Controls

Default keyboard and Xbox controls

The 2026 edition gives passing, shooting and crossing their own buttons. The table shows the default layout. If you have changed it, use the action names in Options → Match controls to check your current choices.

On an Xbox controller, A is the lower face button, B is on the right, X on the left and Y at the top. LB and RB are the shoulder buttons, LT and RT the triggers. Other supported controllers use the equivalent physical layout. WASD are kick actions in the default keyboard layout. Use the arrow keys to run. In the explanations below, A/S means Xbox A or keyboard S, and the other button/key pairs follow the same order.

Assign the right device before playing

Device assignment answers “who uses this controller?” Button mapping answers “what does each button do?” Set both separately.

1. Open Players and controls, Player options, or the control assignment from your team's squad screen, depending on the way you entered the game.
2. Select the person or team you want to control. Check its Controls entry.
3. Choose assign or Assign controller. On the intended controller, press a face button: A, B, X or Y. For the keyboard, follow the displayed keyboard prompt with Shift or Ctrl.
4. Check that the entry now names the intended keyboard or Controller 1–8. Finish the participant screen.
5. Repeat for the other people playing locally.

Escape, Backspace, right click or the controller's View/Back button cancels device assignment. When a connected controller is still unused and a new player or team remains assigned to Keyboard, the game can ask you to Assign controller or Keep keyboard. Keeping the keyboard is a valid choice.

If a device already belongs to another participant, the conflict screen lists the earlier and new assignments. Keep all retains shared use. Use new only removes earlier assignments to that device. Distinct devices are easiest for local multiplayer. A device used for whole-team control takes priority over an individual player assigned the same device in that match.

A controller can open the pause menu even when it has not been assigned to a footballer. If Menu works but movement does not, check the participant's assignment first. The main career menus are primarily operated with the mouse. The match pause and camera menus also support controller navigation.

Change the button layout

Open Options → Match controls. You can also choose Button mapping beside a participant's device assignment. That route opens the matching device page and returns to the same participant afterwards.

1. Choose Keyboard & mouse or Controller.
2. Use the action pages, Movement and basics and Passing and pace, to find the action.
3. Click its Primary or Alternative field, then press the new input. A bracketed field and “Assignment active” identify the action being changed.
4. If the input previously belonged to another action, the new assignment takes it over. Check the old action: its remaining alternative moves into the primary position, or it becomes unassigned.
5. Choose Save before leaving. The saved layout is used from the next match.

During capture, Escape, Backspace, right click or View cancels. Delete clears an alternative. Default restores the displayed device's layout. Back leaves the editor, and an unsaved draft is not kept for your next visit.

Keyboard actions can use supported keyboard keys and mouse buttons. Movement can use the controller's left stick and D-pad. Triggers can serve pace controls or kick actions. Menu, View and Guide remain system controls, and the right stick remains the separate ball-influence control. Match shortcuts such as Escape, Return, Space, function keys, number keys and navigation keys cannot be reassigned here.

There is one saved keyboard/mouse layout and one shared controller layout. All local controllers use that controller layout. These preferences are separate from your career save, so changing a footballer's device does not create a different button layout for him.

Movement, pace and first touches

The left stick permits free angles and gradual movement. The keyboard provides the directions and diagonals available from its arrow keys. Movement follows the view: after changing camera orientation, pressing towards a part of the screen sends the player that way.

Release the pace controls for normal running. Hold Controlled pace (LT or left Ctrl) to move more carefully and keep the ball closer while turning or preparing a pass. Hold Sprint (RT or left Shift) to attack open space or chase back. The triggers allow gradual pace input. Sprinting makes tight control and sudden changes of direction more demanding, especially as fitness falls.

Touch ahead (RB or E) nudges the ball into space in front of you. Use it when a following pass or shot needs a cleaner approach. It is a deliberate touch, not a player-switch button. Leave room for the next contact, because a defender can challenge for a ball you have pushed away.

For a reliable first attacking move, receive without sprinting, settle or turn at controlled pace, look for a clear lane and then choose the appropriate pass. Ball control, agility, the speed and height of the incoming ball, and pressure from opponents all affect the first touch. Simply running into every pass at full pace makes it harder to keep.

Aim, charge and release

The default Independent aiming mode lets you keep running while preparing a kick. Begin with the ball under control and press the chosen action. The footballer keeps the running direction and pace he had when you pressed it. While you hold the action, use the movement controls to adjust the aim. Return the stick to neutral, or release the arrow keys, to retain that aim.

