It’s that time of the year again and EA has revealed the cover stars of its next soccer game, FC 26. But this go around there’s concern that the infamous ‘Madden curse’ has spread to EA’s soccer series, after joint cover stars Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala suffered significant injuries that left them facing lengthy spells on the sidelines.
“It’s really nice to share this moment with Jamal, as a reflection of how far we’ve come,” said Real Madrid and England midfield star Bellingham in a comment accompanying the announcement.
“I remember our times rooming together in the England Youth team, we’d play the game all the time. Where I’m from, everyone knows the game, everyone plays it and talks about it so much. I’m grateful to be given the opportunity to be on the cover again.”
And here’s a comment from Bayern Munich and Germany forward Musiala: “When I found out I’d be on the cover of FC, it was such a crazy feeling. I thought, how could I tell my little brother? He’s a big fan of the game, so this will be a nice surprise for him. It’s something I always wanted growing up and it’s such a big part of football culture. Who knows, maybe I can still beat Jude at FC.”
The problem is, both players are injured and are set to miss a significant chunk of the next season. Let’s start with Bellingham. The 22-year-old just had surgery on a long-standing shoulder injury that’s set to keep him out of the game for up to four months. That means he’s going to miss the start of next season and may not return until November.
It’s worse for Musiala, though. He suffered a horrible injury playing at the Club World Cup that rules him out for between four and five months. After breaking his leg and dislocating his ankle in the same incident, the 22-year-old is set for a long absence.
All this means FC 26 launches in September with both its cover stars unable to play the game. One potentially won’t play again until 2026. Hardly ideal for the marketers at EA Sports, who must be wondering whether they are now cursed.
The Madden curse fan theory suggests any athlete who appears on the cover of Madden NFL suffers a downturn in their career, either from an injury or generally underperforming. The long-standing Madden curse most recently afflicted Madden NFL 25 cover star Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers, who was shifted to the injured reserve list due to calf tightness and achilles tendinitis one month after he graced the cover of the latest American football entry from EA Sports, which arrived August 13, 2024.
CBS Sports analyzed the history of the Madden curse upon McCaffrey’s announcement as 2024’s cover star, deeming that, between 2000 and 2024, 58% of players struggled after appearing on the cover.
EA’s FIFA series — now FC — has a long way to go before a ‘FIFA curse’ spreads online, but perhaps FC 26 has started something new. FC 26 launches across PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, PC, Amazon Luna, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2 on September 26, 2025, with early access through the Ultimate Edition beginning September 19, 2025.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
