So real it’s unreal.

Madden 26 leverages a new AI-powered machine learning system trained on thousands of plays from nearly a decade of real NFL data to deliver more explosive gameplay - with new player-specific traits, authentic play-styles, and adaptive counters that match on-field tendencies and strategies of NFL quarterbacks and coaches.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will grace the cover of EA Sports Madden NFL 26, the first Eagle to do so in 20 years. Barkley’s record-setting season earned him both the cover and induction as the first member of the coveted Madden NFL 26 ‘99 Club.’ Barkley appears on two unique covers with one memorializing his spectacular reverse hurdle from last season.

Franchise fans, we hope you’re sitting down. To put it bluntly, this is the biggest Franchise Mode update we’ve made in over a decade. This Deep Dive will walk you through all the details of what we’ve been working on and we hope you’ll see why we couldn’t be more excited to finally share it with you.

Our development team is incredibly passionate about Franchise Mode. We’re longtime fans just like you, and we’ve poured that passion into every part of this year’s update.

For Madden NFL 26, we focused on three major areas to bring you the most comprehensive improvements yet. Our goal was to make Franchise deeper, more dynamic and more true to the NFL experience:

First, we want you to Feel Like a Real NFL Head Coach every single week, all season long. Whether it’s building your staff, adjusting your strategy or preparing for your next opponent, your decisions will matter more than ever.

Second, we focused on making sure Every Game Feels Different. From AI behavior and player traits to weather effects and opponent tendencies, each matchup should feel unique and bring new challenges to the table.

And finally, we know you want Every Week to Feel Different. You want Monday Nights to feel special. You want to feel the shift in atmosphere when the calendar flips to December. You want to see what’s going on around the league via Halftime Shows and a Weekly Recap. 

We’re delivering ALL of that this year.

Before we get into the new features, I wanted to talk about our number one priority.

We want screens to load quicker, and we definitely know you want them to load quicker. We spent a lot of time early in our development cycle focusing on how quickly our screens load. We agree that they felt sluggish and wanted to make sure we addressed that right away. We’ve spent a lot of time tracking the loading speed and fixing issues related to that. It may not be the most exciting change to the mode this year, but we know you’ll appreciate it and it should definitely improve your experience.

Now - let’s kick things off with your all-new coaching experience.

Coach Creation

In order to make sure your coach feels like you, they need to look the part. Custom coaches got a massive overhaul, with 200 new heads to choose from when creating your coach.

There’s also a ton of new gear exclusively for custom coaches. With more than 50 new shirts, 15 pants and 40 shoes, you can make more than 30,000 combinations to wear on the sidelines.

From a shirt & tie and slacks to a sleeveless shirt and shorts, you can bring your own style to the field every week– and change it up each game if you want.

Choose Your Archetype

Every coach in Madden NFL 26 will fall under one of three distinct archetypes: Offensive Guru, Defensive Genius or Development Wizard. As a created coach, choosing your archetype will be the first decision you make and will impact how you evolve and develop as a coach. This choice will dictate not only the abilities you start with, but also the abilities you will unlock as you progress in your career. As an Offensive Guru, the entire unlock path will consist of offensive-minded abilities and the same goes for the Defensive Genius where its unlock path will be centered around defensive-minded abilities. As a Development Wizard, the unlock path will primarily be a mix of off the field abilities and gameplay abilities. All existing coaches will also fall under one of these three archetypes and the abilities they possess will be tailored to match their real-life counterparts.

When it comes to coach progression, each coach now has a level from 1 to 50. If you create a coach, you’ll begin at level 1. As your career advances and you reach higher levels, you’ll unlock new abilities and ability slots (we’ll talk more about those later). To level up, you’ll need to earn Coach XP. There are a few ways to earn it, but the main method is through completing goals. In addition to Season and Career Milestone goals, we’ve added in-game goals. These let you and your coordinators earn XP weekly based on what happens during your games. After each week, you’ll see a summary of your completed goals, how much XP you earned, and how close you are to your next level. If you level up, you’ll also get a special tab that shows off any new unlocks you've earned.

Coach Abilities Metagame

New to Madden NFL 26 are Coach Abilities. Coach Abilities have been built to reflect the authentic skills, traits and characteristics displayed by NFL coaches on a weekly basis.

Abilities are split into two types: Gameday Abilities and Season Abilities. Gameday Abilities do exactly what the name suggests. They impact your team directly during games and influence gameplay in unique ways. We’ve made a focused effort to ensure these abilities do more than just boost attributes. They’re designed to affect actual gameplay moments and interactions. That said, if you’re the kind of player who likes to give a specific position group a stat boost before a game, don’t worry, there are still coach abilities that offer traditional attribute increases.

When it comes to Gameday Abilities, there will be 46 different abilities at a launch, including 22 offensive and 24 defensive Abilities. Utilize the Trimmed Edges ability to give your offensive tackles an increased chance to win against various pass rush moves. Equip the Sure Hands ability to give your receivers a higher chance of catching passes or counter it defensively with Mr. Dream which gives your defenders an increased chance of knocking potential catches loose. Or if you’re looking for a game changing hit, equip my personal favorite ability Hitamus Stickamus to give your defenders a higher hit stick timing window and increased chances of forcing fumbles. Here is a preview of some more Gameday Abilities we will be delivering in Madden NFL 26:

Dr. Dots

• Tier I - Increased Pass Accuracy on passes 10 yards or less
• Tier II - Increased Pass Accuracy on passes up to 20 yards downfield
• Tier III -Increased Pass Accuracy on passes 30 yards and beyond
• Tier IV - QB’s are immune to pressure effects

Coaches with this Ability: Andy Reid, Sean McVay, Zac Taylor and Mike McDaniel

Interior Dominating

• Tier I - Slightly increased success chance against Power Moves for IOL
• Tier II - Slightly increased success chance against Finesse Moves for IOL
• Tier III - Significantly increased success chance against Power Moves for IOL
• Tier IV - Significantly increased success chance against Finesse Moves for IOL

Coaches with this Ability: Nick Sirianni, Jim Harbaugh, Kyle Shanahan and Shane Steichen

Passing Paranoia

• Tier I - Increased Pressure Effects on QB's inside the pocket
• Tier II - Increased Pressure Effects on QB's outside the pocket
• Tier III - Reduced chance of broken sacks
• Tier IV - Increased chance at strip sacks/fumbles on sacks

Coaches with this Ability: Mike Tomlin, Jonathan Gannon, Sean McDermott and Todd Bowles

Sheddables

• Tier I - Increased Success against Double Team run blocks
• Tier II - Quick Block shed moves are more successful
• Tier III - Power Block Shed moves are more successful
• Tier IV - Significant block shed success for all defensive linemen

Coaches with this Ability: Mike Tomlin, Mike Macdonald, Mike Vrabel and Dan Quinn

When it comes to Season Abilities, there will be 28 at launch and they are tailored to the off the field aspects of franchise mode and will be heavily based around player progression, scouting and building your staff. Looking to fast track the development of your players? Use one of the many Practician abilities to gain an increased amount of Training XP. Need a leg up on the upcoming draft? Equip the Scout’s Honor ability to hire more Tier 3 scouts or the Stud Finder ability to gain scouting percentage boosts on all quarterback prospects. Here are a few more examples of some Season Abilities:

Head of the Class

• Tier I - Coaching Staff earns 10% More XP
• Tier II - Coaching Staff earns 20% More XP
• Tier III - Coaching Staff earns 30% More XP
• Tier IV - Coaching Staff earns 50% More XP

Coaches with this Ability: Mike Tomlin, Mike Macdonald, Mike Vrabel and Dan Quinn

Fit Finder

• Tier I - Reduces Archetype Unlock on Prospects to 15%
• Tier II - Reduces Archetype Unlock on Prospects to 10%
• Tier III - Reduces Archetype Unlock on Prospects to 5%
• Tier IV - Unlocks a Prospects Archetype Immediately

Tiers & Ability Progression

Every Coach Ability in Madden NFL 26 consists of four tiers. As an ability progresses tiers, the effects of the previous tiers stack and the ability becomes more powerful. Abilities can be progressed in two different ways: Upgrade Goals and Staff Points. Each tier of a Gameday Ability will have an Upgrade Goal and completing the goal will unlock the next tier and its effect. However, it goes both ways. Part of becoming a great NFL coach is not only building a team that can be successful but the other, arguably more important part, is sustaining that success. When designing this feature, we wanted to ensure that the replayability was high and that there wasn’t a distinct ceiling where you could no longer progress as a coach. Enter Knockout and Mastery Goals.

