EA Sports FC 26: Best Tips to Win the ‘A Star Is Born’ Penalty Shootout Live Event

Jul 15, 2026

EA Sports FC 26 players have a great opportunity to earn valuable Ultimate Team rewards through the ‘A Star Is Born’ Live Event. Unlike standard matches, this event focuses entirely on penalty shootouts, making it one of the fastest ways to collect rewards, Season Pass XP, and exclusive Evolution upgrades.

If you’re looking to complete the event quickly and improve your chances of winning, these tips can help.

How to Win the ‘A Star Is Born’ Penalty Shootout

Many experienced FC 26 players have noticed that penalty shootouts often follow predictable patterns. While nothing guarantees a victory, understanding these tendencies can give you an advantage.

Goalkeeper Tips

During the opening penalties, many opponents aim for the upper corners, usually matching their player’s stronger foot.

Right-footed players often shoot toward the top right.
Left-footed players frequently aim for the top left.

For the first few penalties, diving toward these corners can increase your chances of making an important save.

If your opponent misses a penalty, they often switch sides on their next attempt. During the final kick, some players try to surprise you with a Panenka or a shot straight down the middle, so staying central can sometimes be the smartest option.

Best Penalty Order

Choosing where to place your shots is just as important.

A simple strategy is:

First penalty: Bottom right
Second penalty: Bottom right again
Third penalty: Top right
Fourth penalty: Panenka toward the left side
Fifth penalty: Top left

Repeating similar shots early in the shootout often catches opponents off guard because many expect players to constantly change direction.

Build the Right Squad

Since this event is only decided by penalties, your regular Ultimate Team lineup may not be the best choice.

Instead:

Use players with high Penalty, Finishing, and Shot Power attributes.
Don’t worry about traditional positions—you can even use attackers in defensive roles because open play isn’t part of the event.

This small adjustment can significantly improve your conversion rate during shootouts.

A Fast Way to Complete Evolutions

The event also offers an easy method to progress player Evolutions.

Each penalty shootout counts as a completed match, allowing you to advance Evolution objectives much faster than playing full Squad Battles or Rivals matches.

‘A Star Is Born’ Rewards

The Live Event features two reward paths.

Participation Rewards

Simply playing matches unlocks several rewards, including:

Season Pass XP
Rare Gold Player Packs
Exclusive celebrations
Player Evolution upgrades
Futties Tokens

Tournament Rewards

Winning complete tournaments unlocks even better prizes, including:

Higher-rated Rare Gold Player Packs
Additional Evolution items
The Phenom Rising Evolution, which can upgrade eligible players up to a 95 Overall Rating with major boosts to attacking attributes.

Final Thoughts

The A Star Is Born Live Event is one of the quickest and easiest ways to earn rewards in EA Sports FC 26 Ultimate Team. With only penalty shootouts to complete, players can collect packs, XP, Evolutions, and Futties Tokens in a fraction of the time required for regular matches.

Using a dedicated penalty squad and following consistent shooting patterns won’t guarantee every victory, but they can greatly improve your chances of progressing through the tournament and maximizing your rewards before the event expires.