EA FC 27 The Grounds: Clubs, Modes & Progression Explained

EA FC 27 is introducing a brand-new game mode for the first time since EA Sports introduced Rush in EA FC 24. The Grounds, inspired by NBA 2K’s The City, throws your player into a virtual open-world city, where you’ll be able to compete and interact with up to 100 other players. In this article, I’ll tell you all you need to know about EA FC’s newest addition.

Is The Grounds replacing Clubs?

The Grounds aren’t replacing Clubs. Instead, Clubs are becoming part of The Grounds. To play Clubs, you will need to create a player that will be playing on The Grounds, giving you more options to improve your virtual pro as you grind your way to the top by playing other game modes, including 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, Rush, as well as skill games.

Shared world, Terrace, and Clubhouse explained

The Grounds are a shared world where up to 100 players can interact and play together using their virtual FC pros. Your journey in the game starts on the Terrace. This is a location where all players spawn, connecting the three different districts with each other:

1. Montclair
2. Zeiza
3. Parkside

If you don’t want to walk around the city, The Grounds is also where you can get instant access to the Clubhouse — the location from which you can start playing Clubs. 

The Clubhouse and the Clubs Stadium will be updated based on your Club’s customization settings. This means the color, badge, and other settings will change as you walk from The Grounds to the Clubhouse.

Montclair, Zeiza, and Parkside districts

Once you exit the Terrace, you can head to one of three districts in the game.

1. Montclair is inspired by French urban football.  It offers access to Rush, Bucket Ball, 2v2, and Attack Scenarios. Many of these activities happen in cages that reference France’s streetball pitches.
2. Zeiza is inspired by Argentina, fusing European and Latin architecture. It features access to 3v3, a different Rush pitch, the drop-in Ranked Rush stadium Keep Away, and Balloon Ball.
3. Parkside is inspired by the UK and reflects football’s working-class origins. Inspired by traditional English towns, it offers access to 1v1, Bocce Ball, Goal Control, the Big Race, and 11v11 drop-in Stadium access.

Clubs Leagues, Playoffs, and Live Tournaments

The Grounds also feature access to Clubs Leagues, Playoffs, and Live Tournaments. Clubs Leagues and Playoffs work just as they did in FC 26, with the addition of Live Tournaments that give Clubs access to live events in special gameplay modes like Mystery Ball, King of the Hill, No Rules, Headers and Volleys, Survival, and Long Range.

Overall, this means that other than the new loading menus and additional ways to upgrade your pro, dedicated Clubs players will still be able to enjoy the game just as they did in FC 26.

NOTE: Learn what carries over from FC 26 to FC 27.

Stadium Drop-In and small-sided football

For players that don’t belong to a Club, FC 27 offers Stadium Drop-In, an 11v11 mode where you can match with random players by accessing the 11v11 stadium. This is excellent for finding new teammates or grinding your progress when your friends are offline.

On top of that, you’ll be able to play drop-in games of Rush, as well as small-sided football, including 1v1, which pits you against another player with the help of CPU goalkeepers, as well as 2v2 and 3v3. All of these modes will be easily accessible through the different districts in the city.

Every confirmed Kickabout activity

EA FC 27 introduces Kickabouts to your online player journey. These are games that combine football with other sports and games. At this moment, the following activities have been confirmed for FC 27:

• Bocce Ball. A combination of football and bocce, this game is similar to curling on a pitch. You kick balls towards a target, with rings you can go through for bonus scores. The player with the most balls near the bullseye of the target wins.
• Team Keepaway. A playground game turned into a kickabout. In this 3v3 game, one team has to protect the team ball from the other team. The longer you keep the ball and the more you pass, the more points you score. You win by having more points at the end of the time, or taking a lead of 1000 points or more.
• The Big Race. The Big Race is a 4-player free-for-all mode inspired by games like Fall Guys. You have to dribble your ball through a race track full of obstacles without losing the ball. Whoever crosses the line first wins.
• Attacking Scenarios. This challenge game is a 2v2 competition where you complete a challenge, like bouncing the ball off the wall before scoring or scoring a volley. Teams play both attack and defense, and there are no goalies, fouls, or any other rules, letting you go all in on completing the scenario.
• Bucket Ball. Combining football and basketball, this 2v2 mode has players compete to put the ball through a slightly elevated basket. You can do this through lob passes, precision headers, or volley spikes. Just like in basketball, you get 2 points for scoring inside the arc, and 3 points for shots outside the arc. However, there’s also a 2-point bonus for scoring with a spike.
• Balloon Ball. This 4-player free-for-all game has each player protecting their balloon from others. Balloons can be broken with balls, with power-ups available to keep your balloon safe or endanger the opposition. Last player standing wins.
• Goal Control. A 1v1 game on a medium pitch. The pitch has 8 goals set up in different positions depending on which of the three one-minute rounds you’re in. Your goal is to take over the goals by scoring in them, and gain points by keeping control of them. The most points at the end of the timer wins.
• Drop Kick Targets. These Targets appear in the open world and can be shot through at any time when you’re playing, similarly to collecting items in other open world games. EA claims that it will introduce weekly Drop Kick Target objectives for bonuses.

Archetypes, Masteries, AMPs, and progression

EA has made the following changes to Archetypes for the new game. Unlike previous entries, archetypes are all unlocked by default, letting you choose your playstyle as soon as you launch the game. They’re also resettable at any time, for free.

EA also introduced Masteries, which add stats based on how well you have mastered each Archetype. Completing Archetype level-ups will give you permanent attribute upgrades, regardless of the Archetype you currently have equipped.

Here’s a breakdown of how each Archetype Mastery boosts your stats.

EA also added Amps, a new item that helps you boost your archetype. They are limited-time and can help you boost your attributes or add PlayStyles, PlayStyles+, and Perks. You can equip two Standard Amps and one Signature Amp for each game.

FC 27 will also introduce consumables that can increase your level faster by applying AXP directly or boosting AXP through multipliers. These consumables are capped based on your level to help new players catch up to veterans quicker.

Club Objectives and customization

Club Objectives let you and your Clubmates get unique rewards for completing achievements in-game. These rewards can also be cosmetic and help you customize your player or stadium.

Just like in NBA 2K, Customization is optional and may cost you in-game currency. It allows you to personalize both your player and your club to show some swagger in the open world.

Final thoughts

EA FC 27’s introduction of The Grounds is an interesting new step forward for online play, giving you new opportunities to play outside the Ultimate Team ecosystem, while also giving you new games to progress your online pro in. While it has garnered some criticism from FC purists, I think it’s going to be an interesting mode to play and will draw more people into Clubs, one of the most fun game modes in FC.