EA deny FIFA 21 Web App exploit gave users free players & FUT coins

Theo Salaun

In the latest controversy surrounding FIFA 21, a mistake has granted players admin access in the Web App, reportedly giving them access to free Ultimate Team players and coins. EA has denied the claims, stating the glitch didn’t “make permanent changes.”

It has been a chaotic series of weeks in the FIFA 21 world. From the EA Gate scandal revealing a black market of players being sold by EA employees, to random 500k packs being sent to players indiscriminately, more drama was the last thing they needed.

However, it came on March 17 in the form of a Web App exploit. Players reportedly said they could break the system to give themselves free FUT coins and Ultimate Team players by using admin access to the App.

EA deny FIFA 21 Web App exploit “made permanent changes” to FUT

EA has denied player reports the Web App exploit gave players the ability to get free coins, or sign some of the best Ultimate Team players on the market.

“Earlier today an issue surfaced during a regular update to our Web App. This ended up causing debug menu tools, that are used for internal testing and development, to be visible to players. The issue was quickly recognized and has since been fixed,” they said on March 17.

“Though the tools were visible, players couldn’t use them to add content or make permanent changes to their own or anyone else’s accounts.

“To be clear, no one was able to receive in-game benefits from this issue, despite some claims we’ve seen online.”

EA has announced they’ll be answering the community’s concerns in a follow-up thread in the coming days. They “want everyone to have clarity on this.”

Players report Web App exploit

As shared on Reddit by u/Lqurens, players have been messing around with the admin access and trying out a variety of things. For Lqurens, that test of admin power came with a simple aim: to block access to transfers.

 

For others, an array of things have been tested. Some have tried gifting themselves Prime ICON Moments Ronaldo, some have simply tested gifting themselves some packs — all have met different degrees of success.

Even renowned FUT streamer, RuntheFUTMarket, got in on the action by showcasing the backend of the EA Sports title while streaming live on Twitch.

runthefutmarket stream fifa 21 web app admin access
A screen shot of RuntheFUTMarket scoping out the Web App situation.

In general, it appears that this bizarre situation has simply raised more questions for the FIFA community.

A sharp point of emphasis for fans of the game has been how much control the admins actually have, which players are surprised by given the amount of time it takes to resolve issues.

Additionally, some players in the Reddit comments have keyed in on this issue as emblematic of a wider one — noting that this represents general carelessness toward the popular title.

About The Author

Théo is a former writer at Dexerto based in New York and built on competition. Formerly an editor for Bleacher Report and philosophy student at McGill, he fell in love with Overwatch and Call of Duty — leading him to focus on esports for Dex.