UEFA Road to the Knockouts (RTTK) is expected to return to Football Ultimate Team on Friday 6 November 2026 at 6pm UK time (18:00 UTC), the moment Ultimate Scream ends. EA’s Launch Roadmap lists it as a Season 2 campaign, but EA has not given a date, a squad or an upgrade path. RTTK items are live: they upgrade on results in the Champions League, Women’s Champions League, Europa League and Conference League league phases, which run until Thursday 28 January 2027.
FC 27 Road to the Knockouts at a glance
| Date | Event | UK time | UTC | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 6 November 2026 | Ultimate Scream ends | 6pm | 18:00 | Confirmed |
| Friday 6 November 2026 | Road to the Knockouts Team 1 | 6pm | 18:00 | Expected |
| Friday 13 November 2026 | Road to the Knockouts Team 2, if the campaign runs two weeks | 6pm | 18:00 | Expected |
| Friday 13 November 2026 | Ultimate Scream Token Store closes | By 6pm | By 18:00 | Confirmed |
| Friday 20 November 2026 | Road to the Knockouts ends, if it runs two weeks | 6pm | 18:00 | Expected |
| Thursday 3 December 2026 | Season 2: FC Heritage ends, Season 3 begins | 7:59am | 07:59 | Confirmed |
| Friday 29 January 2027 | Final upgrade round, the Friday after the last league phase matchdays on 27 and 28 January 2027 | Not published | Not published | Expected |
When does FC 27 Road to the Knockouts start?
Road to the Knockouts is expected on Friday 6 November 2026 at 6pm UK time (18:00 UTC), replacing Ultimate Scream in packs.
EA’s Launch Roadmap, published with the Launch Update Pitch Notes on 14 September 2026, lists four Season 2 campaigns in order: Ultimate Scream, UEFA Road to the Knockouts, Hall of FUT: Unleashed and Black Friday: Thunderstruck. It gives no dates. EA confirmed Ultimate Scream as a two-week campaign ending on Friday 6 November 2026, and new campaigns are released at 6pm UK time on Fridays, so that is the slot.
EA has not said how long the campaign will run. Road to the Knockouts ran for two weeks with a squad each Friday in FC 24 and FC 25, which would put Team 2 on Friday 13 November 2026 and the end on Friday 20 November 2026. FC 26’s UEFA Primetime ran a single week before Festival of Football: Captains replaced it, and with Hall of FUT: Unleashed next on the roadmap and Black Friday on Friday 27 November 2026, one week is just as plausible.
Is Road to the Knockouts back after UEFA Primetime?
Yes, by name. FC 26 replaced Road to the Knockouts with UEFA Primetime, and EA’s FC 27 roadmap uses the Road to the Knockouts name again.
UEFA Primetime kept the format: live items from the four UEFA club competitions, with league phase results driving upgrades. It added individual conditions, so a player’s own goals, assists, clean sheets and appearances mattered alongside the club’s results, and it introduced three new Heroes. Whether FC 27 returns to the team-only path of FC 25 or keeps the individual conditions of FC 26 is the main unknown. Star Performer items, in FC 27 packs after selected UEFA matchweeks since 17 October 2026, are separate: they mark one performance and do not carry live upgrades.
How do FC 27 Road to the Knockouts upgrades work?
EA has not published the FC 27 upgrade path. It is normally released on launch day alongside the squad.
Last year’s path is the closest template. UEFA Primetime items had five possible upgrades, with the thresholds reduced for the Conference League because its league phase has fewer matchdays:
| FC 26 condition | UCL and UEL | UWCL | UECL | Upgrade awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club earns points | 7 or more in the next 4 matches | 7 or more in the next 4 matches | 4 or more in the next 3 matches | +1 OVR |
| Player appears in a win | 1 appearance in a win over the next 4 | 1 appearance in a win over the next 4 | 1 appearance in a win over the next 3 | Role+ and 1 base PlayStyle |
| Attacker or midfielder: 1 goal or assist. Defender: 1 clean sheet or no yellow or red cards | Next 4 matches | Next 4 matches | Next 3 matches (goal or assist only) | Role++ and 1 base PlayStyle |
| Club finishes high in the table | Top 8 | Top 4 | Top 8 | 1 PlayStyle+ (maximum 1) or 2 base PlayStyles |
| Club scores in different matches | 4 matches | 4 matches | 3 matches | +1 OVR |
Any player who already had a PlayStyle+ received two base PlayStyles instead of a second PlayStyle+. Heroes had a shorter path measured against the club they are associated with: +1 OVR for two wins in the next four matches, and Role++ plus two base PlayStyles for four goals in the next four league matches.
