In FC 26 Ultimate Team, the new Future Stars Academy evolution system has quietly created one of the strongest – and arguably glitched – center backs in the game. Community testing reports this card hitting a meta rating above 99, which is something you simply do not expect from a card that starts life as a low-key silver defender.
This guide walks you through the complete process to turn Southampton defender Joshua Kashi into a truly broken Future Stars Academy CB. You will see which evolutions to pick, why playstyles are more important than raw ratings, and how to build a defender that can keep up with the fastest strikers in FC 26.
Everything in this route is based on currently available evolutions, and the focus is on free upgrades and smart sequencing rather than expensive gambling. Follow the path carefully and you will end up with one of the most oppressive, meta-defining defenders in Ultimate Team.
The trick behind this glitch is not just the evolutions themselves, but the starting profile of Joshua Kashi. Before any upgrades, his card already looks surprisingly solid for a silver:
This combination makes Kashi the ideal candidate for Future Stars Academy evolutions. When you stack pace, defending and physical boosts on top of that frame – and then add elite playstyles – the game’s meta engine reads him as a complete monster, hence the 99+ meta rating figure that’s been floating around the community.
Before you commit to the full evolution chain, make sure you tick off these requirements:
Also remember that some evolutions have rating, position or league restrictions. The path described below respects those typical constraints and follows a logical progression from low-rated silver to elite-level CB.
Here is the high-level evolution path you will follow to turn Kashi into a glitched Future Stars Academy beast:
By the end of this chain, your Kashi should be sitting around the 90 overall mark, with elite pace, defending and physical stats, and surprisingly strong passing and dribbling for a center back. Combined with top-tier playstyles, he feels like a special promo card rather than a former silver.
Below is a detailed breakdown of each stage in the evolution chain, in the recommended order. Names of evolutions may vary slightly in your language/region, but the logic remains the same.
Your first upgrade should be an evolution that adds the Quickstep playstyle. This gives Kashi a noticeable burst over the first few steps, helping him close down through balls and recover when caught on the counter.
Even at this early stage, combining his tall frame with improved acceleration immediately makes him feel snappier than standard silver defenders.
Next, you want an evolution that grants the Intercept playstyle. This enhances his ability to cut passing lanes and auto-block dangerous through balls. Because Kashi already has decent defensive awareness, Intercept begins to transform him into a play-reading CB, not just a physical presence.
With Quickstep and Intercept in place, you are ready to move into the Future Stars Academy contract stage. This step effectively signs Kashi up as an Academy project and begins the journey toward much higher overall ratings.
The contract stage usually adds a mixture of stat boosts (defending, physical and sometimes passing) while qualifying him for later Academy evolutions in the chain.
Now comes one of the most important playstyle additions: Anticipate+. This upgraded version of the Anticipate playstyle makes Kashi far better at reading and reacting to changes in attack movement.
With Anticipate+, his tackles feel cleaner and more aggressive, and he is more likely to win tight duels where timing matters. Many players report that this single playstyle is part of why his meta rating spikes so hard.
The next step is a Block-focused evolution. Adding the Block playstyle massively improves his ability to get in the way of shots and crosses automatically. Combined with his height and reach, Kashi begins to feel like a wall in front of goal.
At this point, even before the big overall jumps, he will start to outperform many gold CBs just because he is constantly blocking and intercepting everything.
Now you move into a cluster of evolutions that primarily target playstyles:
These evolutions might also come with small upgrades to overall and defensive stats, but the real value is in how they define his defensive identity. After this package, Kashi becomes a nightmare for strikers who rely on physical battles or aerial crosses.
To bridge the gap toward the major Future Stars Academy upgrades, you can use evolutions that add the Crab Walk playstyle and small stat boosts. These tiny increments raise his overall slightly and smooth out weaknesses in agility or balance without pushing him beyond rating caps required for later Academy steps.
These stages are not flashy, but they are important for optimizing rating thresholds and making sure you qualify for the next big jump.
One of the most impactful points in the chain is the Future Stars Academy debut midfielder upgrade. Even though Kashi is a CB, this evolution path grants a huge boost across multiple attributes:
After this step, players report Kashi reaching around 86 overall. This is where he starts to feel less like an upgraded silver and more like a full-blown special card that can play out from the back comfortably.
