Team of the Year in FC 26 is the moment when every Ultimate Team player dreams of seeing that iconic blue flare. In this deep dive, we break down an entire session where 100 (one hundred!) 88+ TOTY player picks were opened in FC 26 – and not a single Team of the Year card appeared.
Instead, the picks were flooded with high-rated golds like Harry Kane, Rodri, Van Dijk, Donnarumma, Pedri, Bellingham, Saka and Bonmatí. There were some big pulls, an Icon, even a Hero earlier in the grind – but no blue cards. This article reconstructs that experience, analyzes the results, and looks at what it means for your own TOTY grind, coin management, and expectations.
Whether you’re deciding if you should craft these picks, wondering how to optimize your coins, or just enjoy pack-opening content, you’ll find a detailed, spoiler-free breakdown here.
During Team of the Year, EA typically releases some of the most powerful upgrade options of the cycle. In FC 26, the 88+ TOTY player pick is one of the “cream of the crop” SBC rewards available during the promo.
While exact odds are never fully disclosed in detail, the general idea is simple:
Because the minimum is 88 overall, these are viewed as top-end, late-game style picks – the kind of SBC content most players expect to include the best pull of their year.
The creator opening these picks emphasized that this is likely one of the biggest player pick SBCs we’ll see during Team of the Year. With 88+ minimum rating, your worst-case scenario is still decent fodder – but most players aren’t crafting these for fodder. They’re chasing:
In other words, this content is designed for TOTY dream-chasing – and that’s what makes a 0/100 session so eye-opening.
The session started with a clear goal: open a large batch of 88+ TOTY player picks and see how many “blues” would appear. Initially, the plan was to do around 50 picks, but as the content flowed – and the drought continued – that goal expanded to a full 100 picks.
Even before the first pick, there was a mix of hype and nerves. The creator called the SBC “massive”, knowing how many coins and cards were being poured into it. With TOTY in full swing, the expectation was at least one blue card from such a big sample size.
There was also the usual pre-roll sponsorship segment, highlighting a coin site and discount code, aiming to help viewers build their own dream squads faster. That theme – how many resources it takes to get TOTY cards – runs through the entire experience.
Throughout the video, a few specific TOTY targets kept coming up:
The hope wasn’t just any blue, but the kind of TOTY that instantly becomes the focal point of a club.
Let’s get to the part everyone wants to know: what did 100x 88+ TOTY player picks actually deliver?
Across the 100 picks, the creator repeatedly saw the same names:
In many ways, the picks delivered exactly what they promised: lots of 88 and 89-rated players, plus some 90+ cards that are excellent SBC fodder. The problem? No Team of the Year cards emerged from any of the 100 choices.
We can’t reverse-engineer exact odds from a single sample, but going 0-for-100 on such a high-end SBC hints at how rare TOTY items are even in boosted content. A few takeaways:
The creator even pointed out that previous TOTY cards in earlier years had often come from free packs rather than from FC Points or premium upgrade SBCs – a reminder that smart grinding can sometimes be as effective as heavy spending.
It wasn’t all disappointment: the session did include some high-end special pulls. However, the emotional roller coaster of near-misses was a big part of the story.
During the grind, the creator mentioned hitting:
Whenever an Icon appeared, it sparked huge reactions – after all, Icons are some of the most exciting pulls in the game. But even that hype couldn’t fully compensate for the missing TOTY blue that the whole series was built around.
As the picks went on, the frustration built. The creator talked about being “trolled” by constant high-rated golds that were almost special cards. Again and again, he’d see lineups of 88–90-rated players, good enough to tease a big pull but not quite the TOTY he was chasing.
That feeling – being one step away from greatness – is what keeps many players opening packs and crafting SBCs. It’s exciting, but it can also be draining on your coin balance and club if you don’t set limits.
One of the most interesting parts of the 100x pick session wasn’t just the cards – it was the mindset. You could hear the shift in tone during the opening sequence: from excited to nervous, then from hopeful to resigned.
Initially, the goal was 50 picks. As the drought continued, the creator began debating with chat about pushing further. Eventually, he decided to go all the way to 100 picks for the sake of content.
This reflects a decision many players face in a smaller way: do you keep going because you think a big pull is “due,” or do you stop and protect your coins and fodder? In this case, the choice to double the original target made for a dramatic story – but it also emphasized how elusive TOTY cards can be even with huge investment.
