EA Sports' FIFA 24 Ultimate Team mode keeps players engaged throughout the year with a variety of in-game events and promotional programs. These events offer limited-time rewards, new cards, and competitive gameplay modes to keep the FUT experience feeling fresh.
Weekend League
The premier competitive mode in FUT is the Weekend League. Taking place every weekend from Friday to Monday, players can qualify for the Weekend League by achieving a certain Division Rivals rank over the week. In the Weekend League, players compete in a best-of-30 matches format over the weekend to earn rewards like packs, coins, and FUT Champs points based on how many wins they achieve.
The most successful Weekend League performers are able to achieve Elite ranks and earn gigantic rewards. Competing in the Weekend League each weekend gives players the most competitive gameplay experience in FUT and a chance at big untradeable and tradeable pack rewards.
Rivals Rewards
Division Rivals is the main competitive gameplay mode throughout the week in FUT. Players are placed in skill-based divisions and earn or lose skill points with each match based on their performance. At the end of each week, players receive Rivals Rewards based on the highest division they achieved that week. Rivals Rewards usually include packs, coins, and FUT Champs Points.
Higher division finishes result in better Rivals Rewards, incentivizing players to constantly improve their skill rating over multiple weeks. Rivals Rewards provides a constant stream of rewards beyond just the Weekend League for engaged FUT players.
Promo Events
EA releases regular promo events in FUT with new themed special cards entering packs and objectives. Some of the biggest FUT promos include:
Future Stars
Released in January, Future Stars features highly-rated special cards for young talents who could break out as stars in the next few years. These cards have boosted stats based on their potential abilities.
Team of the Group Stage
Released during international tournaments like the World Cup and Euros, this promo grants Team of the Tournament-style upgrades to standout players from the group stage.
Road to the Final
Released for the Champions League and Europa League knockout stages, these special cards get upgraded based on their team's progression in the competition.
Shapeshifters
A fun promo where players get position changes and stat boosts based on playing in unnatural roles. This shakes up the meta and allows new hybrid squad options.
FUT Birthday
Released in March, FUT Birthday celebrates the mode with special flashy cards for meta or fan favorite players with huge boosted stats.
These are just some of the biggest FUT promos, alongside various league-specific TOTW, TOTS and other campaign events released regularly to bring out exciting new cards throughout the year.
Objectives and Squad Building Challenges
Alongside online gameplay modes, EA releases objectives and SBCs for players to complete for additional untradeable rewards. Examples include Player Moment's objectives to earn special cards commemorating iconic player performances. SBCs require submitting squads meeting various criteria to earn packs and sometimes special cards.
Objectives provide alternative gameplay options for more casual players, while SBCs are a popular way for the FUT community to sink excess untradeable cards and coins. Both objectives and SBCs lengthen player engagement outside of competitive play.
FUT Friendlies
FUT Friendlies is a one-stop location for limited-time casual online game modes outside the competitive structure. Examples include Max Chemistry, Icon Swaps, and mystery ball variants that change each week. It provides low-stakes environments to complete objectives or try squads against live opponents in funRulebreakers variants.
FUT Friendlies ensures there are always optional online experiences beyond just Weekend League or Rivals for players to enjoy the gameplay with experimental squads or objectives in mind.
Conclusion
Through a variety of competitive and casual gameplay options, objectives, SBCs and unique promo events, EA Sports succeeds at maintaining a high level of engagement across all types of FUT players throughout the year. The constantly refreshed offerings incentivize players to keep logging on and improve their skills and squads.
FUT's diverse calendar of limited-time rewards and experiences is a big reason for its longevity as one of the most popular modes in gaming. It will be exciting to see what new promos and events EA has in store for FIFA 24 FUT to further enhance the player experience.