Next you transition into the dedicated Future Stars Academy center back first 11 evolution. This upgrade targets the key defensive areas that every elite CB needs:
By the end of this stage, Kashi’s defending and physical stats are now at a level where he can compete with – or completely outclass – many promo center backs released during the same period.
To push him toward the ~90 overall region, you then apply the Future Stars Academy club legend defenders evolution. This is a high-tier Academy step that tends to provide:
After Club Legend Defenders, Kashi sits in the high 80s or around 90, with top-tier defensive numbers and meta-level pace. This is the core of the glitched build.
The final polishing stages are all about turning a great CB into a meta-breaking one:
Once you complete these, you end up with a Joshua Kashi card that feels too good to be true: around 90 overall, elite pace, near-max defensive and physical stats, strong passing and composure, and a full suite of top-tier defensive playstyles. This is why some meta calculators rate him at around 99.2.
On paper, a 90-rated CB with strong stats should be excellent but not necessarily game-breaking. What pushes this Kashi build into glitch territory is the stacking of playstyles:
These playstyles interact with his physical frame and upgraded stats to create a defender who feels like he is always in the right place at the right time. You will notice:
That is why many players consider this a "glitch evo" – not because any single stat is broken, but because the combination of traits, height and evolutions behaves like a secret top-tier card hidden inside a humble silver.
Building an evolved monster like Future Stars Academy Kashi takes time: matches, objectives and a steady grind through the evolution ladder. If you are seriously invested in FC 26 Ultimate Team, you will probably be juggling several projects at once – attackers to match his defensive dominance, midfielders to link your leagues, and a bench that can compete in Weekend League.
This is where having enough coins becomes critical. Without a healthy coin balance, it is hard to buy the right meta players, chemistry links, or consumables that help you get the most out of a glitched card like Kashi. Many players look for ways to acquire coins with less grind, and that is where ItemD2R enters the picture.
On ItemD2R, you can find some of the cheapest fc26 coins on the market, with fast delivery and multiple secure payment options. For players who have been around since earlier FIFA titles, this is similar to the old coin-shopping days – but with modern protections and more transparent service. By choosing the right coin package, you can immediately strengthen the squad around your evolved Kashi, picking up top attackers, meta full-backs and creative CMs that turn your team into a fully balanced unit.
If you are playing across more than one Ultimate Team cycle, you might have experience with coin issues in older titles too. ItemD2R also caters to that audience with fifa coins cheapest style pricing for previous and current-generation football games. That means less time stuck in menus and more time testing your glitched Future Stars Academy Kashi on the pitch. As always, make sure you understand EA’s terms of service and make informed decisions about how you manage your account and club.
Once your Kashi is fully evolved, you want to use him in a way that maximizes his strengths:
Used correctly, this Kashi becomes the anchor of your defense, allowing you to commit more players forward and press aggressively without constantly worrying about getting exposed at the back.
All of the evolutions mentioned are based on in-game objectives and progression, not direct cash purchases. You will pay with your time and effort rather than money, although you may still invest coins to build squads that help you complete the objectives efficiently.
EA could adjust evolution requirements or fine-tune how meta ratings are calculated in future updates. However, once you complete the evolution, the card generally remains extremely strong. If you want to be safe, complete the chain as soon as you can while all necessary evolutions are available.
In many squads, the fully evolved version will outperform mid-tier promo cards and rival some of the top defenders in the game. He combines elite pace, defending and physical attributes with a rare stacking of defensive playstyles that many promo CBs do not have.
The exact order can vary slightly as long as you respect rating and requirement limits for each evolution. However, the sequence described above is designed to keep your options open for all the key Future Stars Academy stages while maximizing playstyle value early on.
If you enjoy building meta squads on a budget, the answer is yes. You are turning an inexpensive silver into a CB that can compete at the top level of FC 26. For players who love grinding evolutions and outsmarting the market, this is one of the most satisfying projects in the game.
Follow the evolution path, complete the objectives, and you will have one of the most surprising and powerful defenders in FC 26 – a true glitched Future Stars Academy Joshua Kashi that opponents will not be expecting.