Greats of The Game in FC 26 New Icon Cards Guide

The Greats of the Game promo went live in FC 26 on June 19, 2026 and it has genuinely shifted the Ultimate Team market hard. Part of the broader Festival of Football campaign, this one sits at the very top of the promo calendar in terms of card quality and the market reacted immediately at launch.

Over 40 special items across packs and live event drops, nine players at 97 overall, two brand new ICON debuts, and 4x PlayStyles plus configurations on the top-end cards. The promo runs until June 26, with the full Festival of Football campaign continuing through July 24, 2026.

One thing worth knowing before spending anything: Greats of the Game cards are static. No upgrade paths, no Evolutions in most cases. The card you get is the card you keep. That makes every buying decision here more important than in almost any other promo. Let’s follow LDShop for all the details about this new promo.

Greats of the Game Icon Full Roster & Tiers

Player	Position	OVR
Ronaldo R9	ST	97
Ronaldinho	LW / CAM	97
Thierry Henry	ST / LW	97
Zinedine Zidane	CAM / CM	97
Johan Cruyff	CF / ST	97
Andres Iniesta	CM / CAM	97
Paolo Maldini	CB	97
Franz Beckenbauer	CB / CDM	96
Rivellino	CAM / LW	96
Ferenc Puskas	ST / CF	96
Xavi	CM	96
Iker Casillas	GK	96
Emmanuel Petit	CDM / LB	96
Luis Figo	RW / RM	96
Michael Owen	ST	96
Andrea Pirlo	CM / CDM	96
Mario Kempes	ST / CF	95
Gareth Bale	RW / ST	95
Toni Kroos	CM / CDM	95
Lothar Matthaus	CM / CDM	95
Zico	CAM / CM	95
Patrick Vieira	CDM / CM	95
Lilian Thuram	RB / CB	95
Roberto Carlos	LB	95
Gheorghe Hagi	CAM	95
Franco Baresi	CB	95
David Beckham	RM / CM	94
Oliver Kahn	GK	94
John Barnes	LW / CAM	94
Davor Suker	ST	94

The Two Brand New Debut Icons

Mario Kempes and Rivellino are making their first-ever appearance as FUT Icons, and both are worth talking about properly.

Kempes is the 1978 World Cup Golden Boot winner. He brings elite finishing, solid physicality, and Argentine nationality, linking directly to Messi and Di Maria builds. His PlayStyles plus cover Pinged Pass, Incisive Pass, First Touch, and Low Driven Shot. He is SBC-only, which removes pack luck entirely from the equation.

Rivellino plays LM but functions best as a CAM in most meta formations. Elite dribbling, passing, and shooting on a card built around one of football's most technically gifted players. An instant fit for any Brazil squad. PlayStyles plus include Finesse Shot, Incisive Pass, Inventive Pass, and Technical.

Best Attacking Cards

• Ronaldo R9 at 97 is the headline card. Maxed pace, elite shooting, top dribbling. Sitting around 15 million coins at launch, and that price is not dropping while Team 1 is active
• Ronaldinho at 97 brings Finesse Shot+, Technical, Rapid+, and Inventive. Five-star skills and five-star weak foot make him genuinely difficult to defend
• Thierry Henry at 97 covers striker and wide forward roles with Rapid plus and Gamechanger plus. The most versatile attacker in the promo
• Puskas at 96 is the best budget elite finisher if R9 and Henry are out of reach financially

Best Midfield Cards

The midfield pool is the strongest part of this promo, and it is not particularly close. Zidane at 97 sits at the top. 98 dribbling, 97 passing, five-star skills, five-star weak foot. Pressing him is almost pointless because he rolls out of pressure before you can commit. His passing range is comprehensive, and he handles both the creative and structural aspects of the role at the highest level.

Iniesta, at 97, is the close-control option. Left stick dribbling at this level feels different from most cards, and he works best in tight spaces through combination football. Zidane and Iniesta together in the same midfield is extremely hard to break through.

• Kroos at 95 for structure and cross-field range
• Vieira at 95 for the best defensive midfield option in the promo. Intercept plus, Anticipate plus, Bruiser plus, Jockey plus
• Xavi at 96 for possession and Tiki Taka plus
• Zico at 95 for creative attacking flair with five-star execution

Hidden value worth noting: Alessandro Del Piero at 95 is sitting below market value despite carrying Low Driven plus, Finesse Shot plus, and Technical plus. An excellent secondary striker or CAM option at a price that has not caught up with his actual performance level yet.

Best Defensive Cards

Maldini at 97 is the best center back in the promo. 99 Defending and elite manual jockeying. Beckenbauer at 96 is the ball-playing alternative for systems that move quickly from back to front. Chiellini is the best budget pick if the premium center-backs are too expensive.

• Thuram at 95 handles elite wingers at right back or center back with 95 Pace and 95 Physical
• Roberto Carlos at 95 for dead-ball ability and five-star skills at left back
• Casillas at 96 for reflex saves in close-range situations
• Kahn at 94 for positioning and consistency, if you prefer a more commanding keeper style

Lower-tier defenders like Chiellini, Puyol, Koeman, and Lahm have hit floor prices. Not fast enough for top division attackers consistently, but strong chemistry links for hybrid builds.

FC 26 SBCs and Token Store

Four Greats of the Game SBCs, three National Pride SBCs, and one Showdown SBC centered on the Uruguay versus Spain Group H clash are available. The Showdown winner receives live stat upgrades based on the real result, so card value can shift significantly.

Through the Festival of Football Token Store, three Greats of the Game items are available directly:

• Gheorghe Hagi at 250 tokens is the standout value pick. A creative CAM with top-tier passing PlayStyles at a cost that feels underpriced.
• Pirlo at 96 through tokens for a deep-lying playmaker style that is uncommon in the current settings.
• Beckham at 94 for cross-field distribution and set-piece accuracy.
• Marquez and Donovan at 100 tokens each for utility options and SBC fodder.

How to Fund Your Squad

The top cards carry serious price tags. Grinding the transfer market or completing daily SBCs gets you there eventually, but slowly. Stock 83 to 85 rated rare gold cards before SBC demand spikes, because having ready fodder either saves you money on completions or earns you coins selling at inflated prices.

Many players choose to buy FC 26 coins to target specific cards during price dips rather than watching them rise during the grind. The best platform to make the top-up is LDShop, it lets players top up for less and it is a great way to save money.

On market timing: 97-rated icons should be bought within two hours of launch or after ten or more days, once prices have settled. Cards rated 94 to 95 are better after waiting three to five days for the floor. If you pull Icons in packs, selling within the first 6 hours beats holding for the past 48 hours almost every time. However, if you have many players in your squad, it is a great thing for you because, with those, you can also complete the SBC challenges.

Conclusion

Focus your resources on securing an elite midfielder first. Zidane or Maldini if the coins are there. Use the token store for Hagi before the value becomes more widely noticed. Fill gaps with undervalued SBC options like Figo and Owen.

Lower-tier icon defenders at floor prices are worth picking up purely for chemistry in hybrid squads. The midfield depth alone makes this one of the stronger promos of the FC 26 cycle. Do you know what weakness your squad has, and accordingly, try to buy or get those Greats of the game players in your squad so you can dominate the field.