FIFA 22 Ultimate Team changes: FUT Champions, Division Rivals and other new features
Updated: Sep 14, 2021
FUT does not have many major additions for FIFA 22, but it does include some important improvements and changes.
FIFA Ultimate Team is the most popular game mode each year in the game and in FIFA 22 it is receiving some changes rather than any major overhaul.
Division Rivals
The biggest change to Division Rivals is the new seasonal progression system.
Division Rivals uses a new ladder system in FIFA 22 which better reflects your skill level as well as your form.
The ladder works using stages, with every win seeing you advance one stage and every defeat dropping you down one stage.
You can now have win streaks to help you advance through stages more quickly - every game you win over two wins in a row will see you advance two stages instead of the usual one.
Whereas previous versions of the game assigned you a division based on qualifying matches, every player will start in Division 10 in FIFA 22.
Progress will also reset during each in-game Season, with Seasonal Rewards now added as well as the usual Weekly Rewards.
Division Rivals will also have a new Elite Division, where the best FUT players in the world will compete.
The Elite Division is higher than Division 1, but does not feature relegation, so once you qualify for the Elite Division, you will stay there for the remainder of the current Season.
EA Sports claims that the new ladder system in Division Rivals will improve matchmaking as it will attempt to look for an opponent in a neighbouring stage and division, while also taking into account their physical location.
FUT Champions
Weekend League is no more in FIFA 22 as FUT Champions will now be spread throughout the week rather than just over three days like in previous versions of the game.
This year, the Champions Play-Offs and Finals will be introduced with qualification based on points rather than wins, meaning you can still progress if you lose.
Champions Qualification Points will still be earned in Division Rivals and, once you earn enough points, you will be entered into the Play-Offs.
Play-Off matches earn points towards Champion Ranks and Rewards and determine what you will get at the end of each six-week FUT Season.
Earn enough points in the Champions Play-Offs and you will be awarded a Finals Qualification Token. This can be used whenever you want.
The FUT Champions Finals is the new Weekend League and takes three days, but you can enter on any day rather than just on Fridays as in FIFA 21.
Stadium Customisation
FUT Stadium was introduced in FIFA 21 and is back for FIFA 22 with some new additions.
A VIP Area has been added for superfans in the centre of the stands, which can also have an additional TIFO.
Crowd Customisation options include Crowd Cards, Two-Stick Banners and Crowd Flags.
There is also a new XL TIFO for FIFA 22 which can be combined with smaller TIFOs.
You can now use a colour filter in the search on the Transfer Market to help you find stadium items more easily.
FUT Heroes
FIFA 22 introduces a new card type to sit alongside ICONs.
FUT Heroes are retired players from recent years and belong to the specific league where they made the biggest impact.
In addition, they are all assigned to the Heroes Club, which provides a strong link to every other club in their featured league.
Two heroes from different leagues will also have strong links to each other, which will help when building hybrid squads.
Other Ultimate Team Changes
Co-op Public Matchmaking has been added to FUT Friendlies, meaning you can play alongside a random team-mate against other Co-op opponents.
Unlike regular Co-op play, you will not use your normal FUT squad, but will be able to choose from regularly-changing unique public squads.
This should give people the chance to use players they might not play with in game otherwise.
The Main Menu has also received some tweaks in FIFA 22 with the addition of tabs to help you access popular items more quickly.
Squad Building Challenges (SBCs) are now available through the Home tab and it's now easier to switch from SBCs to the Transfer Market and back.
Your Squad has been moved to a Club tab, which also includes Player Stats, Club Customisation and Leaderboards.
A new Player Item view has also been added to show key attributes, while new settings have been added for Celebration Camera Focus and Competitive Gameplay.
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