Each tier of an ability has both an Upgrade Goal and a Knockout Goal. The Upgrade Goal helps move the ability up to the next tier, while the Knockout Goal can do the opposite. If the Knockout Goal is completed before the Upgrade Goal, the ability will drop to a lower tier. For example, if an ability is at Tier 1 and its Knockout Goal is met first, the ability will be removed completely and must be repurchased to unlock it again. This reflects how coaches evolve throughout their careers, trying new strategies and adapting. Ultimately, their success on the field shapes how they’re judged. That’s the idea behind Knockout Goals: if you can’t turn an ability into real in-game success, it may be downgraded or lost.

Lastly, there’s the final part of the progression system, Mastery Goals. Once you upgrade an ability to Tier 4, the Upgrade Goals shift into Mastery Goals. Each tier has its own Mastery Goal. When a Mastery Goal is completed, that tier becomes permanent. So, if you finish the Tier 1 Mastery Goal, Tier 1 of that ability is yours forever and can’t be lost. If you complete the Tier 4 Mastery Goal, the ability becomes fully mastered and can never regress or be removed.

Upgrade, Knockout and Mastery Goals will come in two types: Game Goals and Cumulative Goals. Game Goals are things you can achieve in a single game, for example, an Upgrade Goal might be ‘Get 4 Passing TDs in a Game’, while the Knockout Goal could be ‘Allow 5 Sacks in a Game’. On the other hand, Cumulative Goals track progress over time. For example, an Upgrade Goal could be ‘Pass for 300 Yards in a Game Twice’, while the Knockout Goal might be ‘Allow 3 Sacks in a Game Three Times’. Progress on Cumulative Goals carries across weeks and seasons, and only resets when an Upgrade or Knockout condition is triggered.

Build the Perfect Gameplan

The Weekly Strategy part of Franchise mode has been completely redesigned, with a big focus on Coach Abilities. During development, we set out to fix one of the biggest issues with the old coach talents system: it didn’t put enough weight on actual strategy. In the NFL, it’s not just about how many tools a coach has, it’s about how they use those tools to solve the challenge in front of them. Our goal with the new Weekly Strategy was to capture that chess match and make each decision matter more than ever.

When you first jump in, you’ll notice three different types of loadouts: a Staff Loadout, a Playsheet Loadout and a Trainer Loadout.

Think of the Staff Loadout as your weekly gameplan. It consists of up to six slots, and the number of available slots depends on your coach level. A well-established coach like Andy Reid will start with all six slots unlocked, while a created coach begins with just three. Each slot can be filled with either a Gameday or Season Ability from any member of your staff.

At the start of each week, your loadout will be automatically filled with suggested abilities based on how your team matches up with that week’s opponent. If you have a strong run game, you’ll likely see more run-based abilities recommended to help take advantage. If your defense has weak spots and you're up against someone like Patrick Mahomes, you’ll probably see more pass rush and coverage-focused abilities. These suggestions are designed to give you a helpful starting point, but ultimately it's up to you to choose how to prepare. You can adjust your loadout however you like each week.

On the right side of the Weekly Strategy screen, you’ll see a matchup panel that breaks down how your team compares to your opponent in various areas, along with the impact your abilities are having. You’ll also find a set of scouting cards that highlight key opposing players, current injuries, individual and position group matchups, and even a breakdown of the opponent’s coaches and their top abilities, giving you insight into how they might gameplan for you.

A few additional things to consider when filling out your staff loadout:

• For the Staff and Playsheet Loadouts, you can use any ability from your Head Coach, Offensive or Defensive Coordinators.
• The Upgrade, KO and Mastery goals mentioned above will only be active if an ability is equipped in the loadout for that week.
• While gameday abilities can be used interchangeably week-to-week, season abilities will differ and be unique in that they must be used for a certain period of time. When equipping a season ability, that ability and its effects will become locked into your loadout for a certain period of time upon the completion of Weekly Strategy. This creates an additional layer of strategy based on your team makeup, upcoming schedule and more. If you’re a rebuilding team or headed into an easier stretch of games, you may be able to sacrifice gameday abilities in lieu of trying to get a leg up on the draft via scouting abilities.
• To avoid potential exploits, some season talents that are scouting and focus player related will not take effect until the weekly following when they are equipped.

Coordinators Finally Matter

As crucial as head coaches are, their coordinators play an equally vital role in a team’s success. If you’re an offensive-minded coach, your defensive coordinator essentially becomes the head coach of your defense, the reverse is true for defensive specialists. Coaches like Sean McVay, Todd Bowles, and Andy Reid are known for focusing on one side of the ball and leaning heavily on their coordinators to lead the other. That’s exactly what we aimed to reflect when assigning abilities to coordinators.

If you’re an offensive guru, your only access to defensive abilities will come from your defensive coordinator, making them a key part of your weekly strategy. You can go all-in on offense and try to win every game in a shootout, but as the saying goes: defense wins championships. A strong defensive coordinator gives you more tools, better options, and greater impact. The same logic applies to defensive masterminds. Offense is still necessary to win games, and a skilled offensive coordinator could be what separates a good season from a deep playoff run.

We’ve built teams with this mindset, making coordinators more important than ever. You’ll see a variety of coordinators, some experienced veterans with more and higher-tier abilities, and others who are younger with fewer, lower-tier abilities that improve as they develop. As a head coach, you’ll need to think strategically about how to use your coordinators to cover your own weaknesses and balance your team.

Just like head coaches, coordinators have their own set of in-game goals that reward Coach XP when completed. Their abilities can progress, regress, and even be mastered, adding another layer to your team's growth and success.

Playsheets

Playsheets have been mentioned a few times already here and you’re probably asking yourself: what exactly is a Playsheet?! Think of Playsheets as mini playbooks you can bring into a game to expand your base offensive or defensive playbook. From the emergence of the Wildcat in 2008 to Andy Reid breaking out Rose Bowl Right Parade in Super Bowl 54, for years we’ve seen NFL Coaches bring unique concepts to gameday. That was a huge inspiration behind this feature. 

Playsheets are treated just like gameday and season abilities in that they will also have four tiers. The first tier simply unlocks the playsheet while all subsequent tiers provide attribute boosts to your players while running those plays in-game. Playsheets also follow the same progression model that coach abilities do. Each playsheet tier will have an Upgrade and Knockout condition that controls how it progresses or regresses. Playsheet abilities can also be mastered.

Here are a few examples of some Playsheets you can utilize in Madden NFL 26:

West Coast Playsheet

Based on the classic scheme that rose to prominence in the 1980s, the West Coast playsheet focuses on ball control, rhythm and high-percentage passing concepts and features a myriad of runs and passes from Near and Far formations.

• Tier II - +3 Pass Block, Pass Block Power and Pass Block Finesse for all offensive linemen when running playsheet plays.
• TIer III - +3 Short Route Running and Catch in Traffic for all Wide Receivers and Tight Ends when running playsheet plays
• Tier IV - +5 Short Accuracy for all Quarterbacks when running playsheet plays

Coaches with this Playsheet: Andy Reid, Kyle Shanahan, Jim Harbaugh and Matt LaFleur

Wide Empty Playsheet

Utilizing five wide receivers and every inch of the field, the Wide Empty playsheet will spread the defense out to the max, stressing defensive backs and forcing them to cover every blade of grass.

