Best Manchester City Custom Tactics in EA FC 26: Ultimate Formation & Strategy Guide

Despite falling short of their usual dominance in the 2024/25 season, Manchester City remain one of the most powerful teams in EA FC 26. With Kevin De Bruyne’s departure marking the end of an era, City wasted no time strengthening their squad with fresh signings like Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki.

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Even though key stars like Erling Haaland and Phil Foden received slight downgrades this year, Manchester City’s squad is still stacked with quality across the pitch. With the right formation and tactical setup, you can unlock their full potential in Ultimate Team or Career Mode.

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Best Formation for Manchester City in EA FC 26

The 4-2-1-3 formation is the perfect fit for Manchester City, allowing you to utilize their strongest players in comfortable positions while maintaining balance in attack and defense.

• ST (Striker): Erling Haaland – your main goal machine, perfect as a target forward.
• LW (Left Wing): Omar Marmoush – provides pace and dribbling down the left.
• RW (Right Wing): Phil Foden – still reliable despite a downgrade, works well cutting inside.
• CAM (Central Attacking Midfield): Bernardo Silva – despite his -4 downgrade, remains the best playmaker option after KDB’s departure.
• CDM Duo: Rodri (Ballon d’Or winner) and Tijjani Reijnders – offer both defensive solidity and progressive passing.
• CB Pairing: Josko Gvardiol & Nathan Ake – Ake is preferred over Ruben Dias due to his pace, which is vital in the current meta.
• LB (Left Back): Rayan Aït-Nouri – strong balance between attack and defense.
• RB (Right Back): Matheus Nunes – although primarily a midfielder, his pace and stamina make him an excellent converted right-back.

Custom Tactics for Manchester City in EA FC 26

The 4-2-1-3 setup remains one of the most effective tactical systems in EA FC 26. Here’s how to get the most out of City’s squad:

• Striker (Haaland): Advanced Forward with an Attacking Focus – stay central, get in behind.
• Wingers (Marmoush & Foden): Inside Forwards on balanced instructions – allow them to cut inside and create scoring chances. You can also set them as roaming Inside Forwards for more fluid movement.
• CAM (Bernardo Silva): Balanced Playmaker – link up play and feed through balls to Haaland.
• CDMs (Rodri & Reijnders): Deep-Lying Playmakers with Build-Up focus – control possession and dictate tempo.
• Fullbacks (Aït-Nouri & Nunes): Balanced Fullbacks – provide defensive cover while offering overlapping runs when needed.
• Centre-Backs (Gvardiol & Ake): Standard Defender Roles – keep the shape tight and avoid risky forward runs.

Why This Setup Works

• Attacking flexibility: Haaland as the target striker combined with pacey wingers ensures constant goal threats.
• Midfield control: Rodri and Reijnders balance defensive stability with passing range.
• Adaptive defense: Ake’s pace and Gvardiol’s physicality allow you to deal with fast counter-attacks.
• Fullback balance: Both wide defenders stay disciplined, giving freedom to wingers without leaving gaps.

This makes Manchester City one of the easiest and most effective teams to dominate with in EA FC 26, whether in online matches or Career Mode saves.

Even without Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City in EA FC 26 remain a powerhouse. Their new signings add depth, and with the 4-2-1-3 formation plus the custom tactics outlined above, you’ll be able to maximize the squad’s strengths and play beautiful football that’s both effective and fun.