How EA SPORTS FC™ Ultimate Team™ Rivals work

What is Rivals mode?

Rivals is an online seasonal competition with a skill-driven rank system that can be played Solo or Co-Op. Win matches to climb the ladder, increasing your Rank and Division so you can compete for better rewards.Earn Ultimate Team™ Champions Qualification Points based on the Division you’re playing in, and use those Points to qualify for the Ultimate Team™ Champions Play-Offs.

Progression

How does progression work in Rivals?

You can move up and down the ladder system based on your match results. Each rung of this ladder is a Stage.When you first start playing Rivals, you’ll begin in Division 10, but if you played the previous EA SPORTS FC™ title, your previous legacy placement will be taken into account. Division 10 has a number of Stages you need to beat to reach Division 9, and Division 9 will have Stages to reach Division 8, etc.

Win a match, and you’ll move up a Stage.
If you win two consecutive matches in a row, you’ll start a Win Streak.
While on a Win Streak, for each additional consecutive win, you’ll progress two Stages per win until you draw or lose a match, ending the Win Streak.
Draw a match and you’ll stay at your current Stage.
Lose a match and you may drop down a Stage.

Some Stages unlock a new level of Weekly Rewards, and reaching a Checkpoint will protect you from dropping below a Stage if you lose matches in the future.

How does EAS FC determine my Division?

You start in Division 10 and your match results throughout the Ultimate Team™ Season will determine your final placement.When a new Ultimate Team™ Season starts, all competitors will be dropped from the Division that you previously finished in. You’ll have the chance to climb back to the top.

How many Divisions are there?

There are 11 Divisions in Rivals, with Divisions 10–1, and then the Elite Division.

What is the Elite Division?

The Elite Division is where the highest-skilled players in Rivals compete. You can reach the Elite Division after progressing through Division 1. Once you reach the Elite Division, you’ll compete there until the end of the active Ultimate Team™ Season.With the implementation of cross-play, the Elite Top 200 has a global leaderboard. You can only view this leaderboard while you have cross-play enabled, and can toggle between the global leaderboard and the same platform (local) leaderboard.Note: Nintendo Switch™ has separate leaderboards as EA SPORTS FC™ doesn’t support cross-play on Nintendo Switch™.

How do Rewards work in Rivals?

Climb through the Ranks to increase your Division. The further you progress, the more rewards you earn.

Weekly: Win a set number of points before the end of each week and earn rewards based on your current Division and Rank. You can upgrade these Weekly Rewards by winning more matches each week.

How do I claim my rewards?

Once the weekly competition ends, you can claim your Weekly Rewards in-game or on the Ultimate Team™ Web and the Companion Apps.

What time are Rivals weekly rewards released?

Rewards are released on Thursdays at 06:59 AM UTC.

How does Matchmaking work?

Divisions 10–1

For both Solo and Co-Op Matchmaking Divisions 10–1, matchmaking is based on three different factors:

1
Your location. This determines which EA SPORTS FC™ Game Data Center location will be used for your match.
2
Your Rank. This means you’ll be matched with players that have a similar Rank as you.
In Co-Op, the higher-ranked player will be used for matchmaking.
3
Your platform. This is considered when cross-play is enabled.

Elite Division Matchmaking

Elite Division Matchmaking in Rivals is based on three different factors:

1
Your location and the EA SPORTS FC™ Game Data Center location that’s used for your match.
2
Your Skill Rating. You’ll play with players who are close to the same Skill Rating as you.
As long as you have a 2200 Skill Rating or above, you’ll matchmake as if you had 2200 Skill Rating. This is to help make it easier for higher-skilled players to find matches.
3
Your platform. This is considered when cross-play is enabled.

Can I matchmake with players from other platforms?

You can matchmake with players on other platforms if you enabled cross-play. You can only play against others in the same platform generation, regardless of your cross-play preference:

PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

If you’re playing on Nintendo Switch™, check out our guide to cross-play on Nintendo Switch™.

What is a Skill Rating?

The Skill Rating measures your skills or performance in the Rivals Elite Division. Your Skill Rating will change with every match you play.

What does the Skill Rating do?

Your Skill Rating impacts who you match with in the Elite Division. It also determines your overall ranking in comparison to the other players in the Elite Division, with the very best making it to the Top 200 Leaderboard.

How does EAS FC determine my Skill Rating?

When you first enter the Elite Division, you get a default Skill Rating of 500 that will go up or down.

How does my Skill Rating change?

Every match you play in the Elite Division will determine any changes to your Skill Rating. Win a match and your Skill Rating may go up; lose a match and it might go down.The change depends on your Skill Rating and your opponent’s. If you win a match against someone with a higher Skill Rating, yours will increase more than if you won against someone with a similar or lower Skill Rating.If you draw, your Skill Rating could go up, down, or not change at all:

If your opponent has a lower Skill Rating, yours will drop.
If your opponent’s Skill Rating is about the same as yours, yours might stay right where it is.
If your opponent’s Skill Rating is higher than yours, your Skill Rating could go up.