Between picks, there were quick chats with the audience about real football. The creator mentioned watching the game for years and commented that the current Premier League season feels a bit underwhelming. These asides mattered because they highlighted something crucial: Ultimate Team is tied deeply to real-world football, and TOTY selections are a reflection of the players we watch every week.
When you open an 88+ TOTY pick, you’re not just chasing pixels – you’re chasing the chance to play with the best performers from the season in their boosted, almost fantasy-like form.
After opening 100 of these, the question practically asks itself: is it worth it to sink your club’s resources into 88+ TOTY player picks?
From a purely practical standpoint, the picks did deliver a huge amount of high-rated fodder. Those 88, 89 and 90+ cards can be recycled into:
However, if your primary goal is to pack a Team of the Year, this session shows just how risky that strategy is. Even a massive sample size doesn’t guarantee a blue, and the opportunity cost in terms of coins and players is huge.
These 88+ TOTY player picks make the most sense if you:
If your club is thin, or you rely heavily on tradable cards to stay liquid, going all-in on this SBC can be dangerous without a solid coin strategy behind it.
Team of the Year is easily the most expensive time of the year in FC 26 Ultimate Team. SBC requirements spike, special cards hit astronomical prices, and every menu click seems to cost coins. That’s why having a stable coin foundation is critical before you start mass-crafting 88+ picks.
Many players choose to complement their grinding with external coin sources to speed up squad building. If you’re looking to buy fut coins safely and efficiently for FC 26, one option to consider is buy fut coins from ItemD2R.
ItemD2R focuses on helping Ultimate Team players strengthen their clubs quickly so they can focus on what they enjoy most: gameplay, trading, or pack content. During a promo as intense as TOTY, that can make a big difference. By using a reliable source of ea fc coins, players can:
Instead of letting one unlucky pack session completely drain your club, having access to a trusted coin service means you can rebuild, adjust your strategy, and keep enjoying the game at a high level.
Of course, coins themselves are only part of the equation. Whether you earn them in-game, trade on the market, or use a store like ItemD2R, the key is how you allocate them:
This is where watching a 100-pick session with no TOTY is actually useful: it shows you the worst-case scenario and reminds you why having a backup plan (and a healthy coin balance) is so important.
If you’re inspired – or warned – by this 100x pick experiment, here are some actionable tips for navigating TOTY in FC 26.
Before you start, decide how many 88+ picks you’ll craft. Write it down or tell your chat/friends to keep yourself accountable. Once you hit that number, stop and reassess:
The creator mentioned that past TOTY pulls actually came from free packs, not from FC Points. That’s a big hint: grinding objectives, milestones, and seasonal rewards can quietly build your club and give you extra shots at TOTY without draining coins.
Think of your club as a portfolio with different categories:
Just like with real investments, you don’t want 100% of your resources in high-risk plays. Keep enough liquidity and safe assets so that a bad run of packs doesn’t ruin your whole experience.
TOTY tends to cause huge swings in player prices. If you’ve got a decent stack of coins or you’re planning to top up via a site like ItemD2R, consider timing your purchases:
At the end of the 100-pick grind, the creator turned to the community with a simple question: how many Team of the Year cards have you packed? That’s a question worth asking yourself too.
Maybe you’ve been lucky and already have a stacked blue-filled squad. Maybe you’ve opened tons of packs and still have nothing to show for it. Either way, sharing your experiences – in comments, forums, or with friends – can help set more realistic expectations and make TOTY feel more like a shared event rather than a solo gamble.
If you’re trying to track community data, you can even keep a simple log: how many packs or picks you’ve opened and what you’ve received. Over time, this gives you a clearer picture of your own personal “odds,” even if they’re different from anyone else’s.
Opening 100x 88+ TOTY player picks in FC 26 and coming away without a single Team of the Year card is both brutal and educational. It shows how far luck, variance, and probability can go, even with high-end SBC content.
Here’s the key takeaway:
If you decide to chase blue cards through these SBCs, do it with open eyes, clear limits, and a healthy coin plan. Whether you’re grinding menus, playing weekend league, or supplementing your balance with services like ItemD2R, the goal is the same: keep FC 26 fun, sustainable, and rewarding for you in the long run.
And now it’s your turn: if you ran your own 100-pick experiment, what do you think your results would look like?