With the change in the chemistry system, Icons are even more sought after in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team than ever before.
Celebrating the careers of some of the greats of the game, the cards can be an unbelievable asset to your FUT side.
Find out all you need to know about Icons in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team below.
Table of Contents
World Cup Icons
World Cup Icons are now in the game, with Patrick Vieira and Cafu both available to unlock for your Ultimate Team.
Both legends are available as rewards in the new World Cup Swaps campaign, although you won't be able to unlock them both!
There are a total of 33 Icons coming as World Cup Icons in FUT Season 2, so keep your eyes peeled and fingers crossed for some pack luck.
What are Icons?
Icon cards are some of the most powerful in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team and are given to legends of the game who have now retired.
There are 100 Icon cards in FUT 23, each with multiple card variants, starting with Base Icon cards and upgrading from there.
They are extremely rare to get in a pack, so the most likely way to get them in your squad is through regular SBCs that offer either a specific player as a reward, a player pick or a pack containing a certain Icon.
Chemistry Change
With the chemistry re-work introduced in FUT 23, Icons now work in a slightly different way.
If they are played in the correct position they will always have full chemistry themselves.
Then, they will provide two chemistry points to any player that shares the same nationality as them.
Icon Card Types
Every Icon has three main card variants - Base, Mid and Prime.
The Base Icon is the lowest rated of the lot, with the ratings increasing with the Mid and Prime versions.
In past titles, we have had Prime Icon Moments cards, which were the highest-rated version of Icons in the game, however, EA has introduced the new Campaign Icon type this season.
These will be released at various stages in the FUT cycle and will coincide with the promo of the time, as we saw with FUT Heroes being included in the FUT Captains and Shapeshifters promos in FUT 22.
This has been done so that Icons feel more in line with the power creep that happens throughout the Ultimate Team campaign, with EA stating in their Pitch Notes:
Through smaller, more frequent Campaign ICON releases as part of our campaigns, our hope is that ICONs will feel in-line with campaign content as we go deeper into the FUT 23 cycle, helping maintain their legendary status.
The first Campaign Icons will be coming as FIFA World Cup Icons and will be part of the World Cup content coming in Ultimate Team.
Campaign Icons will also be included in Icon Swaps and SBCs.
We don't yet know if all Icons will receive a Campaign Icon version.
New Icons
There are three new ICON players in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team, with all three players offering something a bit different.
German legend Gerd Muller is the highest-rated of the three new items, and his Prime item will be rated 94 OVR!
Brazilian speedster Jairzinho brings pace in abundance and has the silky skills to match.
Pass master Xabi Alonso will also be a popular addition, although his low Pace attributes may see his usage limited in the game.
The new Icon ratings are as follows:
- Gerd Muller - 89 OVR / 92 OVR / 94 OVR
- Jairzinho - 88 OVR / 90 OVR / 92 OVR
- Xabi Alonso - 87 OVR / 89 OVR / 90 OVR
Removed Icons
We have also seen multiple players removed as Icons in FIFA 23, with the following no longer part of the roster:
- Deco (Portugal)
- Ryan Giggs (Wales)
- Pep Guardiola (Spain)
- Filippo Inzaghi (Italy)
- Diego Maradona (Argentina)
- Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan)
- Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria)
- Marc Overmars (Netherlands)
Hidetoshi Nakata and Jay-Jay Okocha have been converted to FUT Hero cards, so will still be in FUT 23.