FIFA 21 Ultimate Team: Everything you need to know about TOTY
By Tom Gott
We might be a little behind schedule this year, but it's finally time for FIFA 21 Ultimate Team's most exciting promotion. It's Team of the Year time.
The best players in the world are about to be awarded with some of the best cards in the history of FUT, but which players get those boosted cards is all up to the fans.
Here's all you need to know about TOTY.
What is TOTY?
EA bill their TOTY promo as the chance for players to correct football awards from the last 12 months.
The promotion gives fans the chance to vote for their best XI of players from 2020 - one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielder and three forwards - and the winners will be given new cards in Ultimate Team to reflect their status as the best on the planet.
Last year's TOTY brought up three 99-rated cards, and the lowest rated were Frenkie de Jong and Andy Robertson on 94, so these are some seriously beefed-up cards.
How to vote on TOTY
TOTY voting is held on EA's official website, where fans can choose from 70 pre-selected candidates to narrow it down to 11.
All in all, there are seven goalkeepers, 18 defenders, 19 midfielders and a whopping 26 forwards to choose from, so you better get your thinking cap on.
What time does voting close?
EA are yet to announce a time for the closure of the voting.
Instead, all we know is that the polls will close on January 18, so you better get a move on if you want your voice to be heard.
When will TOTY be released?
Again, there has been no official word on when the cards will be in packs, but we can look back at history for an educated guess.
The promos for FIFA 19 and FIFA 20 began on a Monday, so if that trend keeps up, TOTY could well be released on Monday, 25 January this time around.
However, prominent Ultimate Team creators Weaver and Donk claim to have found evidence in the game code suggesting that the promo could start on Friday, 22 January instead. That date could also be the reveal of the lineup, but fans will have to wait and see.
How will TOTY be released?
There has always been a staggered release to these cards in games gone by, so it's safe to assume that EA will stick to that method this year.
Last year, it was the forwards which were released first, and they spent two days in packs. They were joined by the midfielders on that second day, who were then joined by the defenders and goalkeeper on their second day in packs.
Between Thursday 9 and Monday 13, the entire squad was released in packs, and that's the last chance you had to pull these cards.
Will there be a 12th card?
The tradition of releasing a 12th man began in FIFA 19. When logging in to Ultimate Team, fans were given a player pick to vote for one more player who narrowly missed out on the actual XI, and that'll be back this time around.
FIFA 19 brought us a 97-rated Neymar, while 99-rated Cristiano Ronaldo took the prize in 2020, so this is by no means some forgettable card. You want to make sure you get your vote in for this one.