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EA Sports quickly released the second major patch for FC 26 in October, and update 1.0.3 introduces significant gameplay changes across all platforms.
The new update is live on PCs and consoles (current-gen) and includes many changes. EA Sports has already announced that they’re looking to release a new patch in October. If you have yet to test the update, this guide will explain what to expect.
Complete FC 26 Update 1.0.3 patch notes
The list of gameplay changes for patch 1.0.3 is smaller than the first Title Update. However, it fixes the poor defensive positioning during kickoffs, which has been a significant cause of concern. The new update makes it significantly more challenging to crack open the opposition defense, but only after a kickoff.
FC 26 v1.0.3 will be dropping soon, here’s what to expect:
– Improved defensive behavior and positioning for kick offs only.
– Addressed cases of Career Mode players acting unhappy following a new contract.
– A batch of PC centric improvements while we continue to investigate…
— EA SPORTS FC Direct Communication (@EASFCDirect) October 2, 2025
Gameplay
- The defending team will now position themselves more compactly for a short period of time after a kick off.
- Updated positions of defending players prior to kick off for all formations.
- Reduced the accuracy of Acrobatic shots taken right after a Rainbow Flick.
- Addressed instances of players taking a Trivela Shot at the keeper when it could have been more beneficial to perform a lace shot.
Many Ultimate Team users had to restart the game to redeem the Season 1 Premium Pass rewards. However, that problem disappeared after the update.
Ultimate Team
- Incorrect Bios could have appeared on Gold Player Items.
- The Season 1 Premium Pass previously required Ultimate Edition players to restart the game to claim it.
More bugs have also been fixed across Career mode, and you can expect better optimization if you’re playing on PC.
Career Mode
- After signing a new contract, players could have acted unhappy leading to a notification about a lack of contract offer and eventually leading to a transfer request.
General, Audio, and Visual
- [PC Only] Addressed some instances of controllers not responding in gameplay while we continue to investigate your reports on this issue and plan future improvements.
- [PC Only] Resolution and Display settings could have sometimes reset after closing the game.
- [PC Only] Optimized cloth physics to reduce impact on performance.
- [PC Only] Improved performance during corner kicks.
- [Showcase Only] Addressed instances of launching the game through an invite not placing the recipient in the match lobby.
- Addressed various stability issues that could have occurred.
As the new update is live, it should download and install automatically on your applicable platform.
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