The most important thing to become a great FC 26 player is to master the controls. Learning the ins and outs of all the mechanics will help you take your game to the next level, on both sides of the ball, and this goes for Ultimate Team as much as it does for Career mode.
Whether you want to get an advantage over your Fut Champions and Division Rivals opponents, or lift trophies with your club in Career mode, you must have a good understanding of all the FC 26 controls, which are more complex than you might think.
FC 26 is a game of split-second decisions, especially online, and knowing all of the controls like the back of your hand can be the difference between winning and losing, especially in closely contested matches. In this guide, we will teach you everything about the FC 26 controls and help you master them.
FC 26 Controls
There are six main control categories in FC 26: movement, attacking, defending, goalkeeper, set-pieces, and tactics. All of them are important, but the first three are slightly more important than the rest, as they are the ones you will be utilizing the most and that can have a bigger impact on games.
Mastering all of them will take time and practice, but knowing all the mechanics of each one and how to execute them is the first step. So, let's find out everything about the FC 26 controls, starting with the movement controls.
Player Movement
As the name indicates, these are the controls you will use to move your players on the pitch, both with and without the ball. With the movement controls, you can perform skill moves, control your players to close passing lanes, shield the ball, and more.
Action | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|
Move Player | Left Stick | Left Stick |
Sprint | R2 (Hold Down) + Direction | RT (Hold Down) + Direction |
Shield/Jockey | L2 (Hold Down) + Direction | LT (Hold Down) + Direction |
First Touch/Knock On | R2 + Right stick + Flick twice and hold direction | RT + Right stick + Flick twice and hold direction |
Controlled First Touch/ Effort Touch | R1 + Right stick + Flick in any direction or hold | RB + Right stick + Flick in any direction or hold |
Stop and Face Goal | Left Stick + no direction + L1 | Left Stick + no direction + LB |
Strafe Dribble | L1 + Left Stick | LB + Left Stick |
Controlled sprint | R1 | RB |
Stop Ball | Left Stick + no direction + R2 | Left Stick + no direction + RT |
Jostle (Ball In Air) | L2 | LT |
Attacking Controls
We all know that it's impossible to win matches without scoring goals. But attacking is not only that, as goals are the end product, and the attacking controls help you reach that. These controls allow you to trigger player runs, perform all types of passes, execute different shots, and crosses.
You have many different forms of attacking in FC 26, with your formation playing a big part in that, and these controls allow you to express your type of football on the pitch. Be it tiki-taka, gegenpress, or the good old and reliable long ball, Sean Dyche style, you can
Action | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|
Ground Pass/header | X | A |
Lob pass/cross/header | ▢ | X |
Through Ball | △ | Y |
Shoot/Volley/Header | O | B |
Low Driven Shot | O + O (after power up) | B + B (after power up) |
Chip Shot | L1 + O | LB + B |
Finesse Shot | R1 + O | RB + B |
Low Driven Finesse Shot | R1 + O + O (after power up) | RB + B + B (after power up) |
Power Shot | L1 + R1 + O | LB + RB + B |
Low Driven Power Shot | L1 + R1 + O + O (after power up) | LB + RB + B + B (after power up) |
Defending Controls
Defending suffered huge changes this year, with AI having less impact and defending being the most manual it has been in over five years. This means that players' skill gap now plays a bigger role in defending, with players who commit mistakes being heavily penalized by it.
The days of defending with just one player, trying to cut passing lanes, and just waiting for the AI to do the rest are thankfully over. So, now more than ever, mastering the defending controls is crucial to having success on FC 26, especially if you don't want to concede five goals every game.
Action | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|
Change Player | L1 | LB |
Change Player (Manual) | Right stick + Direction | Right stick + Direction |
Icon Switching | R3 | RS |
Tackle/Push or Pull (when chasing) | O | B |
Hard Tackle | RB + O | RB + B |
Professional Foul | RB + X | R1 + A |
Sliding Tackle | ▢ | X |
Hard Slide Tackle | R1 + ▢ | RB + X |
Clearance | O | B |
Technical Clearance | R1 + O | RB + B |
Goalkeeper Controls
Goalkeeper controls have never been this important. Still on the theme of manual defending, moving the goalkeeper correctly can save you plenty of times, and is a skill every player needs to master in FC 26, as it can be game-changing in many situations.
