Get ready to experience a complete overhaul to the way custom tactics work in game, EA Sports FC 25 brings with it a brand new foundation for how your team sets up tactically on the pitch, with more realistic player movements and more options than ever before!
Let's take a look at everything we know about FC IQ in EA Sports FC 25:
What is FC IQ?
FC IQ is the new foundational system that will define how you customize and set your team up tactically in game.
Using AI models, real world data from Opta and your own inputs allow players to create greater variety and authenticity in game.
It is fundamentally made up of 3 segments:
- Team Tactics
- Player Roles
- Smart Tactics
This makes sure that your tactical setup encompasses team shape, individual player movement and intelligently make decisions in the flow of the game.
What are Team Tactics in FC IQ?
Team Tactics brings systems used by top managers and tacticians to upgrade the football intelligence of all players on the pitch allowing them to behave more like real pros in game.
Team Tactics include elements such as:
- Tactical Settings:
- Base Formation
- Defensive Approach
- Build-Up Style
- Tactical Presets (Quick Tactics)
- Dynamic Summary of your tactics
- 5 independent Custom Tactics slots
- Shareable QR code for Tactics
- Squad Tab for Roles (Separate from Player Roles)
What are Player Roles in FC IQ?
Player Roles in FC IQ dictate how individual players behave on the pitch, controlling their position, effectiveness and movement in different phases of the game.
Player Roles are made up of 3 fundamental elements:
- Player Role
- Role Focus
- Role Familiarity
A majority of Familiar Roles are assigned using real world data from Opta using a proprietary AI Model.
Each player will not only have Roles but also their Familiarity with the role, which dictates how well they perform in a specific role.
The Role defines the main responsibilities of the player such as positioning, the Focus acts as a modifier, allowing players to make miniscule tweaks to the role and make it their own.
What is Role Familiarity in FC IQ?
Roles are defined by position, based on where the player will play in that position. Familiarity determines just how good a specific player will be in a specific role.
The degree of Familiarity a player has in a role will determine their positional awareness, the speed and timing of their movement and just how effective they will be in game.
Role Familiarity has been determined using a proprietary AI model for a majority of players in FC 25. There are four degrees of Role Familiarity, they are:
- [Role] - A base Role means a player can play in that role
- [Role+] - Indicated with a '+' sign showing mastery of the role
- [Role++] - Indicated with a '++' sign shows that a player is world class in that role
- Out of Position - Yellow Exclamation shows simplified version of role when player is out of position
Each player has at least one Role+ and you can maximize your performance by playing players in their preferred roles in a tactical setup of building a squad with the necessary roles for your tactical setup.
What Player Roles and Focus are there in FC IQ?
Here are all the Player Roles and Focuses presently in FC IQ for EA Sports FC 25:
| Position | Player Roles | Focus |
|---|---|---|
GK |
Goalkeeper |
Defend | Balanced |
GK |
Sweeper Keeper |
Balanced |
RB | LB |
Fullback |
Defend | Balanced |
RB | LB |
Wingback |
Balanced |
RB | LB |
Falseback |
Defend | Balanced |
RB | LB |
Attacking Wingback |
Balanced | Attack |
CB |
Defender |
Defend | Balanced |
CB |
Stopper |
Balanced |
CB |
Ball-Playing Defender |
Defend | Build-Up |
CDM |
Holding |
Defend | Roaming |
CDM |
Center-Half |
Defend |
CDM |
Deep-Lying Playmaker |
Defend | Roaming |
CM |
Box-to-Box |
Balanced |
CM |
Holding |
Defend |
CM |
Deep-Lying Playmaker |
Defend |
CM |
Playmaker |
Attack | Roaming |
CM |
Half-Winger |
Balanced | Attack |
RM | LM |
Winger |
Balanced | Attack |
RM | LM |
Wide Midfielder |
Defend | Balanced |
RM | LM |
Wide Playmaker |
Attack |
RM | LM |
Inside Forward |
Balanced | Attack |
CAM |
Playmaker |
Balanced | Roaming |
CAM |
Shadow Striker |
Attack |
CAM |
Half-Winger |
Balanced | Attack |
RW | LW |
Winger |
Balanced | Attack |
RW | LW |
Inside Forward |
Balanced | Attack | Roaming |
RW | LW |
Wide Playmaker |
Attack |
ST |
Advance Forward |
Attack | Complete |
ST |
Poacher |
Attack |
ST |
False 9 |
Build-Up |
ST |
Target Forward |
Balanced | Attack | Wide |
At launch in FC 25 there are 31 Roles each with 1-3 Focuses, having 52 Combinations in total.
What are Smart Tactics in FC IQ?
Smart Tactics are introduced to make in-game tactical decisions more accessible and intuitive, giving players a better way of experiencing the change within the game flow.
A new message-prompt system suggests tactical changes based on the state of the game now, you can easily perform them using the D-Pad.
The main components of Smart Tactics include:
- D-Pad Controls
- My Tactics (Custom Tactics)
- Tactical Focus
- Quick Tactics
- Suggested Tactics
- New Quick Subs Menu
- Change Tactics and Subs at any point
- Tactics-Specific Commentary
You can read more about FC IQ and other gameplay updates in the official EA Gameplay Deep Dive here.
What do you think about FC IQ and the changes to tactics in FC 25? Tell us below!
We will be covering all news related to FC 25 from gameplay, deep dives, modes and more so make sure to stay tuned to our News page here.