Team of the Year — TOTY — is the single most anticipated promo event in the entire Ultimate Team calendar. Every January, EA Sports releases a set of special player cards representing the best footballers from the previous calendar year, voted for by the global community and selected by an editorial panel. These cards carry the highest ratings available at that point in any FUT season and are consistently among the most expensive and powerful items in the game. Whether you are new to Ultimate Team and encountering TOTY for the first time, or a veteran planning your annual TOTY investment strategy, this guide explains everything — how the event works, how voting operates, what makes TOTY cards unique, and how to get them into your squad. For the coins to invest in TOTY cards or complete TOTY SBCs when the event drops, MrGeek is your go-to store for safe, affordable EA FC Coins.
What Is TOTY in FIFA and EA FC Ultimate Team?
Team of the Year is an annual Ultimate Team event held every January that recognises the best performing male and female footballers from the previous calendar year. It is the in-game equivalent of football's prestigious end-of-year award ceremonies — think the Ballon d'Or or FIFA Best — translated into special player cards that reflect peak performances rather than current real-world ratings.
TOTY has been a fixture in the FIFA and EA FC calendar since the earliest editions of Ultimate Team, and it has grown into the most commercially significant and community-anticipated event of every FUT season. The timing — typically mid-to-late January — is deliberate. It arrives after the initial rush of early-season promos and gives the game a major second peak of engagement at a point when squads have begun to settle.
Unlike most promos where EA independently selects the featured players, TOTY has a community voting component that gives players a direct say in who receives the prestigious cards — making it both a community event and a content drop simultaneously.
How Does TOTY Voting Work?
TOTY voting typically opens in December and runs for one to two weeks before the event itself launches in January. The process works as follows:
- Nomination Phase: EA Sports and an editorial panel select a shortlist of nominees for each position — typically between five and ten players per position across the formation. The shortlist reflects the most impactful performers in world football during the calendar year, drawn from all major leagues globally.
- Community Voting: The FUT community votes for their preferred player at each position through the official EA Sports website or directly within the game. Each account gets one vote per position per day during the voting window, so returning each day to vote increases your influence on the final lineup.
- Editorial Override: EA Sports reserves the right to supplement community votes with editorial selections, particularly for positions where the community vote may not reflect on-pitch performances of the year. This means the final eleven is a combination of community preference and EA's panel assessment.
- Results: The final TOTY XI is announced shortly before or alongside the event launch — typically a few days in advance to build community anticipation and discussion.
Voting for TOTY is not just a community engagement exercise — it actively influences which cards are released, which directly affects the transfer market. Players who are widely expected to win their position vote generate significant pre-event investment demand, making TOTY voting results one of the most watched signals for FUT market traders every January.
What Makes TOTY Cards Special?
TOTY cards are not simply cosmetically different versions of existing player items. They are substantively and mechanically superior to every other version of a player available at the time of their release, with several features that set them apart from any other card type in Ultimate Team:
The Highest Ratings of the Season (at Release)
At the point TOTY drops — typically mid-January — the eleven TOTY cards represent the highest overall ratings available in that FUT edition. A player rated 89 in their base version may receive a 96 or 97-rated TOTY card. These are not incremental upgrades — they are elite, benchmark-level items that redefine the power curve of the game at that moment in the season.
Boosted Stats Across Every Attribute
TOTY cards receive boosts across all six primary stat categories — Pace, Shooting, Passing, Dribbling, Defending, and Physicality — not just one or two. The overall uplift is substantial enough that TOTY cards from one year remain competitive deep into the following months as the season continues to release higher-rated promos.
Playstyle+ Upgrades
In recent EA FC editions, TOTY cards receive Playstyle+ upgrades — the highest tier of the Playstyle system — that unlock specific in-game animations and ability bonuses beyond what standard cards of the same rating provide. A TOTY card does not just have better numbers; it plays differently and more fluidly than a standard version of the same player.
Distinct Visual Design
TOTY cards have a unique card design — typically darker or more premium in appearance than standard gold cards — that immediately identifies them in your squad and during matches. The TOTY card design has evolved across editions but has always been one of the most visually distinctive in the game.
Men's and Women's TOTY
In recent editions, EA Sports has expanded TOTY to cover both men's and women's football, releasing a separate Women's TOTY XI alongside the main event. Women's TOTY cards follow the same structure — voted by the community, boosted across all attributes, with distinct card design — and are available through packs and SBCs during the women's team release window.
How TOTY Is Released — Event Structure
The TOTY event does not drop all content simultaneously. EA Sports structures it across multiple days and weeks to extend engagement and provide more ways to access the cards:
Pack Availability
The eleven TOTY players are available in packs during the event window, typically for one to two weeks. However, given that you are distributing eleven special cards across billions of packs opened by millions of players simultaneously, the actual probability of packing a TOTY card from any individual pack is extremely low. Most players who obtain TOTY cards do so through the transfer market or SBCs rather than directly from packs.
TOTY SBCs
Squad Building Challenges for specific TOTY players or position-locked TOTY picks are released alongside or shortly after the initial pack window. These SBCs require high-rated fodder squads — typically in the 85 to 88 overall range — and represent the most reliable way for non-packers to target specific TOTY cards. Completing TOTY SBCs requires significant coin investment or a large stored fodder reserve, which is why preparation before the event is essential.