A ground arrow shows the available direction and fills as the kick charges. Release the action to play the ball. At full charge, the kick releases automatically. The useful charging window is short, so start with taps and modest holds. Aim has a limited turning range. A shot permits less sideways adjustment than a pass, so turn your body towards the intended area before starting a difficult finish.

Lofted ball is a modifier. Hold LB or Q together with the chosen pass, cross or shot for the higher version. It does nothing by itself. In Independent aiming, moving the aim backwards during preparation does not also select shot height. Use the loft modifier for height.

Options → Advanced options → Aiming mode also offers Player facing. In that mode, prepare the player's facing direction and let the pass or shot follow it. Forward, neutral and backward direction during shot preparation affect its trajectory, with pull-back giving more lift. Set pieces, goalkeeper distribution and first-time contacts have their own contextual controls even when Independent aiming is selected.

Arrow visibility and size are adjustable in Advanced options. A hidden arrow leaves the aiming controls active. Pause, loss of focus or an unplugged device cancels a held preparation, so release and press again after returning.

Passes to feet and into space

Pass to feet — A / S

A pass to feet looks for a suitable team-mate close to the direction you choose. Tap for a short combination, or hold a little longer for a stronger ball. Aim towards an available receiver with a clear lane. Passing assistance is limited by distance, angle, opponents and the receiving player's position. It does not make a pass through a defender safe.

Pass into space — Y / W

A pass into space, often called a through ball, plays along your intended direction for a team-mate to run onto. Lead the run rather than aiming where the receiver is standing now. The direction remains your responsibility, particularly with Independent aiming. Longer holds produce stronger balls and can carry the pass beyond a nearby player. Use less power in a crowded penalty area.

Higher passes

Combine LB/Q with A/S to lift a pass towards a team-mate, or with Y/W to play a lofted ball into space. Height can beat a defensive line, but gives defenders and the goalkeeper time to recover. Watch the receiver's run and the offside line before release.

While playing one footballer, there is no call-for-ball button. A/S does not order a computer team-mate to pass. Move into an open lane, stay onside and offer a sensible option. The player on the ball decides whether to use it.

Shots, crosses and chips

Shoot — X / D

Use Shoot for a direct attempt. Aim first, hold briefly to add power, and release. Longer is not always better: a close chance often needs a controlled finish, while distance and an awkward approach demand more from the player's shooting ability. Direction, balance, the striking foot, pressure and fitness remain relevant.

Hold LB/Q with Shoot for a higher shot or chip. A goalkeeper who has come off his line may leave space behind him, but too much power can carry the ball over the bar. Practise the same approach several times to learn the required hold.

Cross — B / A

Use Cross to deliver from a wide position into the attacking area. In Independent aiming, a cross initially points inward towards the pitch. Holding the same running direction does not immediately pull it away from that starting delivery. Deliberately change direction while charging if you want to adjust it. Add LB/Q for a higher cross.

In Player facing mode, the cross action can also choose a close attacking chip when the situation supports it. For a deliberate chip in the default aiming mode, use the loft modifier with Shoot.

Curl and lift after contact

During the brief influence window after a kick, directional input can shape the flight. On a controller, use the right stick to influence the ball without using the movement stick. When the right stick is neutral, the left stick can provide that influence instead. Keyboard players use their movement direction.

Input across the ball's original travel adds curl. Input against that travel encourages lift. These directions are relative to the kick, so “left” means left of the ball's flight, not always the left edge of the screen. Try a small correction first. The player's technique and condition, the original contact and the Aftertouch option limit the result.

The right stick is for the ball after release. It is not a second aiming stick while charging and does not move the footballer. Setting Aftertouch to 0% removes this additional steering. The option affects the computer's ball influence too.

Defending and changing players

Whole-team control

Without the ball, Pass to feet (A/S) is your safe player-switch action. If a real first-time contact is available, it can play that contact as a pass. Otherwise it requests another controlled team-mate. It does not start a tackle in primary whole-team control. Control also follows receiving team-mates through the normal flow of possession.

Y/W can also request a switch when you are away from the ball. Near the contest, it has contextual ball-contact and challenge behaviour. X/D does not have the manual player-switch role.

Challenges

Approach the ball carrier under control. X/D, Y/W or B/A can attempt the appropriate challenge when the ball is within reach. A low ball and a suitable approach can produce a slide. A closer contest may produce a standing challenge. Press deliberately for each attempt. Holding a button is not a repeated tackle command.

In an individual-player role, A/S can also attempt a contextual challenge when you do not have possession. The safe-switch behaviour described above belongs to whole-team control. An individual footballer stays your player.

