FC 26 Player Roles explained: Best Player Role for each position, including new options

Below we’ll cover what each of the new roles does, and update our list of the best Player Roles for each position on the pitch.

New Player Roles in FC 26

A ball-playing keeper is a goalie who tends to move up to the edge of their defensive third, like David Raya or Alisson, ready to sweep up loose balls while also acting as an additional passing option when facing a high press.

There are risks, however, such as being vulnerable to lobs if an opponent wins the ball back quickly.

Inverted Wingback

Inverted Wingbacks like Myles Lewis-Skelly or Marc Cucurella are similar to last year’s Falseback in that they want to be further up the pitch when on the ball.

Rather than sitting at the base of midfield, however, they’ll work to create passing options even higher up, and potentially move into a sort of additional striker spot.

Wide Back

Wide Backs are centre-halves that are comfortable moving wider to offer coverage for right-backs and left-backs that push up the pitch.

Examples include Benjamin Pavard and Piero Hincapié, and they’ll usually play either side of a more regimented CB in a back three.

Box Crasher

Want a CDM to play like Declan Rice or Patri Guijarro, making late runs into the box to meet a cross or smash in the ball as it bobbles off a defender? The Box Crasher is the Player Role for you.

Doing so can leave a gap in your midfield, so be sure to pick someone with plenty of stamina to recover.

The best Player Roles in FC 26

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to picking Player Roles in FC 26, but your best bet is to experiment with the team selection screen to see which areas are covered (look for the green) and where there may be gaps.

As fun as it is to play with rampaging full-backs, for example, you’ll need your remaining defenders to cover a lot of space, or get your midfielders to drop back.

Here are some of our top Player Roles, in any case.

Best Goalkeeper Player Role in FC 26

Our pick, as it was last year, is to go with Goalkeeper - Balanced. This means your stopper will be able to distribute the ball and only occasionally break away to mop up attacks.

Options for this year’s game with PlayStyle ++ for the role include the usual suspects of Courtois (Real Madrid), Donnarumma (Manchester City) and Oblak (Atletico Madrid).

Best LB and RB Player Role in FC 26

Last year, we went for Falesback here, but this year we’ve gone for Wingback (Balanced). You’ll need your full-back to have plenty of stamina, but they’ll be able to push upfield to open new passing channels or swing in an early cross.

Examples include Al-Hilal’s Theo Hernandez and Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol on the left, and Barca’s Jules Kounde and Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong on the right.

Best CB Player Role in FC 26

We’ve gone with Centre Back (Balanced) this year, helping mitigate the wingback choice and typified by the likes of Arsenal’s Gabriel and Bayern’s Jonathan Tah.

These defenders relish physical battles and have enough pace when needed to push players wide of the goal.

Best CDM Player Role in FC 26

We love a late run into the box for a bullet header, so we’ve gone with Box Crasher this time. As explained above, the likes of Declan Rice and Kim Little will look to pop up to overload the defence when a cross comes in.

Best CM Player Role in FC 26

To facilitate our CDM getting involved in attacks, we’re going for a Box-To-Box (Ball Winning) Player Role in CM.

Players like Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde will make tackles to help out the defence, while also keeping it moving in attack.

Best CAM Player Role in FC 26

For this, we’ve gone with Playmaker (Build-Up). This means a creative midfielder can drop a little deeper to receive the ball, while also pulling defenders out of position.

Ideal candidates here are Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, with both able to use quick feet to get the ball out wide, into the striker, or start something themselves.

Best LW and RW Player Role in FC 26

With the centre of the pitch fairly secure and our wingbacks taking up space out wide, it’s a good idea to go for the Inside Forward (Attack) Player Role on the wings.

Doing so means the likes of Mo Salah, Vini Jr or Ousmane Dembele will start out wide and cut inside or make attacking runs when crosses come from the opposite side.

Best ST Player Role in FC 26

Finally, for our goalscorer, we’ve gone for Poacher (Versatile). This means the player will almost always be in the box, a la Alessia Russo or Alexander Isak, but they’ll be comfortable coming a little closer to midfield to help build chances if they’re not getting the service.

Read more on FC 26:

• FC 26 player ratings confirmed: Top-rated players
• FC 26 wonderkids: Best young players
• FC 26 fastest players
• FC 26 soundtrack
• How to do Siu celebration in FC 26
• How to do the Cole Palmer celebration in FC 26
• FC 26 FUT Champs rewards
• FC 26 wingers: Best RW, LW, RM and LM

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