FC 26 Journey of Nations: Full Schedule, All Rewards & How to Get Maradona (June 2026)

Journey of Nations is the best free content EA has dropped in FC 26 all season — and most players are leaving huge rewards on the table because they don't know when the next continent goes live. Quick verdict: do every wave, no excuses. The endpoint is a 97 OVR Diego Maradona, untradeable. That's the best Icon in the game for free.

Asia & Oceania opens in 3 days (June 12). If you haven't started yet, North America is still active — knock it out today. Here's the complete schedule and exactly what you need to do.

Full Journey of Nations Schedule (June–July 2026)

The entire Festival of Football window closes July 24. You have roughly 6 weeks to complete all five continents — that's comfortable, but only if you don't skip weeks.

South America Reward: Carlos Alberto Torres 95 RB++

The South America completionist prize is one of the most versatile promo cards in the game right now. Carlos Alberto covers RB, RWB, and CM — and at 95 OVR, he's a genuine starter in almost any meta squad.

94 Pace + 95 DEF at RB is meta-tier. The 90 DRI means he's comfortable carrying the ball out of defence too. For a free untradeable card you earn through objectives, this is a no brainer — don't sleep on South America (June 26).

North America Reward: Hugo Sánchez 95 ST — Active Now

If you haven't started the North America wave yet, it's still live. Hugo Sánchez is a 95 OVR ST (untradeable) — renowned for pace and shooting, exactly what a starting striker needs. The objective grind for North America typically takes 2–3 sessions in Squad Battles or Division Rivals. Get it done before Asia opens and you're a week ahead.

How to Access Journey of Nations & Complete It Fast

1. Open FUT → go to the Journey of Nations hub in the Objectives menu (left panel).
2. Select the active continent (North America right now, Asia & Oceania from June 12).
3. Complete the objective groups — each continent has multiple challenge tiers. Finishing all groups in one continent = Completionist reward.
4. Squad Battles on World Class is the fastest way to tick off win/score conditions. No need to touch WL or ranked Rivals.
5. Use international players for bonus progress — most continent objectives require using players from that region in your starting XI.

Tips to Save Time

• Build a dedicated cheap squad per continent (84–86 OVR is enough for Squad Battles). Don't burn your meta squad coins.
• Do objectives in batches — chain 3–4 that share the same "score X goals" or "win X games" condition.
• Each continent window is 7–8 days. Miss a week and you're locked out of that continent's Completionist reward — meaning no Maradona.

The 97 OVR Maradona: Is It Worth the Grind?

Short answer: yes, absolutely. A 97 OVR Diego Maradona Icon is the kind of reward you'd normally pay 2–4M coins for in the transfer market. This version is untradeable, but as a free completionist reward it's the best value EA has ever put in an objective track. Five continent completions over five weeks — that's the price. Most players can knock out each wave in 2–4 sessions.

The only reason to skip is if you've already packed a better CAM/SS and have zero use for an Icon on that position. For 99% of squads, Maradona is an immediate starter.

What You Should Do Right Now (June 9)

• Today: Start (or finish) North America objectives — Hugo Sánchez is free 95 OVR, don't waste the window.
• June 12: Immediately load Asia & Oceania when it drops. Use players from that region in your starting XI for bonus progress.
• June 19 / 26 / July 3: Block 2 hours each week for Africa, South America, and Europe waves. Calendar it now.
• After July 3: Complete the all-5-continents Completionist objective → claim your 97 OVR Maradona.
• Bonus: Log in daily between June 5 and July 24 to earn the 93 OVR Pelé (Season 8 Festival of Football Icon login reward).