EA FC 26 Black Friday: Best of TOTW 2025 Guide

• What is EA FC 26 Black Friday: Best of TOTW 2025?
• Player pool: which Best of TOTW cards can return?
• Most meta & desirable Best of TOTW players
• How the Best of Team of the Week re‑release works
• Black Friday Best of TOTW release dates & schedule
• How to get Best of TOTW cards in Ultimate Team
• Market tips, packs & coin management for Black Friday
• Using ItemD2R to prepare for Black Friday

What is EA FC 26 Black Friday: Best of TOTW 2025?

Black Friday has become one of the biggest promo periods every year in EA Sports FC. In EA FC 26, the event returns once again with the main Thunderstruck promo and a series of re‑releases – the most important one for competitive players is Black Friday: Best of Team of the Week (Best of TOTW) 2025.

During this mini‑event, EA brings back a large selection of the strongest Team of the Week (TOTW) cards released so far in FC 26. If you missed a meta card earlier in the cycle, Best of TOTW is your second chance to pack or buy it on the market.

This guide walks you through:

• How Best of TOTW 2025 works and what makes it different from a regular TOTW
• Which TOTWs are included in the re‑release player pool
• Highlight players such as Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Vini Jr., Jude Bellingham, Lionel Messi and top women’s stars like Alexia Putellas
• The exact release window for the Black Friday Best of TOTW squad
• How to get these cards efficiently via packs, the transfer market and smart coin management

Player pool: which Best of TOTW cards can return?

By the time Black Friday starts, EA will already have released 10 regular TOTW squads in EA FC 26. Each TOTW contains 23 players, which means the total potential pool for Best of TOTW is:

• 10 TOTWs × 23 players = 230 unique TOTW items

Best of TOTW does not bring back all 230 cards. Instead, EA selects a curated list of the most noteworthy items from:

• EA FC 26 TOTW 10
• EA FC 26 TOTW 9
• EA FC 26 TOTW 8
• EA FC 26 TOTW 7
• EA FC 26 TOTW 6
• EA FC 26 TOTW 5
• EA FC 26 TOTW 4
• EA FC 26 TOTW 3
• EA FC 26 TOTW 2
• EA FC 26 TOTW 1

Early community leaks suggest that 60 or more TOTW players will make it into the re‑release, and based on previous years it could be closer to 80–90 items once everything is confirmed.

The original German article listed a huge number of potential candidates, from 90+ overall superstars down to heavily boosted hidden gems. Below we summarise the categories you can expect and highlight some of the most important names from that list.

Most meta & desirable Best of TOTW players

The full candidate table contains hundreds of names, but from a competitive and value perspective, several cards stand out. These are the types of items FC pros and serious Weekend League players will be aiming for if they drop into Best of TOTW.

Top‑tier superstars (90+ OVR)

At the very top of the list are world‑class attackers and playmakers who fit into almost every high‑level squad:

• Alexia Putellas (TOTW 7, 92 OVR) – an elite central midfielder for possession‑based players. Her card mixes 5★ skills and 5★ weak foot with First Touch+, excellent passing playstyles and multiple CM/CAM roles.
• Mohamed Salah (TOTW 5, 92 OVR) – a classic right‑sided scorer with a deadly finesse shot, strong pace, and several finishing‑oriented playstyles. Works brilliantly as RM or RF in narrow and wide formations.
• Erling Haaland (TOTW 1, 91 OVR) – a pure goal machine with Finesse Shot, Power Shot and aerial dominance. If you like crossing or early through‑balls, his TOTW item still feels top meta.
• Jude Bellingham (TOTW 7, 91 OVR) – a complete box‑to‑box midfielder with great work rates, multiple positions (RM, CAM, CM, RF) and a mix of defending, shooting and passing playstyles.
• Harry Kane (TOTW 1, 90 OVR) – slower than Haaland but lethal inside and outside the box. Great option for patient build‑up or two‑striker systems.
• Vini Jr. (TOTW 4, 90 OVR) – one of the most dangerous left‑sided attackers in FC 26 with elite pace, 5★ skills and multiple dribbling playstyles like Rapid and Technical.

Most of these cards already feel like promotional items rather than simple TOTWs, which is why they are perfect headliners for a Black Friday re‑release.

