FIFA 20 – Everything You Need To Know

When is it out?

EA have confirmed that the game’s release date is September the 27th.

The standard edition has Eden Hazard on the cover and will come with up to three FIFA 20 Ultimate Team rare gold packs depending on how early you pre-order the game. Each pack corresponds to one week in pre-order time.

Special Editions

If you want earlier access to the game you can get the Champions or Ultimate editions on the 24th of September, a full three days sooner.

The Champions edition has Virgil van Dijk on the cover and comes with up to 12 FIFA 20 Ultimate Team rare gold packs, again depending on the pre-order date.

Finally, the Ultimate edition comes with Zinedine Zidane on the cover and includes an untradeable FUT 20 Ones To Watch player item and up to 24 FIFA 20 Ultimate Team rare gold packs (this time two packs per week of pre-order time).

Demo and available clubs

EA tend to release their FIFA demo roughly two weeks before full release so the estimated date for this is September the 12th. Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Juventus have all moved to PES 2020 so naturally they will not be featured on the demo or the game itself in their official forms. Meanwhile Liverpool will make a return from PES back to FIFA so they’ll likely to feature on the demo.

New Feature: Volta Football

Think of Volta football as the significantly evolved version of FIFA Street, although EA goes to great lengths to disassociate the two from each other.

Put simply, it’s street football using FIFA’s Frostbite engine for the first time so expect realistic mechanics and game flow. This is explicitly not an arcade adaptation of the game.

There are 17 locations around the world which EA calls playgrounds. These range from a cage in London to a rooftop in Tokyo.

Simplified Rules

In Volta football there are no substitutions, offsides, injuries, yellow or red cards, or even fatigue or stamina. This is done in order to create a more accessible, fun and free-flowing game.

Match Types

There are multiple match types we want you to experience in the small-sided game. Each match type offers a different element and creates a variety of situations that you’ve never seen before in the traditional 11 against 11 experience. These matches also come with unique AI behaviors in terms of formations and rotations, to enable you to play with the tactics you want.

Match Type Details

Rush Keepers: played in 3v3 and 4v4, Rush is the street mode without Goalkeepers and with small goals, where each player is expected to contribute to all aspects of the game, be it scoring or blocking a shot.

Street with Keepers: played in 4v4 and 5v5, is the street mode with Goalkeepers and Futsal-sized goals, which combines the safety of a goalkeeper with the bespoke rules and personality of the street.

Futsal: a 5-a-side experience with more authentic rules, referees, and a more structured type of play. The formations available are the same as 5v5 street with keepers.

Environments

Besides match types, each environment can be customized and provides interesting variations to fixtures. Players can play matches with Walls or No Walls, and most stadiums allow players to choose which option they want. Walls will also affect the flow of the game and some of the rules of the match, so choose carefully.

There are also 3 different pitch sizes, small, medium and large, creating interesting gameplay dynamics and allowing you to try new strategies with each configuration.

Specific Rules

Volta gameplay has unique rules depending on the circumstances of the match. You can combine the rules below, creating very interesting match types. For example, a Street 3v3 Rush match with walls is completely different than a 4v4 street match without walls.

Small-sided matches are quick and fun, with each half being only 3 minutes of real-time playing. The timer only goes down when the ball is in play and each extra-time half is 1 minute of real-time play.

Street match types have more lenient rules and allow for a more flowing style of play. Whenever there is a foul in street matches, the play will restart from as close as possible to the position of the foul. There are no free kicks and on a restart the ball is instantly considered in-play.

Walls prevent the ball from going out of play in most cases. If the ball happens to go out of play (over the walls), it will restart with the Goalkeeper or with a player close to the goal, depending on the match type.

Environments without walls allow for Kick-Ins and Corner-Kicks. Kick-ins are a new set piece type and provide a quicker restart of play using ground or lob passes.

Rush matches also have some specific rules. Since there are no goalkeepers, it means that corner-kicks or penalties are not allowed. Whenever a match ends in a draw in Rush Mode, it will go into “Next Goal Wins” mode with unlimited time.

Any match with goalkeepers allows for penalties, corner-kicks, and shootouts. A match with goalkeepers that ends in a draw, will be followed by 2-halves of extra time Golden Goal, followed by best out of three Penalty Shootouts. Penalties in small-sided follow the new FIFA 20 Penalty mechanics.

Futsal matches have stricter rules and referees, which are less lenient than street. Futsal is the only mode where there are direct Free Kicks, and these also share the new FIFA 20 Free Kick System. Futsal is always played on a large pitch, without Walls and with a Goalkeeper.

Another unique Futsal rule is Accumulated Fouls, where the 6th foul results in a Penalty Kick from the secondary penalty spot to the opposition. Every foul afterwards will also result in a penalty. Accumulated Fouls reset each half, except extra-time where they continue to build.

Kyriacos Nicolaou