EA SPORTS FC 27 Pro format revealed with a tournament heading to London in November

Craig Robinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 27/08/2026

EA has revealed the FC Pro 27 competitive season, with the new campaign beginning on 21 September and featuring more than $2.5 million in total prize money, including a $1 million prize pool for the FC Pro World Championship.

For the record, EA FC 27 actually releases 25th September, with early access release date scheduled for 17th September. Make of that what you will.

The major changes to the EA SPORTS FC 27 Pro format

The season starts with the FC Pro Open Ladder, running from 21 September to 3 October in EA SPORTS FC 27 Ultimate Team. Players who have reached Division 5 or higher in Division Rivals can enter directly through the FC Pro tab, with no external registration required. So yes, you will get a bit of a headstart if you pre-order the biggest bundle, especially with the pre-order and premium edition bonuses that come with it.

The Ladder will run 24 hours a day, with the top 1,376 PlayStation 5 players across 10 regions advancing to the Regional Qualifiers. Xbox Series X|S players can also compete for in-game rewards, although they cannot progress to the competitive qualifiers.Again, make that what you will

The Regional Qualifiers will take place online on 10-11 October, using a Swiss stage followed by a double-elimination bracket held online.

New global invitations and format changes

After the Regionals conclude, 52 will head to London and take part in the FC Pro Open Global Qualifier. The event in London will feature 64 players, combining the 52 regional qualifiers with 12 direct invitations. Those invites go to the players who finished fifth through 16th at last season’s FC Pro Open.

The event introduces a key change to the pathway, with no Last Chance Qualifier at the Global Qualifier this season, meaning every stage will carry greater importance. The competition begins with a five-round Swiss stage before the top 32 enter four double-elimination brackets, with 16 players ultimately advancing to the FC Pro Open.

The FC Pro Open itself will feature 24 players, with the 16 Global Qualifier players joining eight returning invited stars from last season’s Open and World Championship.

The group stage will use a double round-robin format. First-place finishers in each group will immediately qualify for the World Championship, while second and third will advance to the Finals. The four fourth-place players will receive invitations to next season’s Global Qualifier, while fifth and sixth must restart their journey.

More routes to the World Championship

Players will have several additional opportunities to reach the season finale through three FC Pro Open Cups, FC Pro Leagues and the World Championship Last Chance Qualifier.

The Open Cups will award Circuit Points, with 28 players ultimately qualifying for the World Championship Play-Ins. The Play-Ins will feature 64 players competing across Swiss, double-elimination and single-elimination stages for the remaining World Championship spots.

The 36-player World Championship will retain last season’s League Stage format before moving into a 24-player knockout bracket. Eight players from the FC Pro Open will join competitors qualifying through Leagues and the Play-Ins.

The tournament also opens up to even more competitors across the Middle East for the first time, with Bahrain, Jordan, Libya and Oman joining the Middle-East region. It comes after EA was recently acquired, partly by the Saudi investment funds.

If you’re curious you can check out the full rules and information here.

Craig Robinson, Senior Editor

Craig began his career with Esports News UK back in 2015/2016, looking to write about a passion while studying at Manchester Metropolitan University. He stayed there for several years before moving on to other websites to begin his career after graduating. Now he's back, covering esports adjacent topics and UK stories.

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