Remember, the skill gap has never mattered this much before when it comes to defense, and that also applies to the goalkeeper.
Action | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|
Drop Kick | O (OR) ▢ | B (OR) X |
Throw/Pass | X | A |
Drop Ball | △ | Y |
Pick Up Ball | R1 | RB |
Driven Throw | R1 + X | RB + A |
Driven Kick | R1 + ▢ | RB + X |
Move Goalkeeper | R3 (Press and Hold) + R | RS (Press and Hold) + R |
GK Cover Far Post | R3 (Press and Hold) | RS (Press and Hold) |
Switch Camera (GK Only) | Select | Select |
Dive (Clubs only) | Right stick + direction (hold) | Right stick + direction (hold) |
Free Kicks
Free Kicks are an art in FC 26; they take time to master, but once you do, they can help you score beautiful goals. In close games, a free-kick can be the only way to break your opponents' defense down and secure a hard-fought win.
Learning the controls will make it easier to know where to aim, the amount of power to use on each free-kick, and how to move the wall. It also teaches you how to create some unique plays from free-kicks, if you don't want to get a direct shot on goal.
Corners and Throw-ins
It's not only free-kicks that can generate goals. Just like in real life, set-pieces have become a very important part of the game, with more and more teams relying on them. A well-taken corner can be very hard to defend, and when the technique is perfected, it will generate plenty of goals.
The same can be said about throw-ins, even if they aren't as effective as corners. It's another weapon you can have at your disposal, and in such a competitive game as FC 26, the more the merrier.
Action | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|
Corners - Lob Cross | ▢ | X |
Corners - Pass | X | A |
Aim Kick | Left stick | Left stick |
Reticle Aim | Right stick | Right stick |
Display Corner Tactics | D-Pad Down | D-Pad Down |
Run Far Post | D-Pad Down then Up | D-Pad Down then Up |
Edge of Box Run | D-Pad Down then Left | D-Pad Down then Left |
Crowd the Goalkeeper | D-Pad Down then Right | D-Pad Down then Right |
Run Near Post | D-Pad Down then Down | D-Pad Down then Down |
Move Along Line (Throw In) | Left stick | Left stick |
Penalties
The most clear-cut goal chance you can have in real and virtual football. Mastering the art of kicking and defending penalties will win you plenty of games in FC 26, especially on FUT Champions.
Action | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|
Aim | Left stick | Left stick |
Shoot | O | B |
Finesse Shot | R1 + O | RB + B |
Chip Shot | L1 + O | LB + B |
Select Kick Taker | R2 | RT |
Goalkeeper Move Side to Side | Left stick + Direction | Left stick + Direction |
Goalkeeper Dive | Right stick + Direction | Right stick + Direction |
Goalkeeper Gestures | X or O or ▢ or △ | A or B or X or Y |
Tactics
Making tactical adjustments is key to winning games, and most times you will have to do the on the fly. Mechanics such as the offside trap or team press are very useful and extremely effective when used correctly.
Changing to a more defensive or offensive posture, depending on the result of the game, is also something you will need to do regularly, and these controls teach you how.
Action | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|
Quick Tactics | D-Pad Up | D-Pad Up |
Offside Trap | D-Pad Up then D-Pad Up | D-Pad Down then Down |
Team Press | D-Pad Up then Left | D-Pad Down then Left |
Extra Striker | D-Pad Up then Right | D-Pad Up then Right |
Get in the Box | D-Pad Up then Down | D-Pad Up then Down |
Tactical Focus | D-Pad Right | D-Pad Right |
Default | D-Pad Right then Up | D-Pad Right then D-Pad Up |
Defending | D-Pad Right then Left | D-Pad Right then Left |
Attacking | D-Pad Right then Right | D-Pad Right then Right |
My Tactics | D-Pad Left | D-Pad Left |
This is everything you need to know about the FC 26 controls. Mastering them will take time and a lot of practice, but it will help you become a significantly better player and take your game to a whole new level on both offense and defense.
If you want to be among the best of the best, or just be the best among your friends, learning all of these controllers will help you accomplish that, and perhaps even more!
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