FIFA 22 Tips & Tricks: Career Mode Guide, Best Players & Formations

FIFA 22 is officially here, and it can be hard to know where to start with everything so new and shiny. Here’s your one-stop guide for everything you need to know, tips and tricks for Career Mode, Ultimate Team and everything in between.

What’s new in FIFA 22?

Career Mode has seen one of its biggest overhauls in years with the new standout feature of being able to create your own club! On top of this, an updated Player Career brings you more immersion than ever with structured targets and dressing room cutscenes. The news and stories section has been updated to bring you closer to the stories that matter most to your club.

Create A Club lets you set your own challenge with different finances and board expectations. Make your club cash strapped with an ageing squad and the toughest board expectations. Start in the lowest tier in your chosen country and see if you can perform the real rags to riches story.

Pro Clubs includes 26 brand new perks to make your Pro even better, play as a female for the first time ever, drop-in to games with friends and customise your player more than ever before.

Full guide: FIFA 22 vs 21: What's new in the game this year?

FIFA 22 has a range of high potential young players

High Potential Wonderkids

There are not many better things than tuning a wonderkid into a world-beater on Career Mode. This year sees more players than ever before that you can turn into the next global superstar. Here are the players with the highest potential in brackets aged 20 or younger at the start of Career Mode.

1. Pedri, Barcelona, CM, 91 potential
2. Ryan Gravenberch, Ajax, CM, 90 potential
3. Ansu Fati, Barcelona, LW, 90 potential
4. Florian Wirtz, Bayern Leverkusen, CAM, 89 potential
5. Jude Bellingham, Borussia Dortmund, CM, 89 potential

Full guide: Best career mode wonderkids and hidden gems

Highest Rated Players

Who are the big hitters on this edition of FIFA? Well, like last year there’s an undisputed leader for the highest-rated player. Lionel Messi retains his 93 rating from FIFA 21. In second place it’s not the expected Cristiano Ronaldo who drops to third place with a 91 rating, it’s Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker has risen to a huge 92 overall rating for this year.

1. Lionel Messi, CF, PSG (93)
2. Robert Lewandowski, ST, Bayern Munich (92)
3. Cristiano Ronaldo, ST, Manchester United (91)
4. Kevin De Bruyne, CM, Manchester City (91)
5. Kylian Mbappe, ST, PSG (91)

Use the links below to read our in-depth guides to the best players in every position:

• The 10 best young strikers in FIFA 22
• The 51 best defenders in FIFA 22
• The 31 best wingers in FIFA 22
• The 21 best strikers in FIFA 22
• The 39 best midfielders in FIFA 22

What’s new in Ultimate Team?

FIFA fan’s favourite mode has seen a host of new features in this years’ game. There’s 19 new FUT Hero card’s including Robbie Keane, Fernando Morientes and Clint Dempsey. There are brand new customisation options for your stadium including an all-new VIP area. Rivals and FUT Champs rewards have received an overhaul with a better-tiered system to earn the best cards.

Most people tend to go to the Premier League for their first squads on Ultimate Team due to the variety of players available. Finding a cheap gem at the start of your FUT campaign can set you apart from your rivals early on. Here are some of our suggested picks for your Premier League starter squads. All these players are under 10,000 coins.

1. Gabriel Jesus, ST, Manchester City (83)
2. Fred, CDM, Manchester United (81)
3. Ben Godfrey, CB, Everton (77)
4. John Stones, CB, Manchester City (83)
5. Raphinha, RM, Leeds United (82)

Full guide: How to make coins FAST on FIFA Ultimate Team

Best formations to use on FIFA 22

As you build you Career Mode side, FUT squad or even begin online seasons, you'll start to notice that people use a variety of formations and custom tactics. Advice on custom tactics will vary depending on the type of player you are, have a feel for how you enjoy playing and where your strengths lay. These are the best formations to get practicing with right now:

• 4-1-2-1-2 (narrow)
• 4-3-2-1 (attacking)
• 4-2-3-1 (balanced)

Full guide: The best formations and tactics to use on FIFA 22

Best kits to use on FIFA 22

There are certainly some standout kits on FIFA this year, so whether you want your Ultimate Team or your Career Mode created club look in tip top order, these are the best kits on the game.

FIFA 22 best kits

• Ajax third kit
• Manchester City away kit
• Al Ain away kit

Full Guide: The best home, away and third kits in FIFA 22

How to score penalties every time on FIFA 22

There's something you need to know: penalties have changed again. Not completely, but there are some new tips and tricks you definitely need to know about in order to make sure you're scoring every time.

From who to take your penalties with, where to aim them and how to time them, we've got you covered.

Full guide: How to score penalties in FIFA 22 every time

How to score free kicks every time on FIFA 22

In this free kick guide, you will learn to master the art of the set piece on FIFA 22 and can start scoring goals for fun from outside the box.

Top spin, multiple different spins, and the classic knuckle ball all have different requirements and our guide will help you achieve top results.

Full guide: How to bang in the free kicks in FIFA 22 every time

FIFA 22 skill moves: how to perform every single one

Embarrassing your mates on FIFA with skill moves is one of the most satisfying parts of the game, but skill moves executed properly can actually be a really effective way to progress up the pitch or put yourself in the best goalscoring position.

On FIFA 22, we see four new skill moves added to the game:

• Scoop Turn Fake (shoot then pass, then hold LS in the opposite direction after doing a forward Scoop Turn)
• Four-Touch Turn (hold L2/LT down while flicking back on the right stick twice from the direction you’re facing)
• Skilled Bridge (hold down L2/LT and double tap R1/RT)
• First-Time Spin (L1+R1/LT+RT)

Full guide: How to perform every FIFA 22 skill move, from 1* to 5*

Topics: FIFA 22, Gaming, FIFA, No Article Matching

Alex Newton

Alex Newton is a freelance writer, who's written for SPORTbible, Bleacher Report, The Mirror and the Express and Star. While not hosting his West Bromwich Albion podcast TheBoingCast you can find him (usually suffering) at WBA home and away games.