EA Sports FC (FIFA) Safety Guide for Parents

Myth: EA Sports FC is a football game rated for all ages, so the whole thing, including Ultimate Team, is fine for young children.

Fact: That was how the older games were rated — PEGI's database lists EA Sports FC 24, FC 25 and FC 26 as PEGI 3 — but it is not true of the current one. EA Sports FC 27, released on 25 September 2026, is rated PEGI 16 with the descriptor 'Paid random items', because of Ultimate Team's randomised card packs. PEGI's rules changed in June 2026 so that newly submitted games containing paid random items default to PEGI 16, and FC 27 was rated under those rules. From October 2026 PEGI has also begun re-rating a selection of existing digital-only games with paid random items from PEGI 3, 7 or 12 to PEGI 16, but the older FC games still show PEGI 3 on PEGI's database as at November 2026. That all-ages label predates the new rules and doesn't mean the packs are any less of a concern — so it's worth checking which version is actually installed.

Myth: Because pack-opening looks like gambling, there's a legal age check stopping a child buying FC Points or packs.

Fact: Loot boxes such as FUT packs are still not classed as gambling under UK law — a government minister restated this position to the House of Lords in January 2026, while saying the government is keeping possible future legislation under review — so there is no statutory age check on the purchase itself. Since 26 May 2026 the ASA has been actively monitoring Apple App Store and Google Play listings for mobile games, which must clearly disclose that loot boxes are present, but that's a disclosure duty, not a purchase restriction; stopping a child spending is down to the console or account-level controls you set yourself.

Myth: As long as my child only spends in-game FIFA Coins, not real money, there's no real risk.

Fact: The pack itself works the same whichever currency buys it, so the random-reward cycle regulators are concerned about applies to coin-bought packs too. The bigger practical risk with coins is buying or selling them through third-party websites, which breaks EA's rules and is a common scam route — fake sites, 'comfort trades' that hand over account access, and coin wipes or bans if EA's systems flag the account. Packs and points should only come from EA's own store or the console marketplace.