TOTY Honourable Mentions
Players who were nominated but did not make the final eleven often receive TOTY Honourable Mentions cards — slightly lower-rated versions of the same special card treatment. These cards provide access to near-TOTY level performance at a significantly lower price point and are some of the best-value cards in the game during the January event window.
Objectives and Milestones
TOTY events typically include time-limited objectives and milestone challenges that reward lower-rated TOTY or TOTY-adjacent cards through gameplay rather than pack luck or SBC completion. These are the most accessible route for budget players to participate in the event and earn TOTY-quality rewards.
How to Get TOTY Cards in Ultimate Team
There are four realistic routes to getting TOTY cards into your squad:
- Transfer market: The most reliable method for targeting a specific player. TOTY cards are listed on the transfer market by players who pack them. Prices are extremely high at launch — often peaking in the first 24 to 48 hours — before gradually settling as more cards enter circulation. Buying two to three weeks after launch typically yields better value than buying on day one.
- SBC completion: The most accessible route for non-packers. TOTY SBCs require significant fodder preparation but provide a guaranteed specific card rather than relying on pack odds. Start accumulating 84 to 87-rated fodder in early January to be ready when the SBCs launch.
- Pack opening: High-risk and generally inefficient for targeting specific cards, but the volume of packs opened during TOTY season means many players will pack TOTY items. If you have saved packs from the previous months, TOTY launch is one of the strongest windows to open them.
- Objectives and Milestones: Free gameplay-based rewards that do not require coins or FC Points. Lower-rated but still provide access to TOTY-quality cards for players who cannot or choose not to spend during the event.
TOTY Investment Strategy — How to Prepare
- Build a fodder reserve from October onwards. TOTY SBCs require the highest volume and rating of fodder of any single event. Start accumulating 84 to 88-rated cards from November at the latest — buying during market dips on Sunday and Monday evenings to minimise cost.
- Liquidate your squad before TOTY. Transfer market prices for most non-TOTY cards drop significantly in the weeks before and during TOTY as the community sells squads to raise coin balances. Selling high-rated players you do not need before the event and reinvesting in TOTY cards or fodder is one of the most consistent annual market strategies in FUT.
- Buy TOTY cards after the initial price peak. Prices almost always drop after the first 48 to 72 hours of the event as pack openings flood the market with supply. Unless you need a card immediately, patience is consistently rewarded during TOTY season.
- Target Honourable Mentions for value. TOTY Honourable Mentions cards offer near-TOTY performance at a significantly reduced price. If budget is a constraint, these are often the smartest purchases of the entire TOTY event window.
- Hold packs until the event launches. Any 85+, 86+, or higher packs you have stored from previous months should be saved for TOTY release — the increased pack weight during the event period gives you a meaningfully better chance of pulling a special card.
TOTY Across FIFA Editions — Notable Past Events
TOTY has evolved significantly since its early appearances in the FIFA Ultimate Team series. In the earliest editions, TOTY cards were modest upgrades with limited special design. As FUT grew into one of the most commercially successful gaming features ever created, TOTY grew with it — becoming more elaborate, more expensive, more contested, and more impactful on the game's meta with each passing year.
- Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have appeared in multiple TOTY XIs across different FIFA editions, with their TOTY cards consistently being the most expensive items in the game during those events.
- FUT 20 TOTY introduced one of the most anticipated lineups of the decade, featuring several world-class performers at their peak. Community voting saw record participation as FUT's player base reached new heights.
- Women's TOTY integration arrived in more recent editions, significantly expanding the event's scope and making it the most high-profile celebration of women's football in any gaming context.
- Playstyle+ TOTY cards represent the current evolution of the format in EA FC, where the cards are differentiated not just by rating but by gameplay animation quality — a significant advancement in how special cards actually feel to use.
TOTY — Frequently Asked Questions
When does TOTY happen in EA FC?
TOTY is released in January every year, typically in the second or third week of the month. The exact date varies by edition. Community voting usually opens in December, with results announced shortly before the event launch.
How many players are in the TOTY squad?
The core TOTY squad consists of eleven players in a standard formation — one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders, and three attackers. Additional Honourable Mentions, Women's TOTY, and special nomination cards expand the total number of TOTY-related items available during the event.
Are TOTY cards tradeable?
TOTY cards obtained from packs are tradeable on the transfer market. TOTY cards earned through SBCs or Objectives are typically untradeable. Always check the reward details before completing an SBC if tradeability matters to your squad-building strategy.
Do TOTY cards stay in the game after the event ends?
Yes. TOTY cards remain in your club permanently once obtained. They can also continue to be traded on the transfer market after the event ends, though prices typically rise after the event closes and active supply decreases. Long-term, TOTY cards tend to hold strong value throughout the rest of the FUT season.
How is TOTY different from TOTS?
TOTY (Team of the Year) recognises the best players from the previous calendar year and is released in January. TOTS (Team of the Season) recognises the best performers from the current football season and is released in April and May, covering multiple leagues over several weeks. TOTY is typically the higher-rated event and the one with the strongest market impact, but TOTS runs longer and releases more cards in total.
