…” said another user, casting shade over the whole Madden creator community: “All you Madden creators and streamers. How does it feel not one of you were chosen lmaooo.” Brutal. Simultaneously, others ask for an Ocho vs. Cam Newton clash because, honestly, that would be epic.
Franchise Mode was not spared from criticism. “So far ‘Franchise Mode’ looks identical in every way to last iteration and it has the same generic faces for Ai generated prospects. Total buzz kill,” one player grumbled. And then. If EA is betting on nostalgia, they may as well throw in a couple of real features instead of remixing the same old stuff.
The replies are messy, but honestly? That just makes it good. Madden gamers never keep their thoughts to themselves. Surely by now, EA must know that for optimum creative decisions; there is going to be outrage, memes, and roasting. From the featured players to the Xbox download drama and to no real progress in Franchise Mode, the community has spoken.
So then what? The matchups have been picked, the countdown is ticking, and players are either hyped or ready to riot. So in any case, it’s gonna be anything but boring for the launch of Madden 26. So, stay put, guys. It’s a wild ride!
