FC 26 Coins has brought back one of football's most iconic figures, Diego Maradona, in a spectacular fashion, allowing players to not only acquire his cards but also tailor his abilities through the innovative "Evolutions" system. This deep dive will explore how to get your hands on Maradona, navigate his various evolution paths, and unlock his full, legendary potential in FC 26.
Diego Maradona made his triumphant return to EA's football series in FC 26 as part of the "Grassroot Greats" promo, marking his first appearance since FIFA 22. What makes this return even more exciting for players is the opportunity to claim a free 77-rated Diego Maradona card simply by logging into the game during the promotional period (which ran from February 14, 2025, to March 14, 2025). This untradeable base card serves as the starting point for his remarkable evolution journey.
Beyond this complimentary card, Maradona also features in other promos, most notably the "Shapeshifters" event, where he can appear with significantly higher ratings (e.g., a 98-rated Shapeshifter Icon card at LW/RW). These high-rated versions offer immediate elite performance, but the true interactive fun lies in evolving his base card.
Evolutions are a cornerstone of FC 26's Ultimate Team, allowing players to upgrade the base stats, PlayStyles, PlayStyle+, and even positions of specific cards by completing a series of in-game challenges. Each Evolution has multiple stages, typically ranging from two to four, with objectives that often involve playing matches, scoring goals, or making assists with the evolving player in various Ultimate Team modes (Squad Battles, Rivals, Champions, etc.).
Crucially, once a player is submitted into an Evolution slot, they become untradeable and cannot be used in Squad Building Challenges (SBCs) until the Evolution is fully completed. Evolutions can be free or require an investment of Ultimate Team Coins or FC Points. cheap FC 26 Coins also introduced "Training Camp Evolutions" for passive upgrades and "Chained Evolutions" where a player can be upgraded through multiple consecutive Evolution paths.