• Tier II - +3 Short Route Running and Medium Route Running for all receivers when running playsheet plays.
• TIer III - +3 Catching and Catch in Traffic for all receivers when running playsheet plays
• Tier IV - +3 Medium Accuracy for all quarterbacks and +5 Pass Block, Pass Block Finesse and Pass Block Power offensive linemen when running playsheet plays

Coaches with this Playsheet: Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh, Kevin O’Connell and Kellen Moore

Run N Shoot Playsheet

Another classic scheme popularized in the late 80s and early 90s, the Run N Shoot Playsheet features both the Pistol - Trips Open and Singleback - Spread formations. Nicknamed “The Lonesome Polecat” this playsheet focuses heavily on spreading defenses out using a halfback and four wide receivers.

• Tier II - +3 Pass Block and Run Block  for all offensive linemen when running playsheet plays.
• TIer III - +3 Short Route Running and Catch in Traffic for all Wide Receivers and Tight Ends when running playsheet plays
• Tier IV - +3 Short Accuracy for all Quarterbacks when running playsheet plays

Coaches with this Playsheet: Sean McVay, Shane Steichen, Brian Callahan and Kellen Moore

Heavy Sets Playsheet

Tip the scales with the Heavy Sets playsheet. A run-heavy set of plays out of formations like the Split T, Shotgun - Heavy, Maryland I and the Power I. If you’re looking to pound the rock and grind teams out, this is the playsheet for you.

• Tier II - +3 Carry and Break Tackle for all Running Backs (HB/FB)  when running playsheet plays.
• TIer III - +3 Run Block, Run Block Finesse and Run Block Power for Tight Ends when running playsheet plays
• Tier IV - +7 Run Block, Run Block Finesse and Run Block Power for all offensive linemen when running playsheet plays

Coaches with this Playsheet: Dan Campbell, Jim Harbaugh, Nick Sirianni and Kevin Stefanski

Batch O’Blitzes Playsheet

Put the pressure on offensive units with a playsheet featuring various blitzes from 4-3, 4-2-5 Over G, Nickel 3-3 and Nickel 2-4 Dbl Mug formations.

• Tier II - +3 Finesse Moves for all Edge Rushers and Defensive Tackles when running playsheet plays.
• TIer III - +3 Power Moves for all Edge Rushers and Defensive Tackles when running playsheet plays.
• Tier IV - +3 Finesse Moves and Power Moves for all Linebackers and Defensive Backs when running playsheet plays.

Coaches with this Playsheet: Mike Macdonald, Todd Bowles, Aaron Glenn and Raheem Morris

As mentioned earlier, just like you have a Staff Loadout to set each week, you’ll also have a Playsheet Loadout to configure. The Playsheet Loadout includes four slots, and the number of available slots depends on your Coach Level. The playsheets you equip here will carry into the game and work alongside your base offensive and defensive playbooks.

During the game, your selected playsheet formations and plays will be smoothly integrated into the playcalling menu. You’ll also see a dedicated Playsheets tab within that menu. This tab will show all the specific playsheets you brought into the game, allowing you to quickly access any of your playsheet plays, organized by their playsheet. Additionally, you’ll be able to view the active playsheet tiers, along with a full statistical breakdown showing how well each playsheet play has performed in actual gameplay.

Managing Your Staff

With Abilities now extending to your Coordinator and Trainer, managing your staff has never been more important.

From the Coach Central hub (more on that soon), you’ll get a full view of what each staff member brings to your team. Track their Goals to level them up, or view their Abilities to see how they can impact your team on gameday. You can also spend Staff Points to unlock abilities earlier, allowing you to shape your staff to fit your exact strategy.

If your current staff doesn’t match your vision for the franchise, you can head into the Coach Carousel to find someone who does. At certain times during the season, you’ll also be able to fire your staff and browse available replacements. .

To help guide those decisions, a new metric called Job Security has been added for all coordinators. This value updates based on how your team is performing and whether the offense or defense is trending up or down. A higher value means more stability, while lower values suggest you might want to consider a change at the next opportunity.

It’s not just you making these moves, CPU teams will be using the same mechanics to build their own NFL dynasties. Everything described here is part of their decision-making too. That means your top coordinators might be hired away for head coaching jobs. Nothing’s guaranteed. The CPU is playing by the same rules, using the same data, and chasing the same goal: building a winner.

Coach Central + Approval Rating

With so much new content for staff, it needed a new home. Coach Central is the hub for your entire coaching team and their abilities, playsheets, and progression.

From the Overview Tab, you’ll get a quick snapshot of your coach and staff. You can check their unlocked abilities, edit your custom coach, and view both your coordinators’ Job Securities and your own Approval Rating (a new way to track how you're performing as a head coach).

Strong relationships are essential to being a leader in the NFL. Your Approval Rating reflects how well you manage key groups: the GM, Coaching Staff, Players, Fans, and the Media. Each week, their opinions shift based on how your team performs. If you’re winning, your rating goes up. If things go poorly, expect it to drop. This system gives you a real-time view of where you stand as head coach.

At the end of each season, coaches are judged based on their Approval Rating. The same rules apply to both user and CPU coaches. If your rating is too low and your support is weak, you might find yourself out of a job. If you do hang on, your Approval Rating carries into future seasons. A rough year can put you on the hot seat, forcing you to bounce back and rebuild trust with those key groups the following season.

In the Abilities and Playsheets tabs, you’ll find everything available to you and your staff. Unlocked items are organized into categories: Offensive, Defensive, and for abilities specifically, Progression, Staff Building, and Scouting. You’ll be able to see which abilities and playsheets you’ve unlocked, what tier they’re at, and your current progress toward their upgrade or downgrade goals. You can also use Staff Points to skip upgrade goals. Keep in mind, Mastery Goals can’t be bypassed, those still require success on the field.

The Upcoming and Locked sections show abilities and playsheets you don’t own yet. You can still preview and purchase them with staff points. Upcoming abilities are part of a staff member’s unlock path, meaning they’ll earn them as they level up. Locked abilities, on the other hand, won’t unlock naturally. If you want early access to an upcoming ability or want to give your coach or coordinator more variety, you can spend staff points to unlock it and make your staff more unique.

Lastly, the Goals tab shows how to earn the XP and staff points needed to grow your coaching staff. In-Game and Seasonal Goals provide short-term and long-term targets to hit. If you’re a head coach, there’s also a Narrative Goals tab that tracks the promises you’ve made in your Coach Storylines. These affect your Approval Rating and play a role in shaping your coach’s personal storyline.

Coach Storylines

Your story begins on day one. As a new coach, your journey kicks off with an opening interview, giving you the chance to shape your first chapter. This is where you set the tone, defining who you are and how you plan to leave your mark.

From there, your story unfolds. The impact of your Staff, their Abilities, and how different groups view your performance all play a role in your path forward.

For instance, Coordinators may approach you with their Gameday Strategy. If you dismiss their input or make poor choices, their trust in your leadership may decline. But if things go well, they can earn XP, and even unlock or upgrade their abilities.

When things are going your way, morale stays high and the experience is positive. But if support starts to fade, the tone shifts. Players might hold meetings without involving you and the Media won’t hold back.

It’s up to you to handle each situation, not just to win on the field, but to build a franchise where every member of your organization feels empowered to contribute to a winning culture.

Player Traits

Facing off against an AI QB in Madden NFL 26 is going to feel different than it has in the past. The gameplay team has completely reengineered how AI players behave on the field by introducing a brand-new system of player traits.

At launch, Madden NFL 26 will debut 50 unique player traits, designed to capture the decision-making logic behind CPU-controlled athletes. These traits don’t affect gameplay outcomes directly. Instead, they shape how individual AI players respond to game situations, helping them feel more distinct and true-to-life in their play styles. Each trait is rooted in authentic NFL data to ensure authentic behavior you see every week in the NFL. 

For instance, Josh Allen is assigned the ‘Run Over’ trait, making him more inclined to power through tackles instead of sliding or stepping out of bounds while scrambling. This is backed by the fact that over the past two seasons, Allen has led the league with 54% of his scrambles resulting in 3+ yards after contact.

When we generate Draft Prospects, they’ll all have these new traits, too! 

While the spotlight this year is on quarterbacks, the trait system applies across all positions and will continue to grow beyond launch. 

