FIFA 21 Squad Battles & Division Rivals rewards system revealed

Bill Cooney

EA SPORTS have released a new Ultimate Team trailer for FIFA 21, and with it a ton of details on rewards for Squad Battles, Division Rivals, and Co-Op mode. We’ve got all the details here about what money-making opportunities will be coming to FUT this Fall.

Squad Battles are a single-player game mode that rewards coins/tradable packs and is a decent money-making activity on the side, and Divison Rivals is essentially ranked play, where players can climb the ladder and earn rewards while doing so.

EA is making big changes to the rewards we’ll get for each this year, and it’s good news for players as we’ll be seeing more coins than ever to help build our teams headed into the new game.

More details on Co-Op mode have also been revealed, and how rewards for FUT’s various modes will work with two people at the helm instead of just one. So, let’s get right into it and look at the revamped rewards system coming to FIFA 21.

FUT 21 Division Rivals

We’ll be getting more coins every time we rank up in Division Rivals for FUT in FIFA 21.

In FIFA 21, there will be all new coin rewards for promotion in Division Rivals. Every time we rank up to another division, a “one-time” coin reward will be added to our clubs “immediately upon promotion.” EA is also making a change to how this affects Placement Matches, which will be much better rewarded than before.

You’ll now receive coins for each division you passed through during placements. Say you finish and end up in Division 4, this will get you all the rewards from Divisions 10 through 4, definitely a nice little jump-start to begin fine-tuning your squad at the beginning of the season.

There will be a cap on the number of games that will contribute to your weekly score accumulation in Division Rivals in FIFA 21.

FIFA 21 will also introduce a 30-game cap on the number of matches that contribute to a player’s weekly score in Division Rivals. Anything after these 30 matches will no longer help you build your score, but you’ll still be able to make progress against Objectives, earn higher Skill ratings, and rank up into new Divisions.

FUT 21 Squad Battles

Squad Battles will work a bit differently as well in FIFA 21, with the addition of Co-Op.

This year, players switching over from Squad Battles will have an alternative placement method to find their level in Division Rivals. The first 30 matches played in Squad Battles will factor the difficulty you play at, and the results of your games will factor you in to your placement Division.

Squad Battles will also be getting a cap on the number of games we can play that will count towards our weekly score, but we’ll still be able to earn Coins & Skill Rating, make progress towards Objectives, and accumulate Weekend League Qualification Points after reaching the limit.

FUT 21 Co-Op

Co-Op Ultimate Team fifa 21
Soon you and a friend will be able to play Ultimate Team together.

The changes noted above will also apply to Ultimate Team’s new Co-Op mode coming in FIFA 21. If one player has reached their cap of games in either Squad Battles or Division Rivals that count towards weekly score, neither of you will be able to earn more if you play together, but you’ll still accumulate coins and additional rewards.

One important thing to note is that in Division Rivals Co-Op specifically, matchmaking will be made using the highest Skill Rating of the duo. So if your friend is in Division 9 you’re up in Division 5, your team will be put at the higher Skill Rating of Division 5, using the existing matchmaking system for Division Rivals.


Co-op play should definitely shake things up in FUT this year, and test a few friendships in the process, but the match cap changes to Squad Battles and Division Rivals will definitely benefit those of us who don’t have hours upon hours each week to dedicate to Ultimate Team matches.

What do you think of the new reward systems in FUT for FIFA 21? Drop us a line on Twitter and let us know @UltimateTeamUK, and stick with Dexerto for all the latest FIFA updates, news and info.

About The Author

Bill is a former writer at Dexerto based in Iowa, who covered esports, gaming and online entertainment for more than two years. With the US team, Bill covered Overwatch, CSGO, Influencer culture, and everything in between.