A challenge still needs to reach the ball. Coming from behind, arriving late or striking the opponent can cause a foul and a card. Cover the route to goal and close passing lanes before committing. Neither the button nor the player's Tackling rating guarantees a clean win.

First-time play, aerial balls and goalkeepers

Move into the path of an incoming ball and press the intended action shortly before contact. For a successful first-time contact, X/D attempts a finish towards goal, A/S looks for a pass to a team-mate, Y/W directs the ball into space, and B/A provides the higher attacking contact. Height, timing, body angle and available space determine whether the player uses a foot, a volley, a normal header or a more committed aerial attempt.

Headers, diving headers and overhead kicks are contextual moves. There is no separate “guaranteed bicycle kick” button. A player needs a suitable incoming ball and approach. Heading, jumping and technique affect the result. If the ball is missed, the defensive actions can become challenges in the relevant context.

Control goalie in team-mode, in Options, decides whether whole-team control includes the goalkeeper. With that option off, the computer handles him. An individually controlled goalkeeper uses movement to position himself and a contextual action to meet the ball.

Once your goalkeeper has caught the ball, A/S gives a shorter distribution towards feet, Y/W plays into a run or direction, B/A sends a higher delivery, and X/D gives a longer driven release. Hold the chosen action for strength and use LB/Q for a higher version. Sprint and Controlled pace do not release a held goalkeeper ball.

Restarts: free kicks, corners, throw-ins and penalties

Wait for the taker and the other players to reach their restart positions. When a movement stage can be skipped, Space advances that stage. It does not take the kick for you.

For a standing free kick, choose a direction with the stick or arrows. The direction remains selected when the stick returns to neutral. You may play sideways or backwards to keep possession. Choose A/S, Y/W, B/A or X/D for the intended pass, space ball, cross or shot, charge it and release. LB/Q requests height. Run-up kicks retain their approach and contact sequence, so allow the taker to reach the ball.

At corners, use a short pass for a nearby option or Cross for a delivery into the area. Charge and loft shape the delivery, and aftertouch can bend it after contact. Do not assume that maximum charge always finds the far post.

At throw-ins, aim when the thrower is ready and use the action that matches the intended delivery. A/S favours a nearby receiver, Y/W a more forward ball into space, B/A a higher delivery and X/D a more direct long attempt. Hold time and LB/Q alter the throw within the limits of a throw-in. Follow the receiver's movement and release only when the lane is useful.

At a penalty, use direction to choose placement, hold an action to prepare the kick and release it. The taker still completes the run-up. Power, height and the taker's quality matter. When controlling the goalkeeper, position him and time the action to meet the shot. A shoot-out uses the players who finished the match and does not open a new substitution opportunity.

Match and presentation shortcuts

Release a key or button before pressing it again for a second toggle. Camera and replay commands operate the view rather than your footballer. The camera guide explains presets, and Replays & videos explains what is saved.

Learn the controls in practice

Choose Practise controls from your career, then Try the controls. The introduction displays your current mappings. Practice is a relaxed setting for learning movement, first touches, passing, crossing and shooting without a competitive result.

Practice also retains these keyboard setups: F2 arranges an attacking free kick, F3 a corner from the current side, and F4 a central free kick close to goal. They are practice shortcuts, not commands in a competitive match.

Start with a short A/S pass. Repeat it with a longer hold. Add LB/Q, then try Y/W into space. Next, test X/D with and without loft, followed by a cross and a first-time finish. Practise once at normal pace and once using LT/Ctrl before the kick. This makes the differences easier to feel than changing several controls together.

Use P, Esc or Menu to pause, then End practice to leave. For a fuller match between your club's first eleven and reserves, see Internal friendlies.

When a control does not do what you expected

The controller pauses but will not move my player.

Assign it to the correct participant or team. Then check whether that footballer has actually started or been brought on.

My player keeps running while I aim.

That is Independent aiming. The run present when you press the action continues, while later direction input changes the kick's aim.

The ball releases before I let go.

A fully charged action releases automatically. Use a shorter hold for less power.

LB or Q does nothing.

Hold it with a pass, cross or shot. It modifies that action.

My direction plus action does not register on the keyboard.

Some keyboards cannot recognise every simultaneous key combination. Use Button mapping to try another action key or mouse button, or compare with a controller.

A device disconnects or I switch to another window.

Local active play can pause. Reconnect the assigned device, release held actions and resume from the pause menu.

I want a different layout for each controller.

The current match mapper shares one controller layout across local pads. Device ownership can differ for each participant.