Every week, you’ll have to gameplan for players that have these special traits. Derrick Henry, Isaiah Pacheco, Justin Jefferson. And yes… Saquon Barkley. Good luck if you’re playing the Eagles twice a year. Here are some of the Franchise team’s favorite traits:

• Look For Stars – Prioritizes star receivers when choosing targets.
• Risk Taker – Favors deep throws and tight windows.
• Snap Mischief – Uses fake hikes frequently, especially in short-yardage plays.
• Seeing Ghosts – After a sack, tends to lock on to the first read for the next three plays.
• Quick Trigger – Checks down quickly instead of waiting for routes to develop.
• Panic Button – More prone to forcing throws under pressure.
• Double Back – Scrambles away from the sideline to extend plays.
• Eyes Up – Keeps eyes downfield when approaching the line of scrimmage.
• Hero Ball – Tries to scramble for a first down when possible.
• Quick Clock – Tends to leave the pocket after making the first read.
• Paranoid – Overreacts to pressure, even when it’s light.
• Oblivious – Stays calm even when surrounded by defenders.
• Anchored – Rarely leaves the pocket or scrambles.
• Throw It Up – Targets outside receivers in high-risk, deep scenarios.
• Big Hitter – Frequently attempts hit stick tackles.
• Punch It Out – Goes for strip tackles.
• Run Over – Favors trucking; QBs avoid sliding.
• Strong Arm – Uses stiff arms; QBs with this trait don’t slide.
• Whirlwind – Leans on spin moves.
• Elusive Instinct – Uses jukes more often.
• Fortifier – Audibles into Max Protection when sensing pressure.

This new traits framework adds depth and personality to every player, helping bridge the gap between CPU and human competition. Whether you’re going head-to-head with an AI QB or building your gameplan around your opponent’s most dangerous player this week, the system ensures every player plays like you’d expect them to. 

Opposing Coach DNA and Real Time Coaching AI

One of the most exciting ways we’re bringing the personality and style of the NFL to life in Franchise Mode is through the introduction of Coach DNA. This feature captures the distinct strategies and behaviors of every NFL head coach, making each matchup feel more authentic and unpredictable. Gone are the days of exploiting repetitive CPU playcalling — now, success demands real preparation, adaptation, and a deep understanding of your opponent’s coaching philosophy.

At the heart of this innovation is Data-Driven Coaching, a powerful new system built directly from nearly a decade of real NFL data. We've trained a machine learning model on years of playcalling tendencies across the league, giving rise to a predictive engine that mirrors how actual coaches make decisions in the heat of the moment. It allows you to step into a true-to-life simulation and wonder: What play would Andy Reid call here? How would Dan Campbell handle this fourth down? Madden now answers those questions with strategic depth.

This model powers not only the AI’s in-game decisions but also the revamped Coach Suggestions system. It dynamically adjusts recommendations based on contextual factors like down and distance, score, time remaining, field position, personnel on the field, timeouts, and even weather conditions. Each CPU-controlled team now calls plays with a personality that reflects its real-life counterpart. You’ll notice the Lions under Dan Campbell playing aggressively and taking fourth-down risks, while the Eagles under Nick Sirianni lean into RPOs and zone reads to complement Jalen Hurts’ strengths.

Even your own playcalling experience will reflect this evolution. When browsing the Coach Suggestions, you’ll be shown what the real-life head coach would likely call in that same situation — giving you a chance to test your instincts against theirs and sharpen your strategic edge. 

Real-Time Coaching AI (RTC) also significantly advances Madden 26’s schematic depth by providing players with an authentic NFL strategic experience that dynamically evolves throughout each game. Defenses can now disguise their intentions through delayed safety rotations, pre-play defensive front adjustments, and precisely timed blitz packages. This evolution forces players to carefully read and react post-snap.

Detailed NFL Coach Archetypes further amplify this realism, closely mirroring the strategic philosophies of actual NFL defensive coordinators. Teams like the Vikings and Chiefs aggressively pressure quarterbacks through blitz-heavy schemes and disruptive pass-rushing techniques. Other teams like to disguise coverages, like the Eagles that primarily play defense from a two-high coverage shell, or the Steelers that operate from a one-high look. AI-controlled teams will be utilizing diverse personnel groupings, blitz adjustments and disguises to create confusion at the line of scrimmage.

With the dynamic nature of the RTC system, every game you play should feel more rewarding and strategic, while displaying the signature identity of the team you’re playing against every week. 

Wear and Tear System

Madden fans, get ready— we’re introducing a brand-new feature that brings even more depth and excitement to your Franchise experience. This year, we’ve overhauled the injury system, making how you manage your team more strategic and unpredictable than ever before.

Madden NFL 26 adds a new feature called Wear and Tear—a system that tracks every hit a player takes in a game and accumulates those impacts across the season. It’s designed to reflect real-life player health, forcing you to manage workloads realistically. Relying too heavily on a few players—like giving Derrick Henry 40 carries or running Lamar Jackson 30 times—will carry consequences. Inspired by ideas from the College Football team, Wear and Tear launches with Dynamic Subs, letting you make on-the-fly substitutions during preplay, and full slider customization for Franchise mode.

After each game, players recover some health, but not always fully—especially if they accumulated a lot of Wear and Tear in last week’s game. Early in the season, this might not be noticeable. But as the season goes on, Wear and Tear builds up, making player management more important if you want a healthy squad for the playoffs. Don’t expect to win back-to-back Super Bowls with Saquon Barkley at 60% health. Spread the touches during the season to keep stars fresh and help backups develop.

In the past, injuries also came with a fixed number of weeks for recovery. That’s gone. Now, when a player gets injured, you’ll see a range of weeks instead of a set duration. This change adds suspense and forces you to make more thoughtful decisions as the season unfolds.

Longer injuries will show broader recovery windows at first, but as time passes, that range becomes more precise. This mirrors how real-life recovery works and adds another layer of realism to your Franchise experience. The system keeps you engaged all season long, helping you plan better as you gain clearer information week by week.

Dynamic Injury Status

Injuries also now behave more realistically, with statuses that evolve over time based on various factors. A player’s condition might improve—or get worse—week to week. This change builds on the existing Weekly Strategy and Training system, adding a new layer of unpredictability to player availability.

Wear and Tear directly affects our new weekly player statuses —Out, Doubtful, or Questionable. Before simulating training for the week, you’ll see each player’s current status. Players who are Questionable or Doubtful have a chance of being ruled ‘OUT’ after training if you don’t let them rest.

Now you can rest players individually instead of only adjusting training by position group. This allows more strategic decisions—whether to sit a star or keep them in full pads. After training, you’ll immediately see updated statuses and XP gains. You’ll also see a player’s status update and you’ll get the final word on whether they can go this week or not. 

Trainer Role & Abilities

Don’t worry—we’re giving you more tools and support to help manage Wear and Tear. Your Trainer plays a key role in keeping your team healthy through Trainer Abilities. These abilities can boost how much players recover each week, lower the chance of in-game injuries, and improve the odds that injured players will be cleared to play. Just like Coach Abilities, you’ll choose which trainer abilities to activate each week in Weekly Strategy. Whether it’s during practice or on game day, your trainer helps you make smarter choices to protect your roster.

You’ll now have more control than ever over player health. Decisions like how hard you train and when to give players rest days will have lasting effects. Having the right Trainer on staff can be the difference between a healthy lineup or a team battling injuries all season long. 

A New Layer of Realism

Our new Wear and Tear injury and health management system adds real consequences to every decision, bringing more realism, immersion, and depth to Franchise mode. Every game, practice, and rest day counts—and the choices you make will impact not just your season, but your entire organization for years to come.

Broadcast Packages

We’re thrilled to finally give our players the experience of three primetime broadcast packages in addition to our new Madden package. Each of the primetime packages is composed of premium assets with a different look, sound, and feel for Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night games. The inclusion of four different broadcast packages is beneficial for the variety of sights and sounds you’ll see and hear as you play from season to season. For example, you’ll immediately notice the score bug as one of many visual elements with a distinct look for each package.

We’ve also included custom broadcast graphics for pregames, drive starters, and touchdowns. There’s also package-specific wipes for players and teams.

One of our favorite things we created for each broadcast package is an NFL bumper that precedes a game. The stunning visuals and authentic music are complemented by the Super Bowl’s annual PA announcer, Al Roach.

