FC 26 has introduced the FUTTIES Countdown Evolution, a new item upgrade path that lets players convert an eligible Ultimate Team card into a special FUTTIES version. The evolution matters to players building squads during the FUTTIES promotional period, as it offers a relatively accessible route to boost a card's rating and stats without needing to complete match-based objectives.

The evolution costs 100,000 coins and applies to cards rated 94 overall or below, excluding World Tour Silver Stars items and goalkeepers. It offers two upgrade stages, each adding +3 overall, +5 pace and +4 shooting, but requires locking the chosen card for 36 hours per stage (72 hours total), during which it cannot be used in any game mode. Recommended cards to apply it to include Ultimate Birthday Cristiano Ronaldo, PTG Lukebakio, Ultimate Birthday Inaki Williams, various Icon Ronaldo items, Ultimate Scream Pogba, Glory Hunters Dumfries, Future Stars Icon Semenyo, TOTS Vieira, Winter Wildcards Di Maria and Showdown Vieira, with no restriction on playstyle+ traits.