Every year, FIFA Ultimate Team is the most popular game mode in FIFA and that hasn't changed in FIFA 20. It allows gamers to build their dream team, where you can even have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the same side. However, for beginners FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) can look daunting, but things like chemistry, the draft and earning coins are all quite straightforward once you know how they work. Read on for our complete guide to FUT.
What is FIFA Ultimate Team?
FIFA Ultimate Team was first introduced in FIFA 10 as a downloadable expansion but has been a key part of FIFA for the past decade. FUT allows players to build their dream squads, choosing from every single player in the game's database. Better players can be bought through the in-game transfer market using coins that are earned from playing in games and tournaments. Coins can also be made through trading on the transfer market by buying low and selling high, while packs of players and other items are also available for purchase using in-game coins or FIFA points which are bought using real money.
FUT matches can only be played on console or PC, but teams and squads can be managed and the transfer market can be accessed via the online web app or using the FIFA 20 Companion app on iPhone or Android.
What is chemistry in FIFA Ultimate Team?
In FUT, you can pick any 11 players to build a team. However, if they are just a random group of players, they may not perform well together as they have no chemistry. In the game, each team is given a chemistry rating out of 100, with each player having a maximum chemistry score of 10. As each team has 11 players, this means that you can still achieve a perfect score of 100 chemistry by using players with chemistry scores of 7 or above. This allows greater variety of teams and as a result, you can link players of different leagues or nations to put Neymar, Ronaldo and Messi in the same attack.
Chemistry for each player is determined by their relationship to the players around him. Four factors taken are into account for individual chemistry - position, nationality, league and club. Players who are chosen in their preferred position will play better than players who are forced into a position that is not their regular place. Players will also get a boost in chemistry if they play alongside someone from the same nationality or league. Perfect chemistry comes when two players have the same nationality and club, with Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld of Belgium and Spurs an example of the perfect centre-back pairing.
Manager cards further increase chemistry and can help a team reach a score of 100. These cards have a nationality and a club assigned to them and can add +1 chemistry to each individual player if one of these two requirements matches that player.
How do you earn FIFA Ultimate Team coins?
The most obvious way to earn coins in FUT is by playing matches. There are various tournaments and ways to play both online and offline in FIFA 20. Progressing further in tournaments and getting promoted in Division Rivals by beating online opponents helps earn even more coins. Gamers will be awarded coins after every game, even if they lose heavily.
Coins can also be earned by selling players on the transfer market. Many gamers spend a lot of time trading on the transfer market by buying players for lower than their value and selling them at peak times where their price is increased. Other ways to earn coins include completing daily and season objectives as well as completing Squad Building Challenges.
How do you get Team of the Week players?
Every Wednesday during the season, EA Sports reveals its FIFA 20 Team of the Week (TOTW), containing the best performers from the previous seven days of competitive football. These players are given upgraded versions which are available for a week from 6pm GMT/BST through packs. These versions of the players stay upgraded once they are no longer in packs and can then only be traded on the transfer market.
Other in-form (IF) players are available for a limited time in packs for Man of the Match (MOTM) or Champions League Team of the Group Stage (TOGS) or Team of the Knockout Stage (TOKS) performances. As well as these special items, there are sometimes untradeable IF players available via Squad Building Challenges.
What are Squad Building Challenges?
Squad Building Challenges (SBCs) are an additional way to earn coins, packs or unique players in FIFA 20. Each challenge has particular requirements such as minimum chemistry, a certain amount of players from a particular league or nation, or a minimum team rating.
To complete SBCs, you must build a team that matches the requirements and submit the players into the challenge. These players are then lost from your club and replaced by the coin, pack or player reward. There are basic SBCs such as the "Let's Get Started" challenges to help teach you how SBCs work and the finer points of chemistry.
What is Division Rivals?
The main online mode in FIFA 20 is Division Rivals, where gamers can play an unlimited amount of games each week to earn skill points and weekly score points. The weekly score determines coin and pack rewards for each week, awarded on Thursday mornings. Skill points determine league ranking and allow you to earn promotion to higher leagues.
As well as these, playing Division Rivals also earns Weekend League points, with 2000 points earning qualification to the FUT Champions Weekend League. At the end of each week, you can choose from three weekly reward options - a coin amount, tradeable packs or untradeable packs. You get twice the amount of packs if you choose untradeable ones, but the items won cannot be sold on the transfer market.
What is the Weekend League?
FUT Champions Weekend League was introduced in FIFA 17 and requires players to play 40 games during a weekend. Rewards are then given out for the number of wins during the weekend, with the best players in the world getting brilliant rewards for winning 37 or more of their 40 games. You do not need to play all 40 games as rewards are determined by the number of wins.
To qualify for the Weekend League, you need to either earn 2000 points through Division Rivals or else have performed well enough in the previous Weekend League to earn automatic qualification. Red versions of Team of the Week players are also earned as untradeable rewards for good performances in Weekend League.
What are Squad Battles?
Many players prefer playing offline to online and Squad Battles is the most popular single-player mode in FIFA 20. Each week, you take on one Featured Squad, the Team of the Week, as well as random squads from around the globe. These squads vary in overall rating and chemistry so provide a variety of opponents each week.
The Featured Squad is selected by a famous player or personality - and the Goal NxGn XI was even included last year. The first Featured Squad of FIFA 20 was selected by Virgil van Dijk and included his 99-rated card. Points are earned for winning and completing matches with more points awarded at higher difficulty levels. These points then determine weekly rewards which are awarded on Monday mornings.
What is the FUT Draft?
Many of the best players in the game are very expensive on the market, so FUT Draft gives gamers the opportunity to create a team with some of the highest-rated players in the game. Each position in the team is picked one-by-one with players drafted from a selection of five top-rated players. This squad is then entered into a knockout competition, with better rewards given the further you progress in the tournament.
The entry fee for the Draft is 15,000 coins or 300 FIFA points and can be played offline or online. The online draft gives better rewards including coins, packs and draft tokens to allow you to enter future drafts for free.
What are Season Objectives?
EA Sports
FIFA 20 has introduced a new experience points (XP) system known as Season Progress, where players earn experience for things like winning games and competitions, buying and selling players and completing other objectives. Earning more XP allows you to open various items at different levels, from coin boosts and loan players at the lower levels to packs and even untradeable upgraded players at higher levels.
There are daily, weekly and monthly objectives which provide XP, coins, or packs, which are refreshed regularly. The Oktoberfest objectives involved three German-related challenges and provided XP rewards as well as an untradeable Oktoberfest kit. Objectives range from challenges such as scoring 10 goals with German players, listing 5 players on the transfer market, or completing particular SBCs.
What are ICONs?
Legendary players were initially only on Xbox but were introduced as ICON cards on all platforms in FIFA 18. They include some of the most famous retired footballers in world football, with each player having three or four different versions to represent various stages of their career.
Base ICON cards are the lowest rated, followed by Mid ICONs and Prime ICONs. Some players also have Prime ICON Moment cards which are even higher rated and represent the pinnacle of a player's career. ICONs are available via packs or else through monthly rewards.
How can I access the Web App?
You can access your squad and trade on the transfer market at any time using the Web App or Companion App. The Web App is accessed online through a web browser and also allows you to complete objectives and Squad Building Challenges.
The FIFA 20 Companion App is available for iPhone and Android and has the exact same features as the Web App. Both also allow you to select your weekly rewards for Squad Battles, Division Rivals and Weekend League.