When you hear Al say, “EA SPORTS welcomes you to the following presentation of the National Football League,” you know it’s almost gametime!

Last year, we introduced 3 commentary teams. This year, we assigned each one to a primetime package:

• Thursday Night = Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis
• Sunday Night = Mike Tirico and Greg Olsen
• Monday Night = Kate Scott and Brock Huard

As you make your way through a season, what you hear about a QB taking the field from Greg Olsen’s perspective will be different from the games assigned to Brock Huard or Charles Davis.

For non-primetime games, the commentary team will be chosen at random. One of the most memorable and distinct elements of our primetime packages are the theme songs. We composed a specific version for each one of them. Our custom audio elements are also delivered in the details, like the specific sound designs you’ll hear for the various banners and wipes.

We think you’ll agree our broadcast packages are worthy additions to the NFL lexicon of sights and sounds.

Halftime Report

The wait for highlights from other games… It’s almost over!

You’ll see highlights from across the league in the Halftime Report, bringing the world around you to life in Franchise mode. It doesn’t end with CPU highlights. For the first time in any NFL video game, you’ll also see your friends’ highlights appear at halftime in a multi-user online league. When a friend’s highlight is chosen for the show, their customized Player Card will appear on-screen. If it’s a highlight from a game with two other players in your online league, you’ll see each of their player cards.

One of the most exciting elements of our Halftime Report is the host, Scott Hanson. Who could be better to speak about games around the league than the beloved host?!

Scott’s energy and enthusiasm for football elevate the experience as he brings context to matchups throughout the season. A personal favorite is when he calls out National Tight Ends Day in Week 8 when a touchdown is scored by , you guessed it, a tight end.

Additionally, our broadcast package theme songs serve as the foundation throughout the halftime show, giving the experience an epic feel.

Weekly Recap

We extended our ability to show CPU highlights in the Halftime Report to our Weekly Recap. This new feature is available on-demand in the Franchise hub as a way to experience highlights from across the league.

Just like the Halftime Report, the Weekly Recap will also include highlights from other players in your multi-user online league. You’ll also get to see your own highlights as well. It’s our way of bringing sights to the stats. Scott Hanson also hosts the Weekly Recap, sharing insights from matchups across the league.

Early in the season, you’ll hear details mentioned such as a first-year head coach notching the first win of his NFL career. Midway through a season, Scott will call out the teams that are extending win streaks, identify the squads trying to bounce back, and call attention to the matchups with playoff implications. As the calendar reaches December, you’ll hear about the teams clinching spots in the postseason and the others already looking ahead to next year.

You’ll see the Weekly Recap become available in the Franchise hub after you complete your first game of the regular season.

Football Weather

NFL weather is a legendary part of NFL mythology. It can completely change the game adding variety, unpredictability, and challenge every single week.

In Franchise mode, we’ve fine-tuned the weather in every city, from Buffalo to Miami to Seattle, so you’ll experience the kinds of conditions you’d expect in real life. Whether it’s a sunny day in LA or a snowstorm in Green Bay, the weather will feel authentic to each location.

We’ve reworked everything from average temperatures to precipitation rates. If you’re heading to Buffalo in January, it’ll feel just as tough as it does in real life.

This year, weather isn’t just a visual feature, it’s deeply woven into gameplay. We’ve completely overhauled how the weather looks and how it plays. Every existing weather condition has been enhanced, and we’ve added brand-new dynamic environments like heavy snow with fog or intense rain with fog.

When the weather shifts, your strategy needs to as well. Dense fog will reduce visibility, making it tougher to read the field and execute passes—just like it would challenge a real NFL quarterback. Slippery conditions impact every player: receivers might stumble off the line, linemen and defenders can lose footing during explosive moves, and quick cuts might not land cleanly. All of this is tied directly to a player’s Change of Direction (COD) rating and the strength of the precipitation.

Weather isn’t just a backdrop, it’s a game changer. Prepare for an experience that will test your skills and ability to adapt your strategy to conquer the unpredictable elements. Rain, snow, and wind will test your skills like never before. Watch as Speed (SPD), Acceleration (ACC), and Change of Direction (COD) are put to the test, just like real-life athletes facing tough weather. Kicking and throwing become high-stakes, with power and accuracy potentially compromised by the conditions.. You'll witness more dramatic moments when catching or running the ball including fumbles, broken tackles, and sliding hits—all influenced by player ratings and how well a team can adapt to that kind of climate. Get ready for some wild and unpredictable action!

That’s right, climate familiarity now plays a role. Teams used to cold weather such as Buffalo, Chicago, Green Bay, Cleveland, and Philadelphia will perform better in the snow, experiencing fewer penalties to movement and traction. In contrast, warm-weather teams like Miami, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, and San Francisco will have a tougher time in icy conditions. But when it’s scorching hot, those same cold-weather teams will fatigue more quickly, while heat-acclimated squads maintain their stamina longer.

All of this is powered by a major upgrade to our weather simulation engine. Precipitation is now dynamic and can vary throughout the game. Wind patterns behave more realistically, adding another layer of depth to your kicking and passing decisions. Every game with weather will feel different, with its own unique challenges.

In Madden NFL 26, Franchise weather is no longer just part of the scenery, it’s a real opponent. You’ll need to be ready for it and find ways to overcome it.

Core Improvements

Improved Draft Logic

Let’s dive into the updates we’ve made to Draft Logic. This year, we spent a lot of time analyzing real NFL Draft trends from the past two years. Our goal was to identify patterns we could replicate to make the draft in Madden feel more realistic than ever.

One of the biggest trends we noticed is how much NFL teams are investing in the trenches, especially on the interior defensive line. You’ll see more offensive and defensive linemen being drafted across the board, just like we’ve seen in recent real-life drafts.

Another clear pattern was how some teams chose to double down at certain positions. Instead of just taking one cornerback or wide receiver, they would draft multiple players at the same spot. It’s a strategic move to increase the odds of landing a true difference-maker and now, that logic is reflected in Franchise. Teams that need a CB or WR won’t hesitate to grab two or three if they’re looking to build depth and find a star. Obviously we don’t want teams to do this with positions like QB but for positions where they need a lot of depth to handle wear and tear, they can and will take multiple players at the same position.

We also saw a shift in how teams are valuing running backs. After years of avoiding them in the early rounds, the last couple of drafts have shown a renewed appreciation for the position. In Madden, you’ll now see teams more willing to take a running back earlier than they did in Madden 25. It’s a subtle but important change that better reflects today’s NFL.

Beyond that, we’ve adjusted the value of other key positions as well. From Sam and Will linebackers to safeties, cornerbacks, and edge rushers—we’ve tuned their importance in the draft process to better mirror how modern NFL teams build their rosters.

Overall, these updates bring a deeper layer of realism and strategy to the draft. You’ll notice smarter decisions, better roster building, and more authentic team behavior throughout Franchise mode.

New Draft Prospect Generators

One of the biggest improvements we’ve made to the Draft Prospect Generators this year is the way we’ve assigned traits to new players. Every draft prospect now comes with carefully selected traits, making each one feel truly unique. This adds more variety and personality to the rookies you draft, and we can’t wait to see how they perform on the field in your franchise.

We also know how much our fans look forward to the unique draft generators each year—so for Madden NFL 26, we’ve added even more.

Without giving too much away, you’ll notice new types of players entering the draft pool. That includes exciting gadget players, dedicated long snappers, specialized SAM and WILL linebackers, and some rare, one-of-a-kind tight ends, running backs and safeties that are sure to stand out. And that’s not all—we’ve added other rare and unique player types too, but we’ll leave those for you to discover.

Let us know when you start spotting these new hidden gems—we’re looking forward to seeing who becomes your next franchise star.

Retirement Logic

When tuning retirement logic this year, we focused on three main goals.

First, we wanted to prevent star players—like Derrick Henry—from retiring too early. In past versions, players like him could walk away after just one season, even if they were still performing at a high level in their early 30s. That didn’t feel right. In reality, Henry just signed a new deal with the Ravens and clearly isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Second, we found that the old retirement system put too much emphasis on a player’s percentile ranking at their position, rather than their actual overall rating. That led to some really good players being forced into retirement too early just because they weren’t in the absolute top tier at their position. We’ve adjusted this so that high-performing veterans have a better shot at sticking around if they’re still producing on the field.