Two FC 27 changes point to what will differ. EA’s Launch Update states that all Campaign Player Items launch with all of their position’s Roles++ unlocked, so the Role+ and Role++ steps in last year’s path would award nothing. The same Pitch Notes cut the maximum PlayStyles+ on any item from five to three. FC 27’s first live campaign, Future Stars, uses +1 OVR steps, a single PlayStyle+ and a 5-star Weak Foot, with an extra base PlayStyle for any item that already has a PlayStyle+. A path built from those parts is the likeliest shape, but it is not confirmed.
Which matches count for FC 27 Road to the Knockouts upgrades?
Four Champions League matchdays will already have been played by 6 November 2026, so expect the path to count the remaining league phase fixtures, as last year’s "next 4 matches" wording did.
- Champions League: four matchdays remain, from Matchday 5 (24 to 25 November 2026) to Matchday 8 (Wednesday 27 January 2027).
- Europa League: four matchdays remain, from Matchday 5 (26 November 2026) to Matchday 8 (Thursday 28 January 2027).
- Conference League: three matchdays remain, from Matchday 4 (26 November 2026) to Matchday 6 (Thursday 17 December 2026).
- Women’s Champions League: three matchdays remain, Matchday 4 (10 to 11 November 2026), Matchday 5 (18 to 19 November 2026) and Matchday 6 (Wednesday 16 December 2026). Last year’s UWCL path counted the next four; only three remain, so expect thresholds scaled like the Conference League’s.
In FC 25, EA counted every league phase match, including those played before launch, and the PlayStyle+ went only to items whose club finished in the top two of 36. In FC 26, only matches after launch counted and the top eight qualified. EA has not said which applies in FC 27.
EA’s FC 25 rule was that upgrades go live in game on the Friday after each matchweek. There are no men’s UEFA fixtures between 5 and 24 November 2026 because of the international break, so men’s items cannot move before the 27 November round. If FC 27 follows the same schedule, these are the days to watch:
| Expected upgrade day | Fixtures it would reflect |
|---|---|
| Friday 13 November 2026 | UWCL Matchday 4 (10 to 11 November) |
| Friday 20 November 2026 | UWCL Matchday 5 (18 to 19 November) |
| Friday 27 November 2026 | UCL Matchday 5 (24 to 25 November), UEL Matchday 5 and UECL Matchday 4 (26 November) |
| Friday 11 December 2026 | UCL Matchday 6 (8 to 9 December), UEL Matchday 6 and UECL Matchday 5 (10 December) |
| Friday 18 December 2026 | UWCL Matchday 6 (16 December), UECL Matchday 6 (17 December) |
| Friday 22 January 2027 | UCL Matchday 7 (19 to 20 January), UEL Matchday 7 (21 January) |
| Friday 29 January 2027 | UCL Matchday 8 (27 January), UEL Matchday 8 (28 January) |
Season 2 ends on Thursday 3 December 2026 and Season 3 on Thursday 14 January 2027, so Champions League and Europa League items would still be upgrading in Season 4, as UEFA Primetime items ran into the new year last season. The January transfer window matters too: EA’s Road to the Knockouts FAQs from FIFA 22 onwards state that a player no longer registered with the club they represented at the start of the campaign is not eligible for further upgrades.
Follow every fixture and standing on FUT.GG’s Live Hub, which tracks live player upgrades by competition and club, and see which items have already moved on the Upgrade Hub.
