Team of the Year in FC 26 represents the most competitive period of the Ultimate Team cycle. The player pool is stacked, pack odds are brutal, and the temptation to buy points or drain coins for store packs is higher than ever. Yet, as most experienced players know, spending money or coins on the store during TOTY rarely pays off. Upgrade SBCs are the true engines behind consistent pack volume—and pack volume is the only realistic path to landing a TOTY item.

This guide covers the best, most efficient, and safest methods for grinding the FC 26 TOTY menu upgrades. Regardless of how EA rotates SBCs throughout the promo window, the core loop remains the same. Once you understand how to build your recycling system and how to allocate fodder, your grind becomes predictable, sustainable, and effective. Last Verified: January 22, 2026.

Below is the complete 2026 FC 26 Upgrade Pack Grind Guide.

Why Upgrade SBCs Matter During TOTY

Team of the Year cards are almost exclusively acquired through packs. With the extremely high rarity of TOTY items, the most effective strategy is maximizing the number of packs you open. Not all packs are created equal, and most of the valuable odds sit inside Upgrade SBCs and their associated recycling loops.

As EA continues to rotate upgrades throughout the TOTY event, the best grinders stick to a core strategy:

1. Generate fodder from basic upgrades.

2. Convert that fodder through league-specific upgrades.

3. Push consolidated high-rated items into premium packs (such as 83+ x10).

4. Repeat.

Let’s break down the optimal approach.

How to Farm Upgrade Packs in FC 26 (TOTY Edition)

1. Start With the Daily Upgrades (Mandatory)

Your grind begins with the simplest—and most essential—SBCs:

· Daily Bronze Upgrade

· Daily Silver Upgrade

· Daily Common Gold Upgrade

· TOTY Login Upgrade

These SBCs provide the starting fodder for your long-term recycling loop. They are cheap, reliable, and guaranteed to produce cards you will need later. Never skip these.

2. Use Low-Rated Fodder in Mixed League Upgrades

Once you finish your dailies, move immediately into:

· Mixed League Upgrades

· Crafting Upgrade (Commons + Low-Rated Rares)

Mixed League upgrades serve two purposes:

· Generate even more gold fodder.

· Provide a very modest but steady flow of tradable cards for coins.

These upgrades are optional, but strongly recommended for players who want to maintain a steady bankroll while grinding.

Use them to dump:

· All common golds

· Rares below 80

· Any miscellaneous low-quality fodder that clutters your club

If you have leftovers from Mixed League SBCs, move them into Crafting Upgrades to keep your cycle clean.

3. Focus on League-Specific TOTY Upgrades (Your Main Grind)

League-specific upgrades during TOTY are where you should invest the bulk of your commons and low rares. These give you targeted pack pools, which is ideal when chasing specific TOTY players.

TOTY League and Player Count Breakdown

These counts include 12th man possibilities:

· Premier League & BWSL Upgrade: 10 TOTY players

· La Liga & Liga F Upgrade: 9 TOTY players

· Ligue 1 & Arkema Première Upgrade: 5 TOTY players

· Other leagues: 0 main TOTY cards

While TOTY Honorable Mentions spread across other leagues, those leagues are still not worth grinding. Your best value sits in:

Recommended League Priorities

· La Liga & Liga F (best TOTY players overall)

· Premier League & BWSL (largest card pool)

How to allocate fodder correctly

· Use common golds in the base league upgrades.

· Use rare golds below 82 in the premium league upgrades.

· Never overspend rares unnecessarily. Commons should always be used first.

This is the heart of your recycling loop—league-specific upgrades provide the volume that fuels the premium SBCs later.

4. If You Run Out of Fodder: Use the Winter Provisions Upgrade

At times, your grind will stall due to a lack of low-quality fodder. When that happens, pivot to:

· Winter Provisions Upgrade (requires three 85-rated players)

You will naturally earn 85-rated fodder from your dailies, but if you are short, you can buy 85-rated cards for 2.8–3K coins. Just filter by price and avoid overpaying.

5. Move Into the Big Upgrades (Where TOTY Chances Actually Increase)

Once you’ve accumulated:

· Gold rises above 82

· Informs

· High-rated golds

· Promo fodder

…you are ready to invest in premium upgrade SBCs.

At the time of verification (January 22, 2026), the following is the recommended hierarchy:

Worth Doing

· 83+ x10 Upgrade – Best value for fodder consolidation

· 83+ TOTW Upgrade – Required when farming Informs for higher-tier SBCs

Not Worth Doing (Right Now)

· 86+ x2 – Too expensive for the return

· Any SBC with disproportionately high-rated requirements

More premium upgrades will likely drop during the final TOTY week, so keep an eye out for anything that provides high-volume player pulls for a reasonable cost.

6. The Optimal TOTY Upgrade Grind Path (Summary)

Here is the complete process you should follow, step-by-step:

· Complete all Daily Upgrades (Bronze, Silver, Gold, TOTY Login)

· Put Commons into Mixed League Upgrades

· Send commons + rares below 80 to the Crafting Upgrade

· Send everything below 82 into League Upgrades, prioritizing La Liga or Premier League

· Use commons for base league upgrades and rares for premium

· Save leftovers for unlimited SBCs like 1 of 3 80+ Picks when applicable

· Graduate to bigger upgrades, starting with 83+ x10

· If you need Informs, use the 83+ TOTW Upgrade

· If you run out of fodder, complete the Winter Provisions Upgrade

· Recycle systematically and do not break the loop

· Open packs on Sunday, when TOTY XI and ICONs are both available in packs

This routine is sustainable, cost-efficient, and maximizes your daily pack volume.

Additional Tip: Complete Objective Packs Before Sunday

Many TOTY-week objectives reward upgrade packs. Do not open these until Sunday, when:

· TOTY ICONs

· Full TOTY XI

· Potential 12th man

· TOTY HMs

…are all available in the pack pool. This increases your odds substantially.

Final Thoughts

This is everything you need to execute a full FC 26 TOTY menu grind. As long as you stick to these principles—start with daily upgrades, funnel fodder efficiently, target the best leagues, and escalate into premium SBCs—you will maximize your chances of pulling a Team of the Year card without draining your bank or FC 26 coins balance.