And finally, we noticed a rare edge case where a very small percentage of players could slip through the cracks of our retirement logic. These players could stick around longer than intended, even if they were past typical retirement age or no longer playing at a high level. This happened because the logic allowed them to bypass the normal retirement checks based on a combination of age and percentile standing.

With these updates, retirement decisions in Madden NFL 26 will feel more realistic, better reflect real-world player careers, and keep your Franchise experience grounded in authentic NFL logic season after season.

Progression and Regression Logic

Player Regression now follows real-life aging curves more closely, with decline rates based on actual NFL data by position. For example, wide receivers will now stay in their prime longer than running backs—just like in real life. The timing of decline now better matches how different positions age over time in the NFL.

One big change is to development trait regression. In the past, a player could drop multiple tiers in one offseason—like falling from X-Factor all the way to Normal (Bronze). That won’t happen anymore. Now, players can only drop one tier per season, making regression feel more natural and realistic.

We’ve also removed the random element that previously influenced development trait changes. Before, some trait regression was based on chance in order to keep the distribution balanced. Going forward, it’s all about performance. A player’s development trait will now be determined by how they compare statistically to others at their position.

To support this new performance-based system, we’ve raised the standards for keeping a development trait. Players must hit higher statistical benchmarks within their position group to maintain their current tier. This rewards consistent on-field success and helps prevent traits from sticking without merit.

We’ve also updated how ability progression buckets work, making player archetypes feel more distinct. When you spend skill points, the attribute boosts now better match your chosen archetype. For example, upgrading a Scrambler QB will boost different stats than upgrading a Field General. This strengthens each archetype’s unique identity and play style.

Together, these updates make player progression and regression more realistic, more satisfying, and more directly tied to performance—just like in the real NFL.

Game and Season Simulation Stats

One of the biggest pieces of feedback we’ve heard from you is that franchise simulation stats are too closely tied to team playbooks. We’re always focused on making the simulation stats reflect real-life NFL seasons and that includes addressing your feedback within our sim system. This year, we have reduced the overall impact of playbooks within the sim engine and we’re confident that sim stats for Madden NFL 26 will be better than ever before. We said it earlier, but our team is full of longtime Franchise mode fans - we understand how important it is that our engine is delivering exciting, but realistic results in every Franchise. Keep sharing your feedback on this one, we read it all!

We thought it would be interesting to “pop the hood” to walk those of you who are interested in learning more about our sim engine and talk shop on how we have approached it this year. Our sim engine is very robust and calculates a ton of factors on a per play basis. We track where each player lines up, which routes receivers are running, who the primary receiver is, who’s covering each receiver in man or zone as each play unfolds, and much more. Since our sim engine is this detailed, even a small change in how we tune stats can have a big ripple effect. One minor tweak can suddenly lead to strange results, like tight ends only catching 20 passes in an entire season - so tweaking a system like this always comes with great care.

One area we have been looking at is how the game decides which receiver a quarterback targets on a pass play. That decision depends on many factors, as listed above, including who’s covering the receiver and how skilled that defender is. For example, if the playbook makes Travis Kelce the primary receiver on a given play, and he has a favorable matchup against the defender covering him, the QB is more likely to throw to him. This makes sense on the surface, but it can lead to overly-repetitive or unrealistic stat outcomes. It also results in the Chiefs always favoring tight ends on pass plays even after Kelce has retired in your Franchise. We found that playbook logic was playing too large of a role in the sim calculation, so we took a different approach.

We started to experiment with shifting the logic to rely more on matchups and less on playbook assignments. However, when we completely remove the primary receiver factor from the playbook data, the results become too extreme. For instance, Ja'Marr Chase might end up with 250 catches and 35 touchdowns in a single season, while another top-tier tight end like Brock Bowers might barely register in the stat sheet. In those cases, QBs like Joe Burrow throw 60 touchdowns just by repeatedly targeting Chase and Tee Higgins every play. That’s not the experience we want to deliver and doesn’t align with our design goals.

On the other hand, when we reduce the influence of playbooks rather than removing it entirely, we are seeing much more realistic results. The sim stats stay within an acceptable range, and while there are still occasional outliers (like a star QB finishing with 40 TDs and only 2-3 INTs), those moments are rare, leaving them to be more memorable. We’re constantly experimenting in the backend of our engine to refine and improve it. We’re seeing clear improvements when focusing more on matchups and are fully committed to always improving this system with your feedback.

Morale Changes

We’ve improved how Player Morale works for certain players in your Franchise.

Now, younger players or those with lower overall ratings will see bigger morale boosts after a breakout game. This change is meant to reward under-the-radar players who get a chance to step up—often because a regular starter is sidelined with Wear and Tear. If they perform well, their morale goes up, giving them a better chance to stay hot the following week. It’s designed to support long-term progression and keep players motivated, even if they’re on a losing team. They can still stand out, even when the wins aren’t coming.

This also benefits players battling to hold onto a starting job. A boost in Player Morale could mean a small ratings increase, which might give them an edge over a backup with a similar overall rating. Think about the Saints QB situation this year. If someone steps up and performs, they deserve a reward—and we’ll do that by raising their morale.

We saw this play out during a Franchise playthrough with the Steelers. Rookie Kaleb Johnson started after Jaylen Warren went down for two weeks. Johnson rushed for 130 yards and scored twice in his debut. That gave him a solid morale boost. The next week, he followed it up with 115 yards and got another bump. Thanks to that momentum, he progressed faster, and when Warren returned, Johnson kept the job—not just because of performance, but because his overall rating had climbed slightly higher.

Revamped Player Tags Logic

Player Tag Logic has also been completely revamped for every tag. You’ll see a more realistic application of tags now for every team in Franchise.

The QB of the Future tag has new logic that only assigns this tag to players you’d expect would receive it in real life. In Madden 25, you’d see any young QB get assigned that tag, regardless of their overall rating. Since this has an impact on starters in the depth chart and progression, we want to be careful that we’re applying this to the right players.

The Day 1 Starter tag has new logic that only assigns this tag to players who are drafted in the first couple of rounds during that year’s Draft AND have an overall rating that is expected of someone who should start. Again, in the past, we’d assign this tag to players who were a 60 overall rating, and that didn’t help that player or their team much.

The Future Starter tag is now applied to non-QBs who have been in the league 4 years or less, are not currently starting for their team but were drafted in the 1st or 2nd round and have an overall rating that projects to being able to start for their team in the near future.

The Mentor tag has new logic that only assigns this tag to older players who have the ‘Leader’ personality type. 

The Trade Target tag has new logic, too. Let's talk about veteran Trade Target players first. The logic now looks at how a player’s team is performing and whether that team is in rebuilding mode or not. If it makes sense for teams like that to move a veteran for a draft pick or two, they will assign this tag to the player and place the player on the trade block. We’ve seen some really interesting trades around the trade deadline between teams that are out of playoff contention and teams trying to find that one missing piece to make a playoff run. 

For younger players, the Trade Target tag is applied very rarely now and only really for players who are buried on the depth chart on winning teams. They may not be good enough to start for their team and aren’t players that their team wants to build around. In that case, those players will receive the Trade Target tag and will be placed on the trade block in the hopes that another team in a rebuilding phase will have a spot that will give them a chance to get on the field. 

The Bridge Player tag is now applied to non-QB starters with an overall rating less than 80, who are also at least 27 years old. That type of player in the NFL can and will be replaced by a younger, less expensive option in future drafts, so we want the team to take that account when tagging players who fit this criteria. 

The Bridge QB tag was also applied too much in the past so this year, we’re tuned the logic to be more focused. In order to have the Bridge QB tag applied, a player has to be a starter, has to have been in the league for 4 years or more and has to be one of the bottom 10 starting QBs in the league in terms of their overall rating. 

News Stories

And as always, we’ve improved our news stories so they focus on delivering the most important stories every week.

