It’s been eight whole weeks since FC 24 dropped and EA Sports is finally making good on its promise to give players a free UCL hero for Ultimate Team – well, players who pre-ordered the game before August 22, anyway. If you’re someone waiting for your free FC 24 hero player item, you’ll be pleased to know you’re just hours away from finding out who you’ll be adding to your squad.
We know pre-ordering games can be a risk, but FC 24 developer EA Sports has a track record of presenting players with some of the best soccer games of all time in recent years and – when a free, upgraded version of one of the FC 24 heroes is available too – pre-ordering the latest soccer game from the studio seems (well, seemed) like a no-brainer. So, that’s what a lot of people did prior to the launch of FC 24 in September 2023.
Those players who pre-ordered the game around a month before launch, however, were promised an additional pre-order bonus to the free Nike kits and loan players: a UEFA Champions League promo hero player item. With a selection of some of the best FC 24 strikers and best FC 24 CM players available through this promo, the wait to actually receive this reward has been a long one. Thankfully, though, that wait is almost over.
As this EA Help support page highlights, eligible players will start seeing their free UCL hero player item pack available in FC 24 Ultimate Team from 17:59 EST / 14:49 PST / 22:59 GMT on November 27 – which isn’t far away at all. This player item is going to be untradeable, so don’t expect to make a shed-load of coins from it, but you could still find yourself with a decent addition to your squad.
Or, of course, you can throw it into an SBC; your free UCL hero player item will be at least 86 OVR. When you look at what the new FC 24 Mbappe POTM SBC requires, you’re going to need all the decent-rated players you can get your hands on to complete it, UCL heroes or otherwise.
However, that doesn’t mean you should just ignore what you get when your free player item arrives. Despite only being 87 OVR, the Ramires player item is easily one of the best available – and his lower rating should mean you’re more likely to actually get him. With 89 PAC, 85 DEF, and 85 PHY, he’s going to be one of the best FC 24 CDM players available through this promo and – at the very least – someone you should keep on the bench.
Full-back Alex Scott is also a card you should keep an eye out for. With an 88 OVR, the Scott UCL hero promo player item boasts 89 PAC, 87 DEF, and both 83 PAS and 83 PHY. She isn’t going to be the quickest player you can stick in this position, but she will be one of the best FC 24 RB players if you’re looking for an all-rounder with balanced stats.
The 90 OVR Carlos Teves and the 91 OVR Gianluca Vialli are also excellent options if you’re fortunate enough to pack one of them; both of them have high PAC stats and 91 SHO – a stat only a handful of players better. The 81 PAC Vincent Kompany, who is only 89 OVR, is also a player you should keep an eye out for when opening this free player pack. With 91 DEF and 87 PHY (while standing at 6’3″), he’s one of the best FC 24 CB players available and a must-have for any player.
Of course, though, the rewards you get from this pre-order bonus player item pack is something of a lucky dip – which means you could get someone you don’t want or need. If this is the case, throwing them into a Squad-Building Challenge is probably your best bet; there’s really no point sitting on fodder you’re never going to use. If you’re going to tackle an SBC that needs a lot of players with high FC 24 ratings, you can find the cheapest FC 24 players for SBCs right here. With all the new promos on the way, and recent new additions like FC 24 Triple Threat and FC 24 Pundit Picks, there’s really going to be plenty of chances to use an 86+ OVR player in the coming weeks and months.