Over the Christmas period, players of one of the world’s biggest sport gaming franchises, “FIFA 22”, will be getting an extra present courtesy of the game’s developers, EA Sports.

When it comes to the video gaming representation of football, FIFA is the market leader, proven by the huge sales figures it gains with every annual release, and this year is no different. FourFourTwo explain how over 9 million players played FIFA 22 within the first few days of the game being put on sale.

With the news coming out of EA Sports that all players will get an in-game bonus for free just for playing the game, too, it could lure even more into buying the title if they think that they’re getting more bang for their buck.

Players will receive one of six FIFA Ultimate Team cards featuring some of the best footballing talents in the European game at the moment just for hitting the digital pitch.

One of Kylian Mbappe, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Christian Pulisic, and Theo Hernandez will be given at random to everyone who plays the game on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia before 14th January 2022. It’s that simple.

The Ultimate Team mode in the game continues to be highly popular, it enables players to build a team using players from all the major leagues to become, you guessed it, the ultimate team. Players start the game with a pack containing a random assortment of ‘cards’ of varying skill which can be transferred for replacements. However, players can buy new packs of these cards for the in-game currency known as FIFA coins.

A FIFA infographic by Bwin Sports on how to get ahead in their FUT mode suggests you have a limited balance of coins to get the best results from. This giveaway will certainly give new players a lift, but they won’t impact the top player’s teams. Why? Because these items that are being given away have lesser abilities than the equivalents that players can already find on the game.

Mbappe, who is the cover star of the game already has a card in-game rated as 91/100 but if you were lucky enough to get this free version that is being gifted, he’s rated at just 86/100. Whilst players will appreciate the sentiment of getting something for free, the more experienced player won’t be jumping for joy.

The higher-rated, more skillful cards are the most sought after, with people selling them on the in-game transfer market for high amounts, which means unsurprisingly, they’re unlikely ever to be given away.

EA Sports will continue to want players to spend money on coins to gain these players from a pack or other players in the game on the transfer market. After all, the game mode made them over $1billion across their franchises, FIFA, Madden, and NHL, according to their last financial report.

So, on the face of it, while this promotion looks like it’s giving the gift of a free goal, in reality, it’s more like having one disallowed by the video assistant referee, leaving you wondering what might have been.

Written by Harry West.

More by Guest Author:

• Types of online casino games: Understanding slot mechanics (2025 edition)
• Classic TV-series that still hold up today (2025 ed)
• How modern casinos are evolving to keep players engaged (2025 ed)
• Live dealer games could be the next big thing (2025 ed)
• 7 of the most memorable cities in video game history

Tags: EA sports, Fifa, FIFA 22, Football, Gambling, Online casinos, PC Gaming, Soccer, Sports, Sports games, Video games