How FIFA 22’s New Player-Created Clubs Will Work

In the shadow the money-printing FIFA Ultimate Team, FIFA‘s recent Career Modes have felt neglected, leaving many fans missing the days when it was the games’ prominent feature. FIFA 21 introduced a few much-requested additions, like improved player training and the Interactive Match Sim, and FIFA 22’s Manager Career create a club system looks to build on that, promising the return of something fans have been wishing for since it was removed from the series.

With custom clubs, FIFA 22 players can build their own teams from scratch. That means deciding what kit the players wear, what the stadium looks like, and even the starting makeup of the squad. Having this kind of control over a team should help players feel more like they’re the manager of a real-life soccer club, especially given some of the smart decisions EA is making in terms of club creation.

When starting a new club, players must first decide which league they want to be in, where they’ll take the place of a real club in the league and kick it into the “Rest of the World” teams. Players can start at the top of the world in a league like LaLiga or Serie A or with humble beginnings in Bundesliga 3 or English League 2. Either way, this decision will have lasting ramifications for the makeup of a squad.

How FIFA 22 Lets Players Customize Create A Club Teams

Once the league is selected, FIFA 22 gives players a starting team drawn from the real-life makeup of the league; if 5% of Ligue 1 players are of Spanish nationality, for example, a player generated for a create a club team in Ligue 1 will have a 5% chance of being Spanish. Of course, this team can be altered with transfer deals and free agents, but the initial makeup of the team will suit the league’s actual makeup.

FIFA 22 Manager Career also lets players choose a team from their starting league that will serve as a Rival. This club will be a thorn in the player’s side, and matches against them will have an added flair, as they are “treated with higher importance in [FIFA 22’s in-game] broadcast experience and benefit from additional news coverage & stories.” In theory, this should set the table for a drama-filled narrative taking place in the player’s head.

Outside of starting options, players will also have the opportunity to change and upgrade their kit, badge, and stadium at the end of each in-game year. Real-life soccer teams update their kits in this same way, usually teased all over social media to drum up hype for the reveal. Now, FIFA players will be able to do something similar for their own FIFA 22 teams, which should help make the mode feel even more realistic. While the entire mode likely won’t be perfect – it’s missing things like sponsors and the ability to actually craft a stadium from the ground up, for example – FIFA 22’s Manager Career mode appears to be continuing the forward trajectory FIFA 21 began, largely thanks to the return of create a club.

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