EA FC 25 Ballon d’Or Weekend: Start date & how to earn free rewards

To celebrate Rodri and Aitana Bonmati scooping the Ballon d’Or awards, EA FC 25 is hosting a special in-game event that gives the players the chance to earn free rewards.

EA FC 25 has already hosted plenty of Ultimate Team promos, such as Road to the Knockouts and Trailblazers, and there are plenty more still to come. But with the Centurions event up next, the devs have also confirmed a special weekend-long campaign inspired by this year’s Ballon d’Or.

Here’s everything you need to know about the EA FC 25 Ballon d’Or Weekend.

EA FC 25 Ballon d’Or Weekend start date

The Ballon d’Or Weekend event begins on Friday, November 8, 2024, in EA FC 25. It will launch at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM GMT, the same time as the first batch of players from the Centurions promo drops in Ultimate Team.

It hasn’t been confirmed when the event will end just yet, but we’re expecting it to be on Monday, November 11.

EA SPORTS / Dexerto

Ballon d’Or Weekend explained

When you first log in to the EA FC 25 Ballon d’Or Weekend, you’ll be offered two separate Player Picks containing special Nominee cards on loan. The first will be a choice between a men’s player who was in the running for this year’s prize, while the second will be a women’s player.

Once you’ve made your choice, these Global Loan players will be added to your club for the duration of the event and you can add them to your squad. Once the Ballon d’Or Weekend has ended, they will be permanently removed.

There will be a series of in-game objectives for you to complete that revolve around your Nominee cards, such as scoring goals or winning games with them in your team. Ticking off these challenges will earn you free packs to open and permanent items for your club.

It’s been confirmed that Ballon d’Or Nominee cards won’t be available in packs, so the only way to get these items is as loans from the Player Picks.

All Ballon d’Or Nominee players

There are a total of 20 Ballon d’Or Nominee cards in EA FC 25, 10 from the men’s side and 10 from the other. While it hasn’t been officially announced who will be up for grabs, it’s likely that it will be the top 10 from both real-life Ballon d’Or votes.

With that in mind, here’s who we’re expecting to see:

Men

1. Rodri (Spain, Manchester City)
2. Vinícius Júnior (Brazil, Real Madrid)
3. Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid)
4. Dani Carvajal (Spain, Real Madrid)
5. Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City)
6. Kylian Mbappé (France, Real Madrid)
7. Lautaro Martínez (Argentina, Inter)
8. Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona)
9. Toni Kroos (Germany, Real Madrid)
10. Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich)

Women

1. Aitana Bonmatí (Spain, Barcelona)
2.  Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway, Barcelona)
3. Salma Paralluelo (Spain, Barcelona)
4. Sophia Smith (USA, Portland Thorns)
5. Lindsey Horan (USA, Lyon)
6. Mallory Swanson (USA, Chicago Red Stars)
7. Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France, PSG)
8. Mariona Caldentey (Spain, Arsenal)
9. Trinity Rodman (USA, Washington Spirit)
10. Alexia Putellas (Spain, Barcelona)

We’ll be sure to update this page with more details on the EA FC 25 Ballon d’Or Weekend event when they’re announced. In the meantime, check out the best formations and tactics to use, as well as which players to submit in Evolutions.