FIFA 20 Web App tips: 7 tricks to mastering the browser-based companion

Wheeling and dealing in EA's veteran footy sim is often even more fun than playing the actual game - so while it's trendy to criticise the mega-publisher, the FIFA 20 web app deserves only praise. And lots of it. Particularly as it's functional as well as fun: if you're going to sign elite FIFA 20 players and rake in coins then checking in daily is an essential part of the Ultimate Team experience. Below we'll take you through all the key components, such as completing FIFA 20 SBCs, in GR's FIFA 20 web app guide.

1. Nail the basics

The web app is available, free of charge, to all those playing FIFA 20 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A few elements of proper FIFA are missing, such as actual matches, but everything else you need to rake in digital gold is available on the app. You can buy packs using in-game coins or FIFA points, although points themselves can’t be purchased through the app. Plus you can sort through all your players, staff, and club items, manage transfers, and get free stuff for doing nothing. On which note…

Early in the season, around FUTmas (so from mid-December onwards), and on occasional, less predictable occasions, EA hands out complimentary goodies simply for signing into the Web App. Last year my rewards included 1,500 coins on day one, and a Premier League gold pack on day two. We'll keep you posted on FIFA 20 rewards over the coming days. Even if you don’t actually do anything practical with your squad, it’s worth logging in daily just in case.

3. Track your Seasons progress

FIFA 19's weekly objectives have been replaced for FIFA 20 with a mechanic called Seasons. Over time you rack up XP for playing matches, completing SBCs and so on, which then automatically triggers rewards – such as earning Eden Hazard and Robert Lewandowski on loan. You can track Seasons progress in the app, and use the information provided to expedite your XP grinding: for instance, be sure to keep an eye on the daily objectives tab and make sure all are successfully achieved.

4. Experiment with, and complete, SBCs

Squad Building Challenges are both an addictive timesink and fast-track to better cards, and you can use the Web App to solve them. Hit the ‘SBC’ button in the left-hand menu to bring up every challenge available. Those already completed are in grey, those unfinished in white. From this hub you can see the specifications for each individual challenge, and submit them once you’ve matched those requirements. Just be warned that experimenting with the cards required is more fiddly than using the in-game equivalent. It’s one of few areas where the console layout prevails.

5. Refresh your transfer list

A critical element of making coins is listing items for an hour – then re-listing them as soon as possible if they don’t sell. However, it’s unlikely you’ll be busting your PS4 out midway through an episode of Peaky Blinders, or while knocking together dinner. Which is where the app comes in handy. Clicking through to Transfers > Transfer List > Re-List All on a laptop takes seconds, and means you can stay on top of outgoing deals at all hours without interrupting other critical tasks – like winding up your Arsenal-supporting mates on Whatsapp.

6. Easily manage transfer targets

Whether building a dream team or seeking targets to finish SBCs, the app makes it far easier to track targets than console or the standard PC menu. For instance, click on a player, then Compare Price, and you see all available cards and their cost in list form; rather than having to cycle through cards one-by-one, left-to-right like in the full-fat game. Tracking incoming activity is also more user-friendly, with Active Bids, Watched Items, Won Items and Expired Items all visible on a single screen.

7. Track your leaderboard status

New to FIFA 19 and returning for the FIFA 20 Web App is the ability to track your rank across various leaderboards. There’s not a great deal of practicality about it, with all four boards – Match Earnings, Transfer Profit, Club Value, and Top Squad – visible in-game in identical fashion. But in the vainglorious sense it’s a neat feature, just in case you’re back at the family abode and console-less for a weekend, yet need to remind little bro how superior you are at a footballing video game. It’s called Boxing Day for a reason, right?