High‑level playmakers & midfield anchors (86–90 OVR)

The candidate list also includes a long set of top‑tier midfielders and defenders that can transform your club without costing as much as the absolute superstars:

• Vitinha (TOTW 9, 90 OVR) – versatile CM/CDM with Technical+, Tiki‑Taka and multiple deep‑lying playmaker roles.
• Declan Rice (TOTW 8, 88 OVR) – rock‑solid DM with Block, Intercept and Relentless. Ideal screen in 4‑2‑3‑1 or 4‑3‑3 holding.
• Moises Caicedo (TOTW 4, 88 OVR) – another elite CDM option with Power Shot, Intercept and a very aggressive defensive profile.
• Hakan Çalhanoğlu (TOTW 8, 87 OVR) – deep‑lying playmaker and set‑piece wizard with Power Shot and Dead Ball, perfect for free‑kick specialists.
• Bruno Guimarães (TOTW 4, 87 OVR) – box‑to‑box midfielder with Finesse Shot and Relentless, great links to Premier League squads.
• Pedro Gonçalves, Lucas Paquetá, Keira Walsh, Lena Oberdorf and several others fill similar roles as high‑IQ midfield anchors and creators.

Meta defenders & full‑backs

Best of TOTW also has plenty of defensive upgrades, many with huge boosts over their base cards:

• Josko Gvardiol (TOTW 10, 86 OVR) – can play LB or CB, combining strength with dribbling and passing playstyles. Very flexible in hybrid squads.
• Mapi León (TOTW 10, 90 OVR) – top‑level centre‑back with Slide Tackle+, Dead Ball and long‑passing playstyles; superb ball‑playing defender.
• Benjamin Pavard, Eder Militão, Micky van de Ven, Harry Maguire TOTW – all offer big pace or physicality upgrades that make them viable in Ranked play.
• Full‑backs such as Grimaldo, David Raum, Konrad Laimer, Esmee Brugts, Sara Holmgaard and others provide attacking outlet plus strong defensive traits.

Hidden gems & big boosts

Beyond the obvious stars, the candidate list is full of lower‑rated players who received enormous in‑form upgrades (often +10 to +20 overall). These are especially attractive for Road to Glory or themed squads:

• Allegra Poljak (TOTW 10, 86 OVR) – +12 upgrade, now a flexible wide player or full‑back with several new attacking playstyles.
• Divin Mubama (TOTW 8, 83 OVR) – +24 upgrade and a proper finisher with Knipser‑style striker roles.
• Amario Cozier‑Duberry, Dan Agyei, Edu Espiau, Richonell Margaret and many more bronze/silver cards turned into highly usable special items.

During Best of TOTW, these cards often become cheap but effective options for objectives, lower divisions or experimental squads.

How the Best of Team of the Week re‑release works

Best of TOTW is a re‑release event. That means EA does not create new versions of the cards – it simply puts selected TOTW items back into packs for a limited time.

Key points to understand:

• No additional upgrades: the cards are identical to their original TOTW versions. Same overall rating, stats, playstyles and positions.
• Limited selection: only some of the 230 eligible TOTW players are chosen. Others remain out of packs and only available on the market.
• Packable again: while the event is live, every pack that can contain TOTW cards can now also contain any of the Best of TOTW items.
• Market impact: because supply suddenly increases, prices of many returning TOTWs drop sharply, making them more affordable – but top‑end cards can still remain expensive due to demand.

If you already own a TOTW version that is being re‑released, nothing happens to your card. It stays in your club unchanged; you just get more opportunities to pack duplicates for SBC fodder or trading.

Black Friday Best of TOTW release dates & schedule

According to EA’s usual calendar and information from the source article, EA FC 26 Black Friday: Best of TOTW 2025 drops at the very start of the Black Friday promo:

• Reveal and release: Wednesday, 25 November 2025, 19:00 (server time)
• It launches alongside TOTW 11 and runs in parallel with the Thunderstruck main event.
• End date: Friday, 5 December 2025, when the Black Friday campaign ends.

That window of roughly 10 days is your main chance to:

• Open saved packs in the hope of packing a top Best of TOTW card
• Buy returning TOTW items on the transfer market at significantly reduced prices
• Complete SBCs or objectives that might reward guaranteed TOTW packs

How to get Best of TOTW cards in Ultimate Team

There are three main ways to obtain Black Friday Best of TOTW items in EA FC 26 Ultimate Team.

1. Packs (store, saved packs & objectives)

While the event is active, any pack that can normally contain TOTW items can also include one of the Best of TOTW players. This includes:

• Promo packs and lightning rounds in the store
• Standard gold packs, mega packs, rare player packs, etc.
• Rewards from Rivals, Champions, Squad Battles and objectives
• Packs earned through SBCs (including upgrade SBCs)

Some important practical tips:

• More players = better chances: packs with a higher number of rare players naturally provide more opportunities to hit a Best of TOTW card.
• No guarantees: even in a 100k or 125k pack there is no guaranteed Best of TOTW – odds are better but still RNG‑based.
• Save packs ahead of time: if you know the Black Friday date, it’s smart to hold onto your big rewards and open them once the re‑release is live.

