On Monday evening (July 14, 2025), EA Sports announced the first new signing for the successor of EA FC 25, who will also be the cover star of the Ultimate Edition for the new installment of the football simulation. Many fans can look forward to the new player, as they had already requested him in a poll a few weeks ago.
Who will be the cover star for the Ultimate Edition? Zlatan Ibrahimović returns in FC 26 and will immediately grace the cover of the Ultimate Edition.
3 years after his retirement and his last official card in FIFA 23, the Swedish striker will again be part of the football simulation. EA announced this with an iconic post:
The announcement imitates the image of the Swedish superstar taken at the start of his career. It shows Zlatan on a bed in his childhood room with several pictures of his idol Ronaldo (Brazil) on the wall. The remake also shows some impressions of Ibrahimović’s career, such as his spectacular bicycle kick for Sweden against England or his jersey with number 10 at Paris Saint-Germain.
What does Ibrahimović’s return mean for EA FC 26? Since Ibrahimović has ended his active career, he could return not only as an ambassador but very likely also as an Icon or Hero (although this seems rather unlikely). These special cards honor successful footballers. They are among the best cards in the Ultimate Team mode.
But Ibrahimović’s return could also be worthwhile for single-player fans. He could become part of the legends team that you can play in the Kick-Off mode. It is also conceivable that he will become a new member of EA FC among the legends that can be played in career mode.
Why Zlatan’s return has been somewhat hinted at and what role the fans played in it, you can find out after the short video.
Fans wished for Ibrahimović’s return – EA responds
What influence did the fans have on Ibrahimović’s return? A few weeks ago, EA started a poll on their social media accounts asking which Icon was missed in FC 25. Among numerous names, a favorite emerged from the responses: Zlatan Ibrahimović.
In a separate article about the fan poll, we at MeinMMO have already speculated on what rating a potential Icon card of Ibrahimović might have.
Now, EA has responded to the fans’ wishes, as the developers wrote the following statement on their German account under the announcement:
You wanted him. You get him. Zlatan is back. (via Instagram)
This indicates that EA has taken a closer look at the fan poll. And Ibrahimović’s return is not the only announcement that EA is making under the post.
What else stands out from the announcement? Additionally, EA announced the first official reveal trailer for FC 26 for Wednesday, July 16, 2025. This will appear around 6:00 PM on the official channels of EA Sports.
What content the trailer will offer remains to be seen. One possibility is that the trailer will focus heavily on Ibrahimović’s return to EA FC. Whether other new Icons or Heroes will be announced remains to be seen.
As soon as there are more news about EA FC 26, we will keep you informed. In the meantime, you can still follow the new dynamic cards for the Women’s Euro 2025. Some players have already gathered some improvements: EA FC 25: All paths to glory and legends of the game upgrades for the Women’s Euro – Who will receive improvements?
