Ultimate Gauntlet returns in FC 27 and now two teams are enough: less grind, more football

Ultimate Gauntlet returns to EA Sports FC 27 this Friday, and it brings a change that shifts how you approach it quite a bit: to complete the campaign you'll only need to build two teams. In previous editions of the mode, the challenge asked you to put together additional squads. For many players, that turned the event into an endurance race about club depth rather than a test of skill. The original report comes from Areajugones, which also says that all of the event's rewards are already known.

Why does it matter? Because Ultimate Team runs on time and resource management. Every extra squad a mode demands costs coins, cards and hours you're not spending on Division Rivals, Champions or practice. Cutting the requirement to two teams lowers the barrier to entry. That way, far more people will be able to reach the end of the road with a real shot at the rewards, not just those with a massive club.

What you need to know

• Ultimate Gauntlet kicks off this Friday in EA Sports FC 27.
• Building two teams will be enough to complete the campaign.
• In previous editions, the mode required additional squads.
• According to Areajugones, the event's rewards are already confirmed.
• The change eases the squad-building load for a large part of the community.

What changes and who it affects

The core of the news is simple, but its consequences are less so. Until now, the Gauntlet punished players with a thin club. If you didn't have enough quality players to spread across several squads, you ended up stuck halfway or had to lean on the market and packs. With only two teams, the demand shifts from quantity to quality: how you build those two units matters more than how many cards you've stockpiled.

Players with smaller clubs

They're the big winners. Anyone starting the season with limited resources is no longer shut out of the event for lack of a bench. Two well-thought-out teams can be built from a reasonable base without draining your coin balance.

Competitive players

For those who play Rivals and Champions almost every day, the change means fewer distractions. The Gauntlet is no longer a time sink in the middle of the season. In exchange, the mode loses part of its strategic dimension: managing club depth as if it were a real rotation.

Content creators

There are pros and cons here. "How to build your two ideal teams" videos will be the go-to format of the week, and they're easy to produce and to watch. The risk is sameness: with fewer squads in play, everyone is likely to converge on similar solutions and the content will start repeating itself.

Our take

In the Underworld Lordz newsroom, we see this as a step in the right direction. For years we've criticised Ultimate Team for rewarding hours invested more than skill on the controller. Lowering the requirement to two teams is an admission, at least in this mode, that demanding squad after squad doesn't make the game more fun, just longer. EA listening to that complaint is good news.

That said, we're not going to applaud too early. The real test is the rewards. Areajugones says they're already confirmed, and they'll be what decides whether this Gauntlet is worth your weekend or just a box-ticking event. A more accessible mode with mediocre rewards is still filler. Nor would it surprise us if the effort removed here resurfaced somewhere else in the game, in the form of tougher objectives or challenges.

For competitive players, our advice is clear: treat the Gauntlet as a side activity, not a priority. Build your two teams wisely, without burning resources you need for Rivals or Champions, and check the rewards carefully before putting in the hours. For creators, the opportunity lies in standing out: alternative squads, self-imposed challenges or breakdowns of the real value of each reward.

What do you think?

Fewer teams means less grind, but maybe less challenge too. The team is already divided on this, and we want to hear your take. Do you think cutting Ultimate Gauntlet down to two teams genuinely improves it, or does it take the fun out of it? Drop by the team chat or our Discord and tell us how you're going to build your squads.