2. Transfer market

Because Best of TOTW drastically increases the supply of these in‑forms, the transfer market becomes the most reliable place to target specific players. If there is a card you absolutely need – say TOTW Haaland or Bellingham – relying purely on packs is risky. The market allows you to:

• Bid on underpriced cards during high‑pack‑supply periods (lightning rounds, 100k packs, etc.).
• Watch price trends: many cards crash 20–60% compared to their pre‑Black Friday price.
• Upgrade multiple positions efficiently instead of gambling all your resources on packs.

To take advantage of lower prices, you will obviously need a good coin balance ready before Black Friday starts. We will cover coin strategies in a later section.

3. SBCs & objectives

EA often releases Squad Building Challenges or objectives that are indirectly tied to Best of TOTW:

• Upgrade SBCs (for example 80+ or 83+ player picks and packs) that can include TOTW items.
• Occasional TOTW player pick or guaranteed TOTW packs where the player pool includes the Best of cards.
• Objective sets rewarding untradeable packs or even specific TOTW items.

These are useful if you’re club‑stocked with untradeable fodder or if you grind menus regularly. However, they can also be a coin sink if you over‑commit early, so it’s wise to compare the SBC cost to the actual value of potential rewards on the market.

Market tips, packs & coin management for Black Friday

To get the most out of Best of TOTW, you need a plan for your coins, packs and club. Here are practical strategies based on the way the market usually behaves during Black Friday.

Before Best of TOTW starts

In the days leading up to Black Friday:

• Selling risky investments: high‑rated golds and older promos that are likely to be outclassed or included in heavy pack supply often fall in price. Consider selling them beforehand.
• Saving your best packs: keep Rivals, Champs and SBC packs for the official Black Friday start, when Best of TOTW and Thunderstruck are both in packs.
• Liquid coins: try to convert unneeded players into coins so you can buy cards when the market crashes.

During the event

Once Black Friday is live:

• Expect heavy pack supply: lightning rounds and discounted or improved value packs flood the market with cards, pushing prices down.
• Target your upgrades: instead of opening everything blindly, decide which positions you want to improve (for example, left‑winger and CDM) and focus your spending around those targets.
• Time your purchases: during big lightning rounds, watch the market for rapid undercuts and snipe or bid on desired Best of TOTW cards.
• Don’t panic sell too late: if you held onto some high‑rated cards, selling in the middle of the crash often locks in a loss. Either sell early before the event or commit to holding long‑term.

After the event

When Best of TOTW ends on 5 December 2025, supply dries up again:

• Many meta Best of TOTW items slowly rise in price as fewer are opened in packs.
• If you plan to keep a card long‑term (for example Haaland or Bellingham), it’s usually safe to hold after you’ve bought during the crash.
• Traders can flip rare or in‑demand items a few days or weeks after Black Friday for profit.

Using ItemD2R to prepare for Black Friday

Black Friday is one of the most coin‑intensive periods of the whole FC 26 cycle. Between Thunderstruck, Best of TOTW, upgrade SBCs and constant lightning rounds, it’s easy to feel like you never have enough coins to build the squad you want.

If you prefer to spend your time actually playing matches rather than grinding menus and trading all day, some players choose external help to build a budget cushion before the promo hits. For example, you can stock up with fc 26 coins xbox or other platform currencies in advance, so you are ready to jump on the best market opportunities as soon as prices drop.

Similarly, if you’re playing on PC or another console and just want a simple, flexible top‑up, you can look at fc26 coin options. Having a healthy coin balance when Best of TOTW starts allows you to:

• Buy meta cards at their lowest point instead of waiting weeks to afford them
• Experiment with several different squads (for example, a women’s super‑team built around Putellas and Mapi León, plus a separate Premier League side)
• Complete expensive SBCs that might reward guaranteed TOTW or special promo cards

As always, make sure any external services you use are reputable and that you understand the risks and your platform’s rules. From a pure gameplay perspective, starting Black Friday with a solid coin stack is one of the easiest ways to maximise the value you get from the Best of TOTW re‑release.

To summarise: EA FC 26 Black Friday: Best of TOTW 2025 is your main mid‑season chance to pick up some of the best in‑form items released across the first ten TOTWs. With smart timing on packs, a clear market strategy and enough coins saved (or topped up), you can come out of the event with a dramatically stronger Ultimate Team.