Not Messi or Ronaldo: A Look at the Player Tied with Mbappe as the Top-Rated in EA Sports FC 26

The highly awaited game of the year returns with EA Sports FC. The 2026 edition is about to be released, and expectations are high. This year, fans are curious about which players will receive the top ratings, and the results are out. Kylian Mbappe leads the list, while Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are notably missing.

Mbappe has a rating of 91, tied with Mohamed Salah, following strong performances in recent seasons.

Next are players rated at 90, including Ousmane Dembele, Rodri, Erling Haaland, Virgil Van Dijk, and Jude Bellingham. Noteworthy is Lamine Yamal, who, at a young age, has an 89 rating, placing him among the highest-rated players.

This list suggests that the era of legends like Messi and Ronaldo is waning. Both players are not in the top rankings this year; in the last edition, Messi had an 88 rating and Ronaldo an 86, which likely decreased in the 2026 version.

The full list of the 26 highest-rated players

With Messi and Ronaldo absent, and emerging talents like Lamine Yamal, Bellingham, Pedri, and Musiala stepping up, the game’s future looks promising with EA Sports FC continuing to capture excitement.

Here are the 26 highest-rated players:

1. Mohamed Salah – Liverpool – rating 91
2. Kylian Mbappe – Real Madrid – rating 91
3. Ousmane Dembele – PSG – rating 90
4. Rodri – Man City – rating 90
5. Virgil Van Dijk – Liverpool – rating 90
6. Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid – rating 90
7. Erling Haaland – Man City – rating 90
8. Raphinha – Barcelona – rating 89
9. Lamine Yamal – Barcelona – rating 89
10. Achraf Hakimi – PSG – rating 89
11. Vitinha – PSG – rating 89
12. Donnarumma – Man City – rating 89
13. Pedri – Barcelona – rating 89
14. Joshua Kimmich – Bayern Munich – rating 89
15. Alisson Becker – Liverpool – rating 89
16. Harry Kane – Bayern Munich – rating 89
17. Federico Valverde – Real Madrid – rating 89
18. Vinicius Jr. – Real Madrid – rating 89
19. Florian Wirtz – Liverpool – rating 89
20. Thibaut Courtois – Real Madrid – rating 89
21. Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona – rating 88
22. Lautaro Martinez – Inter Milan – rating 88
23. Alexander Isak – Liverpool – rating 88
24. Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich – rating 88
25. Gabriel Magalhaes – Arsenal – rating 88
26. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal – rating 88

When were Messi and Ronaldo last the top players?

The last time Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo held the top ratings in a FIFA game was in FIFA 21. Messi was rated 93, and Ronaldo was rated 92. From FIFA 22 onward, new stars such as Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland began to rise and now hold top positions in player ratings.