Who will be in FC 27 Road to the Knockouts Team 1?
EA has not announced the squad, and no reliable Team 1 leak had appeared as of Friday 30 October 2026.
Ultimate Scream Team 1 leaked three days before release, so a Road to the Knockouts leak early in the week of 2 November 2026 would fit the pattern. Expect a squad of around 15 items: EA’s Launch Update set smaller campaign squads for FC 27, and Future Stars and Ultimate Scream both arrived at that size, against 19 in FC 25’s Team 1. Expect items from all four competitions, with women’s items included every year since FC 24. FC 25 Team 1 was led by a 91-rated Jude Bellingham; FC 26 UEFA Primetime included Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal. Three new Heroes debuted in FC 26’s UEFA campaign and Ultimate Scream has already introduced Heroes in FC 27, so Heroes are possible but unconfirmed.
We will publish the full squad here when EA reveals it. Every item will be listed on the In Packs page and the campaign squads page the moment it goes live.
Road to the Knockouts history: FIFA 22 to FC 27
Road to the Knockouts first appeared in FIFA 22 and has opened the UEFA league phase in Ultimate Team every year since, under one name or another.
| Edition | Start date | How it worked |
|---|---|---|
| FIFA 22 | Friday 15 October 2021 | First Road to the Knockouts. Two squads plus two mini releases. Two upgrades: knockout qualification, and three wins from the four remaining group matches |
| FIFA 23 | Friday 7 October 2022 | One squad plus a mini release. Two upgrades: knockout qualification, and two wins from the four remaining group matches |
| FC 24 | Friday 29 September 2023 | Launch-day campaign, two weeks. Two squads plus mini releases. One upgrade, for two wins from the remaining group matches, with no need for the player to feature |
| FC 25 | Friday 27 September 2024 | Launch-day campaign, two weeks. Two squads of 19. +1 OVR for 3 wins, +1 OVR and Role++ for scoring in 4 matches, PlayStyle+ and Role++ for a top-two finish |
| FC 26 | Friday 7 November 2025 | Renamed UEFA Primetime, one week. Five-step path mixing club and individual conditions. Three new Heroes with their own path |
| FC 27 | Friday 6 November 2026 (expected) | Returns under the Road to the Knockouts name on EA’s Launch Roadmap. Squad and path not yet published |
FC 27 Road to the Knockouts FAQ
When does FC 27 Road to the Knockouts start?
Friday 6 November 2026 at 6pm UK time (18:00 UTC) is expected. EA has not confirmed it.
Do matches before 6 November 2026 count?
Not confirmed. In FC 25 every league phase match counted, including those played before launch. In FC 26 only the matches after launch counted.
Does the player have to play to receive upgrades?
It depends on the path EA publishes. In FC 25 no, because every upgrade was based on club results. In FC 26 two of the five upgrades required the player to appear in a win or to score, assist or keep a clean sheet.
Do Road to the Knockouts Evolutions receive upgrades?
Not in FC 26: EA stated that UEFA Primetime items from Evolutions would not receive upgrades. EA has not said whether FC 27 follows the same rule.
When is the last Road to the Knockouts upgrade?
Friday 29 January 2027 is expected, the Friday after the final Champions League and Europa League matchdays on 27 and 28 January 2027. Conference League and Women’s Champions League items finish after their last matchdays on 17 and 16 December 2026.
Are Road to the Knockouts cards tradeable?
Items found in packs are tradeable. Items earned through Squad Building Challenges and Objectives are untradeable.
Sources: EA SPORTS FC 27 Launch Update and Launch Rewards Pitch Notes, EA SPORTS FC 27 Season 2: FC Heritage and Ultimate Scream articles, EA SPORTS FC 26 UEFA Primetime article, EA SPORTS FC 25 Road to the Knockouts article, EA SPORTS FIFA 22 Road to the Knockouts FAQ, UEFA 2026/27 competition calendars, and FUT.GG’s FC 25 Road to the Knockouts and FC 26 UEFA Primetime upgrade guides. Anything marked as expected is based on previous years and is not confirmed by EA.