FC 27 Concept Players: How to Build a Concept Squad

FC 27 concept players are placeholder copies of Ultimate Team cards you don't own, added to a squad purely for planning. They show chemistry, rating and position fit, but you can't play them in matches, sell them or submit them to Squad Building Challenges.

What are FC 27 concept players for?

Concept players are Ultimate Team's planning tool. According to FIFAUTeam's FC 27 concept squad guide, every player in the database has a concept version that you can drop into a squad temporarily to test rating, chemistry and formation. The main uses:

• Planning a target squad: line up the players you want before you can afford them and check that the chemistry works.
• Quick Transfer Market access: if the card is tradeable, a concept player's actions menu lets you search the market for it.
• Working out classic SBCs: in puzzle-style challenges with chemistry and rating rules, you can see which cards you need before buying.

Some concept cards are only available from SBCs, Objectives, Evolutions or other rewards, so they never appear on the market. A search can also come back empty if nobody has one listed.

How to create a concept squad in FC 27

The steps from FIFAUTeam's FC 27 guide:

1. On the main Ultimate Team screen, press R1/RB to reach the Club tab.
2. Select Squad.
3. Press L3 to open Squad Actions.
4. Select Squad Selector.
5. Press R1/RB until you reach Concept Squads.
6. Choose Create New Concept.
7. Build it with Squad Builder or manually.

How to add a concept player

1. Open the concept squad and highlight a position.
2. Press Square on PlayStation or X on Xbox and choose Add Player.
3. Press Triangle/Y to open Search.
4. Open Advanced Filters and switch on Concept Players.
5. Apply any other filters, search and pick the version you want.

FIFAUTeam notes that unowned cards won't appear in results until you enable that filter the first time.

Concept squad issue: why can't I play with greyed-out players?

This is the most common problem. If a concept player is still in your squad, you can't start a match or submit that squad to a challenge. FIFAUTeam sums up the rules: concept players

• can't be used in matches,.
• can't be submitted to SBCs,.
• can't be sold and don't count as items your club owns.

The fix: before a match or submission, replace every concept player with an eligible card from your club or buy it on the Transfer Market. Rather than trying to use a concept squad as your active team, buy the cards you planned and place them into your active squad one by one. Older games had a warning when copying concept squads; we covered the FIFA 22-era workaround in our FIFA concept players guide.

Do concept players matter for Streamlined SBCs?

SBCs changed a lot in FC 27. EA's Ultimate Team beginner guide introduces "Streamlined SBCs", where you don't build a squad at all; you pick eligible cards from your club and submit them. According to FUT.GG, each card adds points based on its rating and rarity until you hit the target score, with no chemistry or position rules.

That leaves two main uses for concept players: planning your own Ultimate Team squad, and classic SBCs such as Marquee Matchups and Daily Puzzles that still have chemistry and position requirements. Streamlined SBCs only let you choose cards you own anyway. FIFPlay adds that, for eligible challenges, 1-Click SBC builds a squad automatically using only players already in your club.

Sources: FIFAUTeam - FC 27 concept squad guide, EA - Ultimate Team for beginners.

What to watch for in the new SBCs

EA Help calls the new system Simplified SBCs and the classic squad-building ones Puzzle SBCs. Key points:

• Submissions are final: submitted cards are permanently removed from your club, and EA Advisors can't restore them.
• You can progress in parts: submit cards over several sessions; progress is saved, and duplicates of the same card can be submitted.
• Watch for overshooting: the game warns you if your selection greatly exceeds the required score.
• Main reward needs the full score: you don't get the main reward until you reach the requirement.
• If it expires: a half-finished SBC can give a reduced untradeable reward based on the score you submitted. Submitted cards are not returned.

Concept players still help here: before submitting a card, test its place in a concept squad to check you can really spare it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a concept player in FC 27?

A copy of a player you don't own that you can add to a squad for planning. It shows chemistry and rating, but it can't play matches or be sold.

Can concept players be used in SBCs?

No. Replace them with cards from your club or buy them before submitting.

Why can't I find concept players in search?

You need to switch on Concept Players under Advanced Filters. Without it, search only lists cards you own.

Can I play a match with a concept squad?

No. Even one concept player in the squad blocks you from starting a match. Swap them for owned cards first.