EA Sports FC 24 is getting a free Euro 2024 update, so you can simulate getting knocked out on penalties

A free update is set to bring UEFA Euro 2024 to EAFC 24 next summer, so you’ll be able to play along and experience the gut-wrenching agony of your nation being knocked out on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Both the mobile version of the game and EA Sports FC Online will also be included in the cross-platform update, which will feature a full-on imitation of the tournament, So get ready to create some alternate history - or an alternate future - that sees England actually win a thing or be dumped out without any of the insufferable national discourse that’d inevitably follow.

As part of the update, those who play EA Sports FC 24 between now and January 16, 2024 will be gifted “one of Europe’s biggest stars as an exclusive, untradeable Ultimate Team Player item”.

Who, you ask? Well, you’re in for one of the following: Jack Grealish, Ousmane Dembélé, Federico Chiesa, Florian Wirtz, Virgil Van Djik, or Alvaro Morata, each of whom you can see in action in this trailer for the update.

Whichever player you receive should pop up in your account at some point from December 18 onwards, unless you’re playing the mobile version on an iOS or Android devices, in which case you can seemingly grab your item right now.

“We’re delighted to announce that one of next summer’s biggest football tournaments will be fully integrated across EA Sports FC titles,” said David Jackson, EA Sports FC’s vice president of brand said in a press release about the update. “Alongside our fantastic partners at UEFA, this exclusive Euros content will enable EA SPORTS to continue delivering the most authentic and innovative football experiences for our fans.”

“UEFA Euro 2024 is one of the world’s most vibrant and exciting football tournaments, and we’re thrilled that the huge EA Sports FC 24 community across the globe will get the chance to engage with the tournament in such an authentic gaming environment,” added UEFA Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein.

The free update will also have an esports element, with “an all new tournament featuring Europe’s best EA Sports FC players, representing UEFA national football teams” set to take place. Given that we’re unlikely to see many official FIFA tournament tie-ins for EA’s footy sims now that it’s ditched the body’s licence, it’ll be interesting to see how satisfied this one with UEFA leaves players.

If you’re trying to win your way up through the online ranks of EA FC, make sure to check out our incredibly useful guide to the best cheap players to use for squad building challenges and our coverage of what’s in the game’s latest updates.