Last year, we introduced the Top Stories area of Franchise Central, which brought the stories that mattered to your attention as soon as you completed a game, advanced the week or loaded your franchise. We’re continuing to add more stories to that area of Franchise Central and our focus is on making those stories visual and interesting each week. 

One of our favorite new stories is the Weather Forecast Top Story. You’ll now be alerted entering the week whether there is rain, snow, heavy rain or heavy snow in the forecast for the week. You’ll also see forecasts for other games around the league. If you’re coaching the 49ers, but there’s snow in the forecast for the Buffalo/Miami game this week, you’ll know about it. 

We’ve also given Draft Prospect Top Stories a major upgrade. Now, throughout the season, you’ll see stories clearly labeled as Draft Preview, Combine Report, and more. No more confusing or cryptic social media-style posts that mention a random kick returner—you won’t be left wondering what team they’re on or if they’re even a Draft Prospect. From now on, it’ll be obvious which stories are focused on Draft Scouting. Even better, you’ll actually understand what each story is communicating. These updates are tied directly to Draft Prospect projection changes, so you can track how players in your league rise or fall throughout the season.

We couldn’t be more excited for you to get your hands on everything we’ve added to Franchise Mode this year. This has been a true labor of love for our development team, who are die-hard Franchise players themselves. From the reimagined coaching abilities metagame and deep coach personalization, to enhanced weekly strategy, weather impact, revamped AI, and the most immersive game planning tools we’ve ever built, this is Franchise Mode’s biggest leap forward in over a decade. We can’t wait to see the incredible stories you’ll create and we’ll be right there with you continuing to listen, learn, and push the mode forward in the seasons to come. Thank you for your continuous feedback and support, see you on the sticks!

Presentation + Authenticity Deep Dive

We’re proud of the strides we’ve made in immersion, presentation and authenticity this year in Madden NFL 26 and can’t wait for you to jump on the sticks! Let’s dive in.

Gameday Experience

What you witness at NFL games is orchestrated by the talented gameday operations staff of every team across the league. In Madden NFL 26, we collaborated with those groups at every NFL franchise to deliver updates to:

• Field Art
• Mascots
• Stadium Motion Graphics
• Stadium Sounds
• Uniforms

Field Art

So, what does this coordination with NFL teams actually mean? How will it impact your game of Madden? For starters, you’ll get real world recreations of the different field art that appears when alternate uniforms are worn at home. If the Buccaneers are rocking the creamsicles at home, the field art at Raymond James will be, too. The differences on the field can be seen in the midfield logo, end zones, edge walls, and typography. 

You’ll see whiteouts in Cincinnati and Minnesota, as well as blackouts for the Eagles, Jets, Panthers, and Ravens. Equipping classic uniforms will result in retro field art being shown in Atlanta, Denver, Miami, New England, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Tampa Bay. And then there’s the Texans! They’ve got annual events with specific looks to celebrate Battle Red Day, Reppin’ H Town, and their White Out. There are plenty of other combinations of alternate uniforms and field art to be discovered in Madden NFL 26 and we’re excited to hear about your favorites! 

Mascots

For the reintroduction of mascots to Madden, we committed to delivering the best possible recreations. This started with full scans. We scanned mascots at events such as the Pro Bowl. Some teams even sent us their only full costume so that we could scan it at Madden’s Orlando headquarters! You’ll see mascots throughout a matchup in pregame runouts, during gameplay on the sidelines, and reacting between plays.

These are the 18 mascots available at launch:

1. 49ers - Sourdough Sam
2. Bears - Staley Da Bear
3. Bengals - Who Dey
4. Bills - Billy Buffalo
5. Broncos - Miles
6. Buccaneers - Captain Fear
7. Cardinals - Big Red
8. Chiefs - K.C. Wolf
9. Commanders - Major Tuddy
10. Cowboys - Rowdy
11. Dolphins - T.D.
12. Eagles - Swoop
13. Falcons - Freddie Falcon
14. Jaguars - Jaxson De Ville
15. Lions - Roary
16. Rams - Rampage
17. Ravens - Poe
18. Texans - Toro

We plan to include additional mascots in an upcoming title update.

And as a little bit of sports trivia, here’s a list of NFL teams that don’t have official in-stadium mascots (Chargers, Jets, Giants, Packers, and Raiders).

Stadium Motion Graphics

Another unique characteristic of NFL stadiums are the motion graphics that appear on the scoreboards and ribbon boards. 

As of this writing, we have authentic motion graphics for 26 teams:

1. 49ers
2. Bears
3. Bengals
4. Bills
5. Broncos
6. Buccaneers
7. Cardinals
8. Chargers
9. Colts
10. Commanders
11. Dolphins
12. Eagles
13. Falcons
14. Jaguars
15. Lions
16. Packers
17. Panthers
18. Patriots
19. Rams
20. Ravens
21. Saints
22. Seahawks
23. Steelers
24. Texans
25. Titans
26. Vikings

Similar to mascots, we plan to add more team-specific motion graphics in an upcoming title update.

Stadium Sounds

Close your eyes, and put yourself in your favorite team’s stadium. It’s kickoff on opening day. What do you hear? 

Sound is a crucial element to sports immersion. Our collaboration with NFL teams gives us access to the specific sound effects used at home games! 

For example, Minnesota has two types of Gjallarhorn sounds for specific game events. When the Vikings get a 1st down, they use a high-pitched version of the horn sound. When they’re on defense for a third down, you’ll hear the lower-pitched and more menacing version.

Coordinating with NFL teams also gave us an opportunity to identify and disable the SFX that are now outdated (goodbye electric zap sound for the Chargers!). We also leveraged our partnerships with NFL Films and ESPN to continue building our library of crowd chants and reactions. Whether it’s the “Who Dey” chant in Cincinnati or the “Who Dat” chant in New Orleans, you’re hearing authentic recordings with tens of thousands of fans.

Equipment

Equipment. Swag. Drip. Whatever you prefer to call it, we’re all about it, but we’ll start with our refactored uniform content. Uniforms have been completely redone via compositor. You might want to head into instant replay in Madden NFL 26 and take a look at the much more realistic, animating wrinkles and jersey twisting. You’ll also see a much tighter, and more realistic fit for players who wear flak jackets and back plates - those have also been visually redone!

Bonus here, our coaches on the sidelines have 3D embroidered team logos on their hats and visors. Small detail? Sure, but that is how authentic Madden NFL 26 is. We even have team logos on thigh pads - and of course, if you have been paying attention, the guardian cap, both sleeved and unsleeved, is in the game.

We heard you on being able to easily select a facemask that matches the helmet style, it became a process of “highlight every facemask till the game tells me it fits.” Now, facemasks automatically sort for you based on the helmet you have selected.

We also brought in new branded gear like Adidas and Nike cleats, including the Adidas Impact Snakeskin and Nike Edge Pro 360 2. More glove options included Adidas and Under Armour. Oh yeah, Under Armour gear is back! Seven different Under Armour Cleats, including the UA Blur and UA Spotlight Suede… so you can look real nice when celebrating your way into the end zone. We don’t want to spoil everything but that’s not all, make sure to head in and take a look!

Team Builder

Our team has been hard at work polishing and improving the overall site performance. Team Builder now has a completely new look and the site is 2X faster. Overall render performance is greatly improved, so Team Builder will now work on a wider array of devices and lower end machines. You now have an upload limit of 5 MB per team. This means you can upload as many custom images and textures as you want until you hit the 5 MB limit, increasing your creative power.

Setting the Stage

When we began the creative process for Madden NFL 26, our goal for creating the gameday experience was driven by this phrase:

Every stadium, a stage. Every game, a spectacle.

Those words directly led to the creation of “light show” runouts for primetime games with a powerful orchestration of sights and sounds. You got sneak peeks at some of those runouts in the Madden NFL 26 Reveal Trailer with Baltimore, Buffalo, Kansas City, Minnesota, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. Near the start of that reveal trailer, Vikings legend Randy Moss is shown taking part in the Skol chant before he blows the Gjallarhorn at U.S. Bank Stadium. He’s one of a collection of NFL legends returning to their former teams to perform a pregame tradition.

