As EA Sports prepares for the launch of its flagship football title, an in-depth first look at EA Sports FC 27 reveals a game defined by stark contrasts. The reviewer’s progress through the upcoming release highlights a genuinely improved tactical system that rewards strategic thinking, while simultaneously exposing long-standing problems with computer-controlled player behavior and introducing a controversial open-world hub called The Grounds. What emerges is a title delivering meaningful steps forward in one area while taking notable steps backward in another.
The most significant positive development centers on the game’s expanded Tactics system, which reviewers have praised as the single best addition to the package. Building on playstyles and roles introduced over recent years, the new strategy layer offers far more control over how teams behave across different phases of play. Rather than relying solely on basic formations and instructions, it explains the purpose, strengths, and weaknesses of various tactical approaches, making the underlying logic of football formations accessible to newcomers while still offering depth for experienced managers.
A Tactical System That Teaches the Beautiful Game
The practical value of these changes became evident during match play. Reviewers noted that a deeper defensive approach worked particularly well when building around players like Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui, whose patient style allows him to maintain position and disrupt attacks without breaking shape. Short-passing buildup complements this by giving technical players room to operate while preserving structural discipline.
The system’s flexibility proved decisive during mid-match adjustments. Against Crystal Palace, reviewers exploited space along the wings by shifting into a 4-2-2-2 formation, allowing Bruno Fernandes to operate between the lines and supply strikers like Benjamin Šeško with quick combinations through the middle. When facing Manchester City’s more dominant wing play, switching to a 4-2-3-1 wide shape moved Fernandes centrally to dictate proceedings alongside holding midfielders such as Kobbie Mainoo.
Player Roles add another dimension by assigning individual players specific responsibilities within a formation. Placing Šeško on the right allows him to cut inward as an inside forward for shooting opportunities, or adopt a wider role to stretch defenses and create central space. Defensively, the same flexibility lets attackers drop back to support full-backs when protecting a lead, all without abandoning attacking structure.
The Grounds: Ambition Meets Execution Problems
If the tactical improvements land strongly, The Grounds has proven far more divisive. As an open-world hub designed to serve as a communal online space, it follows a trajectory pioneered by NBA 2K’s MyPark, which evolved into The Neighborhood and eventually The City. Reviewers question whether such an ambitious environment was necessary at all.
The Grounds doesn’t need to be an open-world environment to deliver what the playerbase wants out of a more communal online mode. I don’t need to run through a visually saturated, low-resolution city populated by lifeless NPCs just to find a game mode to start up when simple menus devoted to the same function can do the same thing in a more efficient manner.
EA Sports FC 27 Reviewer
The reviewer acknowledges that The Grounds functions adequately as an active lobby for matchmaking, making it easier to locate other players and move between activities. However, framerate drops and unnatural character animations prevented immersion, leaving the hub unable to justify its existence on merit alone.
Compounding these technical issues are unskippable cutscenes and what reviewers describe as NBA 2K15-level voice acting. The disappointment proved especially sharp given that the hub reintroduces Alex Hunter, the character from FIFA’s Journey story mode who first appeared in FIFA 17 and FIFA 18, once again voiced by Adetomiwa Edun.
“Edun’s performance nearly a decade ago was passionate and natural, whereas The Grounds’ version of Hunter sounds like he would rather be anywhere else,” the reviewer noted. Kylian Mbappe fares no better, delivering his lines with what sounded like stiff, mechanical cadence read in a single take. Reviewers expressed gratitude that their created character doesn’t speak, avoiding further uncomfortable interactions.
AI Behavior Remains a Decade-Old Problem
The tactical system’s promise is frequently undermined by the game’s own computer-controlled behavior. Pathing and defensive logic continue to break down on higher difficulties, allowing carefully constructed gameplans to collapse when a CPU defender refuses to challenge for a 50/50 ball or makes inexplicable movements. Passing exhibits similar frustrations, with balls aimed at open teammates occasionally veering toward covered players.
Crossing and corner kicks have improved noticeably, however, producing more convincing positioning battles and granting greater control inside the box. Reviewers reported scoring multiple headers from corners using Harry Maguire, a feat they could count on one hand having achieved in previous entries of the series.
Looking Ahead
The reviewer plans to explore Career Mode, Presentation, Online features, and Ultimate Team in the coming days before finalizing a complete scored review. Deeper investigation into how Tactics influences both single-player and multiplayer modes remains on the agenda as EA Sports approaches the title’s release window.
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