FC 26 Greats of the Game – Release Date, All Players & How to Prepare (June 19)

Greats of the Game drops June 19 — here's every confirmed name and what to do before it hits

EA confirmed it weeks ago but now the clock is real: Greats of the Game goes live on Friday, June 19, as part of the Festival of Football. Two brand-new ICONs enter FUT for the first time — Mario Kempes and Rivellino — and the full leaked roster brings back some of the most expensive ICON SBCs in FC 26. If you're sitting on a pile of fodder and wondering whether to hold or spend, this is the guide.

Key Dates

All Confirmed Greats of the Game Players

EA confirmed Kempes and Rivellino as the two new ICONs joining FUT for the first time. The full leaked roster — corroborated by FUT.GG's official festival news — includes legends spread across multiple squads and SBC tracks:

• Mario Kempes — Argentina ST (new ICON debut)
• Rivellino — Brazil LM/CAM (new ICON debut)
• Zinedine Zidane — France CAM
• Thierry Henry — France ST
• Ronaldinho — Brazil CAM
• Johan Cruyff — Netherlands CAM/ST
• Pelé — Brazil ST
• Ronaldo Nazário (R9) — Brazil ST
• Diego Maradona — Argentina CAM

Ratings and card art will be confirmed on June 19. Specific PlayStyles+ per card are unconfirmed at time of writing — check in-game on release day.

The Two New ICONs: Kempes & Rivellino

Mario Kempes — Argentina ST

The 1978 World Cup Golden Boot winner, making his FUT debut. Kempes was the tournament's joint-top scorer and Argentina's talisman in the final. Expect a pacey ST card built around clinical finishing — classic Argentine striker profile. As a first-release ICON with a World Cup legacy, his SBC is likely to sit at the higher end of the cost range.

Rivellino — Brazil LM/CAM

One of the most technically gifted players from Brazil's 1970 squad — the World Cup widely considered the greatest of all time. Rivellino's left foot was legendary; expect a card loaded with technical PlayStyles+. Also making his full FUT debut, which means demand will spike hard on June 19. If you want him, waiting 48–72 hours for SBC costs to settle is the smarter play.

What to Do Before June 19

Three things to action right now:

• Don't spend your fodder yet. The Greats SBCs will likely require 83–88+ squads across multiple tracks. Hold everything until costs are confirmed — panic-doing other SBCs the day before launch is how you end up 500K short.
• Stack World Cup Tokens. FUT.GG confirmed Pelé is available via the World Cup Token store (separate from the SBC track). If you've been doing the Festival of Football objectives, those tokens have a use — don't spend them on smaller rewards.
• Check which ICON you actually want. The Greats SBCs are notoriously expensive. Maradona, R9, Cruyff and Zidane consistently cost 1M+ coins in SBC fodder. Kempes and Rivellino as new ICONs are harder to price right now, but budget at least 600K–900K on day 1.

Are Icon SBCs Worth It This Late in the Cycle?

Honest take: for most players, no. We're deep into FC 26's calendar. Unless you're specifically trying to complete an Icon collection or you genuinely play with classic legends in your squad, the coins are better kept liquid — FC 27 is three to four months away. That said, Kempes and Rivellino as new ICONs are a different conversation: if you collect first-time additions or play with Argentine/Brazilian legends on principle, June 19 is the only window to get them at a reasonable SBC cost (prices always inflate after week 1).

For the ICON veterans (Zidane, R9, Cruyff, Maradona, Pelé) — you've seen these SBCs before. Nothing new here unless you've been specifically waiting for the price dip at end of cycle.