Here are some other examples (the rest are being kept as a surprise):

• Rob Gronkowski ringing the bell in New England as the Keeper of the Light
• Greg Olsen returning to Carolina to bang the Keep Pounding drum
• Charles Woodson lighting the Al Davis Memorial Torch in Las Vegas
• Joe Montana blaring the foghorn in San Francisco

Some of the mascots also take part in traditions! For example, Big Red gets things fired up by cranking the Big Red Siren in Arizona. One of the most challenging traditions to pull off was Freddie Falcon doing his spectacular zip line stunt in Atlanta. Hat tip to our animators!

Close to home here in Florida (specifically, Tampa Bay) we finally see the cannons firing on the pirate ship in addition to hearing them! 

Stadium Music

We licensed 40+ songs from a variety of genres for stadium music. Some of these songs will be nostalgic for longtime Madden players! Personally, “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand takes us back to Madden 05 with Ray Lewis on the cover.

Our stadium songs include:

• Lil Uzi Vert “Just Wanna Rock”
• Beastie Boys “Sabotage”
• Chappel Roan “HOT TO GO!”
• Flo Rida ft. Kesha “Right Round”
• Foo Fighters “The Pretender”
• Metallica “For Whom the Bell Tolls”

Last year, we heard your feedback about the stadium songs being Off by default in the soundtrack, and fixed that in a title update. This year, we’re launching with all stadium songs set to On by default.

Speaking of settings, we’ve added one to allow you to customize your listening environment. Your options are:

• Headphones
• TV Speakers
• Soundbar
• Surround Sound

Same Field, New Faces 

The newly-hired coaches will be roaming the sidelines at launch:

• Ben Johnson
• Brian Schottenheimer
• Liam Coen
• Pete Carroll
• Mike Vrabel
• Kellen Moore
• Aaron Glenn

Notable rookies will also strap up their helmets in Madden NFL 26, with more likenesses coming throughout the season! 

• Ashton Jeanty
• Mason Graham
• Travis Hunter
• Jalon Walker
• Abdul Carter
• Tetairoa McMillan
• Kelvin Banks Jr
• Tyler Warren
• Tyler Booker
• Nic Scourton
• Mykel Williams
• Cam Ward
• Luther Burden III
• Jihaad Campbell
• Josh Simmons
• Will Johnson
• Emeka Egbuka
• Shemar Stewart
• Omarion Hampton
• Jahdae Barron
• Jaxson Dart
• Malaki Starks
• Grey Zabel
• Matthew Golden

(The Other) Gameday Experience

If you’ve read our Franchise Deep Dive Gridiron Notes, you know about the primetime broadcast packages coming to Madden NFL 26 for Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night games. Those primetime packages are among the many things we’ve done to expand upon the gameday experience in Madden. Now let’s talk about what we’ve done for the gameday experience of playing Madden.

It begins at Press Start, where the actual day of the week determines the song that’s heard. For example, if it’s a Thursday, you’ll hear our theme song for Thursday Night Primetime to set the stage. When you go to Play Now, you’ll see a Team Select screen with a night sky in the background to reinforce the Thursday Night theme for that particular day.

When you ready up your team, you’ll hear a sound effect or chant that’s specific to that franchise. For example, choose the Eagles and you might hear a snippet of “Fly, Eagles Fly.”

During that Play Now game on a Thursday, you’ll see and hear the custom broadcast package elements that are specific to Thursday Night Primetime. The default setting for Play Now is based on the real world calendar, but you can always choose one of the other broadcast packages.

Soundtrack

Last year, we were thrilled by the positive reception to our soundtrack. And we’ve got another special collection of tracks for Madden 26.

We’re targeting 30+ songs from various genres for the soundtrack. And when you consider the 40+ songs I mentioned earlier for stadium music, that’s at least 70 that’ll be available in our menus.

You’ll also find the theme songs that were composed for each primetime broadcast package in the soundtrack as well.

Whether it's mascots bringing the sidelines to life, legends returning for pregame traditions, or the thunder of your favorite stadium anthem echoing through your speakers, every stadium is a stage and every game is a spectacle. We can’t wait for you to experience it all when Madden NFL 26 kicks off. See you on the field!

Madden NFL 26 gameplay redefines NFL simulation with cutting-edge features powered by advanced physics and AI-powered machine learning systems: 

• Coach DNA: Coaches employ real philosophies, backed by nearly a decade of NFL data, with styles like Dan Campbell's aggressive fourth-down calls and Kevin O'Connell's creative offense, adding strategic depth. Dynamic coach suggestions and multi-player counters provide smart play recommendations based on game situations and opponent tendencies, countering repetitive tactics.
• QB DNA: The most iconic position in sports comes to life with signature throwing motions, pocket presence, scrambling styles, authentic arm slots and more. An All-New traits system powers authentic behavior like you see every Sunday, from Josh Allen’s powerful arm to Lamar Jackson’s agile evasions. This is the most lifelike quarterback experience in franchise history. 
• Explosive NFL Movement: Captures the league’s unmatched athleticism, letting you feel the raw power and precision of every burst. From game-changing cuts to electrifying runs, you create the impact that defines Sunday’s Superstars, putting you in control of gamechanging NFL speed.
• Physics Expansion: Physics-based interactions, including catch tackles, stiff-arms, and trucks, deliver authentic contact outcomes, while new mechanics like Custom Defensive Zones along with new knockouts and swats take pass coverage to a whole new level.
• Football Weather: Extreme weather impacts gameplay, with snow, fog, and wet conditions affecting visibility, movement, stamina, and ball security making weather an adversary just like Buffalo and Cleveland in January. 
• Foundational Football: New mechanics, including Adaptive Coverage, enhanced D-line Stunts & Twists, and block steering, provide unparalleled realism across offense, defense, and special teams.

Madden NFL 26 introduces a refreshed feature set that immerses players in the heart of the NFL, with deepened modes and engaging live content throughout the year: 

• Presentation: Authentic NFL atmospheres come to life with team-specific run-outs, iconic crowd chants like Minnesota’s Skol, and Baltimore’s electrifying pre-game light show. Dynamic halftime shows, hosted by new addition Scott Hanson, and custom broadcast packages—now featuring primetime slots for Monday, Thursday and Sunday night matchups—produce a distinct look, sound and feel. 
• Franchise: Build your legacy in style with new archetypes and gear for your custom coach or start from a real NFL coach. New features such as playsheets, Wear & Tear and Approval Ratings make every week a unique challenge. Scott Hanson's Weekly Recaps and Rich Eisen's commentary highlight a long list of upgrades to the fan favorite mode. 
• Superstar: Import your EA SPORTS College Football 26 player or craft a new avatar, to progress through weekly storylines, master the Sphere of Influence system and achieve 99 OVR - all while balancing Wear & Tear and competing in live events. 
• Madden Ultimate Team: Build your dream roster with NFL legends and stars, tackle new dynamic MUT Events, and rise through 50-player Leaderboard Campaigns. NFL Team Pass delivers team-specific rewards across online modes, keeping programs fresh and offering ever-evolving ways to play with every new program.  
• Roster Management: Strategically develop your roster to fit your scheme with modern Depth Chart positions including edge, long snapper, gadget players and more. Manage weekly performance with the new Wear and Tear system and Dynamic Substitutions.

Fans who pre-order* the Madden NFL 26 Deluxe Edition by July 24 will receive perks including 3-day early access, 4600 Madden Points, an Elite Player Item, and more. The EA SPORTS MVP Bundle includes deluxe editions of Madden NFL 26 and EA SPORTS College Football 26, with additional rewards across both titles*.

EA Play members will get a 10-hour Early Access Trial starting August 11th†. EA Play Pro members will enjoy unlimited access to the EA Play Pro Edition† of the game, and get up to 6,000 Madden Points, Player and Strategy Items and more. All EA Play members can score rewards such as monthly Ultimate Team Packs, as well as receive 10% off Electronic Arts digital content including game downloads, Season Passes, and DLC for certain titles.

Madden NFL 26 will launch for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC (EA app/Steam/Epic Games Store) on August 14, 2025.