FIFA 21 leak confirms EA SPORTS are bringing ‘Showdown’ SBCs back after Christmas

New FIFA 21 leaks have confirmed EA SPORTS plans to bring back “Showdown” SBCs back following the conclusion of this month’s Freeze promo, in an updated version of the popular Ultimate Team puzzles first introduced last year.

“Showdown” SBCs, first introduced in the super-popular Summer Heat promo at the end of the FIFA 20 cycle, are squad-building challenges that give out one of two players.

The two Ultimate Team players are selected based on upcoming real-life fixtures, with a mighty upgrade on the line; the winning team ⁠— and therefore the FUT card ⁠— gets a +3 bonus to their overall rating, or a +1 each for a draw.

New leaks have confirmed these SBCs are returning in FIFA 21 soon.

Showdown cards found in FIFA code

According to FIFA dataminer FutWatch, two new cards ⁠— both the base “Showdown” card and an upgraded version ⁠— have been found in the title’s Ultimate Team files.

There is also a set of code strings that mentions two new cards set to be added to the game mode after Christmas: “Showdown” and “Showdown Plus” cards.

EA SPORTS has yet to officially mention these new cards.

The Summer Heat promo ⁠— which was headlined by exciting head-to-head Showdown puzzles ⁠— is widely regarded as one of the best FUT events EA has ever released in their flagship FIFA mode.

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FIFA’s publishers appear to have got the message; “Showdown” challenges are an exciting new way to follow real-life football games, something Ultimate Team has been lacking beyond Team of the Week and Road to the Final.

When will EA add new Showdown SBCs?

Dexerto expects the popular player-pick SBCs should arrive before the end of 2020 though, as evidenced by the string codes. Other events & rewards, like “Japan New Year, “Snowman,” and “Yeti” are all marked with 2021; the Showdown cards are not.

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With FUTMAS-replacement ‘Freeze’ set to see out its final days on Dec. 24, we can expect to see the new Showdown SBCs arrive soon after; potentially as soon as Boxing Day (Sat, Dec. 26 for those outside the UK).

Here’s a few matchups that could be included as Showdown SBCs:

Possible Showdown SBC games

• Arsenal vs Chelsea, Dec. 26
• Leicester City vs Manchester United, Dec. 26
• Everton vs Manchester City, Dec. 28
• Dortmund vs Wolfsburg, Jan. 3
• Reims vs Dijon, Jan. 6
• Milan vs Juventus, Jan. 6
• RB Leipzig vs Dortmund, Jan. 9
• Liverpool vs Manchester United, Jan. 18

As always, stay tuned on Dexerto for all the news once EA SPORTS confirms the new Showdown SBCs, and make sure to follow us on Twitter @UltimateTeamUK for all the latest FIFA 21 news, leaks, guides, and plenty more.