FC 25 Career Mode: The best new features confirmed

That's right, you can now play the Women's Manager Career, which has "all of the Men's Manager Career features, plus unique challenges that exist solely within the women's game".

That's not all, with another major headline addition being the introduction of Live Start Points, which will let you start a Career Mode save alongside real-world football events.

Read on to find out everything there is to know about the new FC Career Mode changes.

What do we know about FC 25 Career Mode?

Career Mode in FC 25 brings with it Women's Football, Live Start Points, Rush integration, Player Career Icons and more.

EA has detailed all of the new Career Mode changes in FC 25 with a massive Deep Dive blog post and trailer. It's worth checking the trailer out below to see all of the changes in action:

FC 25 Career Mode: The best new features confirmed

Career Mode will be getting quite the rejig for FC 25.

In fact, this will be the biggest change to the mode that we've seen in a long time. It's nice to see it getting so much attention, after Ultimate Team has hogged the limelight for so many years.

So, what are the changes? Let's take a look.

Rush Mode

Rush is a new five-a-side match style that will bleed into every mode of FC 25.

In Career Mode, you'll be able to control your youth team in regular five-a-side tournaments, using the Rush mode, allowing you to take a more hands-on approach in their development.

Rush is also available in Kick Off, Clubs and Ultimate Team. Read more about the new features of the whole of FC 25 in our guide.

Women's football

It was included in FC 24's Ultimate Team, but now the women's game is finally available in Career Mode.

You'll have the opportunity to play with teams and players from the Women's Super League, NWSL, D1 Arkemma, Liga F and the Frauen-Bundesliga.

In the women's game, you'll have stricter budgets and shorter contracts to contend with, reflecting the realities of the sport.

Live Start Points

Live Start Points and Snapshots will let you manage some of the top men's and women's teams from specific gameweeks based on real-world footballing events. Has a manager been sacked? You can take over that team from the point that manager was sacked in real life.

As per the Career Mode Deep Dive blog linked above, there are "Live Start Points for 10 leagues and 12 cup competitions, enabling you to follow along with real results and jump in during any gameweek of the season".

Icons will be available

As the cover of the Ultimate Edition box suggests, there will be plenty of playable football Icons in EA FC 25.

Now, however, you'll be able to use them in Career Mode. Specifically, you'll be able to use Icons in Player Career. For example, you could play a career as David Beckham.

Who cares about anachronistic impossibilities when you can have Beckham playing alongside Bellingham?

FC IQ

This huge overhaul to tactics will have a massive impact in Career Mode, especially in the manager's seat.

FC IQ gives you a lot more freedom to give instructions, both on and off the ball, and you can even use the tactical set-up of a pre-existing team's style. Players will be able to share their tactics with one another as codes.

In Career Mode, you can also hire specialist coaches to train players in new roles/positions.

Player Roles and Development Plans 2.0

You will now see Player Roles in your Squad and Transfer Hub, letting you see what each of your players and transfer targets are capable of at a glance.

On top of this, Development Plans for players have been upgraded: "Live Start Points for 10 leagues and 12 cup competitions, enabling you to follow along with real results and jump in during any gameweek of the season."

You will even be able to "trigger a Role Rating level up. When that happens, it increases the potential of those Attributes, unlocking a new stage of growth.

Moreover, Development Plans now surface useful contextual information such as factors that influence growth or development stage each player is in, Growth, Peak, or Retiring".

All told, you should have more control over Player Roles and Development in FC 25 than you ever did before.

Youth Scouting upgrade

Over 160 countries can now be scouted for youth academy players. You can also scout for specific positions for youth players, as well as three focused Player Roles.

Also, "youth players will now look younger and you will be able to see them physically grow during their development in the Youth Academy".

Those are some very nice and helpful changes.

Social media – and Fabrizio Romano!

Yes, the rumours are true. Fabrizio Romano, the iconic Italian sports journalist, will appear in Career Mode as a character.

He'll provide news, such as transfer details, on a new social media-style social bar.

Other news media outlets could also appear.

Background Story

As well as the usual customisation, you can now play around with your custom player's origins.

Your background will affect your stats, so be careful what you choose!

For example, you could do a Player Career as the son of a famous player, or an older player returning from injury. That should add some extra drama to proceedings.

Press Conference and Morale upgrades

At long last, press conferences and player morale have been upgraded. If a player becomes too happy they now become complacent. It's up to you to use the enhanced press conferences to whip them back into shape.

"Questions asked by the press are now fuelled by Tactical choices, opponent setup, and match statistics." Another nice new couple of features, for sure.

Read more on FC 25:

• FC 25 ratings: The very best players
• FC 25 Heroes and Icons: Returning legends confirmed
• FC 25 Career Mode interview: Lamine Yamal, Fabrizio Romano and more
• FC 25 producer interview: Professional fouls, diving and Volta
• FC 25 soundtrack: Full list of songs
• FC 25 defenders: Best CB, RB and LB

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