The annual ritual of EA Sports announcing their Team of The Year (TOTY) for their hit football video game franchise EA FC has arrived, with the publisher revealing the identity of the top 27 players across their men’s and all-new women’s teams for 2023.
For the first time in the game’s history, female footballers will join their male counterparts in receiving elite supercharged TOTY item cards in FC 24 Ultimate Team packs as a celebration of their achievements over the past calendar year.
Electronic Arts Sports tweeted out a video showcasing the full EA FC 24 Team of The Year squads which you can view below:
Women Break New Ground in FC 24 with Inaugural TOTY Squad
In a landmark moment for representation and inclusivity in the world’s most popular sports video game, 11 of the world’s top female footballers will be honoured in FC 24 as inaugural TOTY selections. This is a watershed moment, as previously the honour was restricted only to male players. Women being incorporated into the TOTY festivities properly reflects the rapid growth and progress of women’s football.
The full women’s XI consists of:
- GK: Mary Earps (Manchester United & England)
- RB: Ona Batlle (Barcelona & Spain)
- CB: Wendie Renard (Lyon & France)
- CB: Millie Bright (Chelsea & England)
- LB: Sakina Karchaoui (Paris SG & France)
- CDM: Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg & Germany)
- CM: Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona & Spain)
- CM: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona & Spain)
- RW: Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona & Norway)
- ST: Sophie Smith (Portland Thorns & USA)
- ST: Sam Kerr (Chelsea & Australia)
Alexia Putellas, winner of the last two Ballon d’Or Feminine awards, was the runaway top vote-getter amongst the women’s candidates – being named in a remarkable 84% of all fan-submitted teams. Her Barcelona teammate Aitana Bonmati was second with 77%, followed by Caroline Graham Hansen on 66%.
Men’s TOTY Squad in EA FC 24
On the men’s side, familiar faces return in FC’s TOTY XI of 2023. Real Madrid’s Englishman Jude Bellingham, a dominant box-to-box midfield force at just age 21, was the top voted man with 74% of teams. Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe came second in votes on 66%, same as Liverpool defensive rock Virgil van Dijk.
The full men’s TOTY line-up is:
- GK: Alisson (Liverpool & Brazil)
- RWB: Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen & Netherlands)
- CB: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool & Netherlands)
- CB: Ruben Dias (Manchester City & Portugal)
- LB: Theo Hernandez (AC Milan & France)
- CDM: Rodri (Manchester City & Spain)
- CM: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid & England)
- CM: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
- ST: Kylian Mbappe (Paris SG & France)
- ST: Erling Haaland (Manchester City & Norway)
- CF: Lionel Messi (Paris SG & Argentina)
Mbappe, De Bruyne, Van Dijk and other elite talents have become fixtures of EA’s TOTY,reflecting their sustained success competing at the pinnacle of men’s football.
Staggered TOTY Releases
As is tradition, EA has not dropped the entire TOTY into FC 24 packs all at once, instead opting for a staggered release schedule to build hype and keep the promo feeling fresh across its two week cycle:
- January 19 – Attackers Release (6pm UK / 1pm ET)
- January 21 – Midfielders Release (6pm UK / 1pm ET)
- January 23 – Defenders & Goalkeepers Release (6pm UK / 1pm ET)
- January 25 – Full Team Release (6pm UK / 1pm ET)
This schedule provides a steady drip-feed of elite TOTY cards entering circulation on the transfer market, while allowing anticipation to build towards the full squad launch.
Icons TOTY Release in FC 24
In a surprise move, EA also dropped a handpicked selection of six prime icon greats who have received major stat boosts beyond even their already elite base icons cards. This specially chosen Icon TOTY group consists of:
- Ronaldo (ST, Brazil)
- Patrick Vieira (CM, France)
- Petr Cech (GK, Czech Republic)
- Franck Ribery (LW, France)
- Xavi (CM, Spain)
- Gianfranco Zola (CF, Italy)
Seeing these legends of the past upgraded to modern TOTY levels should add nostalgic fun for long-time fans of EA’s football franchise.
Key Player Reactions
Understandably, being recognised as one of the chosen few TOTY elite has left this year’s selections overjoyed.
“It’s incredible to be recognised by the fans and be amongst some of the best players in the world,” said two-time women’s Ballon d’Or Alexia Putellas on her pioneering inclusion in the first ever women’s XI.
“A massive thank you to the fans for voting for me to be part of this year’s Team Of The Year,” said Bellingham, who topped the men’s votes. “I know a lot of incredible players have been part of previous Team Of The Year squads and it’s always an honour to be part of that list.”
Meanwhile, Sam Kerr called it a “a real privilege” to be involved as one of the inaugural women’s TOTY picks after her goal-filled year saw her lead Chelsea to the FA Women’s Super League title.
Massive Stats Upgrades For TOTY Cards
The key draw of seeing your favourite players named in TOTY is the massively overpowered special item cards that come along with the honour in FC Ultimate Team.
Across the board, expect staggering stat increases ranging around +5-10 on every key attribute like pace, shooting, dribbling and defence for outfield players, and similarly dramatic boosts to reflexes, positioning and other vitals for the goalkeepers.
These TOTY cards immediately become amongst the most desirable and expensive items you can pack or buy off the transfer market all year long in FC, with the top names easily selling for millions of in-game coins. So if you are fortunate enough to pack Mbappe, Putellas or another TOTY star, hold on tight because you’ve just hit the jackpot!
While not everyone will be so lucky, EA has given all players an untradeable 83+ x5 Attacker’s pack to celebrate the TOTY launch. So be sure to login and open yours for a free hit at the TOTY lottery, as some lucky few are sure to find Messi or Haaland waiting inside!
The launch of EA FC 24 Team of The Year has delivered players shiny new toys in the form of juiced up star players, made history with the first women’s TOTY, and given the community weeks of engaging content and excitement to dive into. It’s an exciting time to be a fan of EA’s leading football video game franchise!