It's tempting to think that FC 24 formations begin and end with 4-2-4. Many EA Sports FC 24 players swear by it, to the point of Ultimate Team matches becoming exhausting. But rest assured that there are strong alternatives, sure to bring you wins in both FUT and career mode. Four of them are explained in detail right here, and will see you good all the way through to next season. Welcome to your FC 24 formations guide.
Best FC 24 formations: 4-4-2 Flat
Best for: Making the most of a limited team
Going forward: There’s nothing wrong with four-four-flipping-two – especially if you’re finding your feet with what is a far heavier, more measured style of gameplay in FC 24.
The success of 4-4-2 lives and dies on your wingers. Set them both to Stay Wide and, ideally, have one (or both) equipped with the Whipped Pass playstyle. If you also set a smaller, pacy striker to have runs set to Run in Behind alongside a larger forward then you’ll not only give opposition defences more to think about, you’ll also see your central midfielders exploiting half-spaces in the final third more often.
Keeping it tight at the back: Drop Back, especially if you’re an underdog, has worked well so far, as has keeping both full backs set to stay back under the player instructions tab. Other than that, 4-4-2 is one that largely shouldn’t be tinkered with in the defensive third.
What you need: A target man is a must, especially if you want to capitalise on the aerial balls you’ll be getting into the mixer. Other than that, you’ll want to avoid central midfielders with high attacking work rate, lest you want to be overrun in the middle of the park. If you're deploying this tactic in Ultimate Team, use FC 24 Chemistry Styles to tailor key attributes.
Best FC 24 formations: 4-2-3-1 (wide)
Best for: Pressing
Going forward: 4-2-3-1 wide is, largely, an FC 24 formation you can use out the box. Set your full backs to join the attack and wingers to cut inside if you’re feeling risky and watch teams be overwhelmed from the opening kick off. The setting ‘Pressure on heavy touch’ is a necessity here, as is cranking up the ‘Players in Box’ slider to 8/10. It’s largely about frustrating the opposition, winning the ball back quickly, and executing razor sharp counter-attacks after turnovers.
Keeping it tight at the back: We’ve found success by playing an extremely risky high line (~75-80 depth), though you might want to temper the gung-ho tactics slightly by lowering it considerably. There’s nothing wrong with tinkering and finding what’s right for you. Either way, keep your CDMs to stay back so you can keep a flat base of two centre backs and midfielders.
What you need: A strong stomach – and a good all-round striker. This tactic isn’t for the faint hearted. You’ll win games 5-4 just as often as you’ll win them 1-0. (Be sure to know your FC 24 celebrations!). You’ll also need strength in depth; players tire easily in this setup, especially the full backs. Sub early and sub often.
Best FC 24 formations: 5-2-1-2
Best for: Counter attacking
Going forward: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 5-2-1-2 was, by some distance, the most balanced formation in previous years and it’s looking like it’ll hit the same heights in FC 24. Set your full backs to join the attack, set Fast Build Up for offence, and the game should do the rest: don’t tinker, don’t tweak. There will be space aplenty to exploit.
Keeping it tight at the back: Again, this isn’t one to overthink. You can change settings depending on personnel but, honestly, the vanilla settings here work well. Don’t be scared of in-game management, however, by introducing a more defensive minded midfield pairing late in games and setting them to ‘Stay Back’. Again, do the same with full backs if you’re defending a lead. Keeping your backline at 35-40 depth works in that scenario.
What you need: This is an extremely malleable formation, but wing backs with bounds of stamina and pace often prove the difference between frustrating defeats and walkovers. A CAM with high attacking work rate, high dribbling, and a sprinkling of passing PlayStyles should feast in this setup. FC 24 skill moves are a bonus, too.
Best FC 24 formations: 4-1-2-1-2 (narrow)
Best for: Possession-based teams
Going forward: A perennial favourite at GR Towers, the narrow variant of 4-1-2-1-2 actually requires a bit more tweaking this time around thanks to more languid gameplay, and the addition of FC 24 PlayStyles.
The weird mish-mash combo of fast build up play and possession attacking style in the tactics menu allows you to stamp your mark on the territory from the get-go. This creates an overload in the middle of the park, with full backs pushing high to create width. Dial up the ‘Players in Box’ setting to around 7/10, set your CAM to stay forward, and have one of your two strikers set to ‘Drift Wide’ to create a cacophony of chaos – and passing lanes.
Keeping it tight at the back: 40 depth (or slightly lower) is the sweet spot right now for defensive lines, it seems. Add in ‘Conservative interceptions’ for your centre backs and instruct your defensive midfielder to cut passing lanes and then the AI won’t take any unnecessary risks with pressing.
What you need: All-rounder central midfielders are a must, as is a CAM with a high attacking work rate. The secret sauce, though, are your full backs. If you have pacy defenders with good technique – a rarity, it has to be said – then you’ll likely have five or six legitimate attacking threats in front of you when carrying the ball in midfield. Need to go shopping? Then check out our guide to FC 24 ratings.
