FIFA 21 "What If" promo LIVE: start date, leaks, FUT cards, more

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“What If?” ⁠— it’s the age-old question people ask every day. Now, EA SPORTS has turned their heads to the same hypothetical, with a brand-new FIFA 21 Ultimate Team promo that is all set to dish out a new lineup of Live Cards.

There’s plenty of promos still in the bank for FIFA 21, including Carniball, FUT Birthday, and more, but it looks like EA SPORTS has gone for a new promo this time around.

The FIFA 21 publishers are asking “What If?” in another Live Card event which will be based around real-life football moments, like the popular Headliners event that ran earlier this year.

EA officially announced the start of the promo on February 26, and heavily hinted at it beforehand with a number of teasers spread across the FIFA 21 loading screen when booting up Ultimate Team.

Without further ado, here’s what’s been announced for the “What If?” promo so far.

“What If?” FIFA 21 promo announced

This new promo introduces opportunities for players to elevate their games, with boosted special items presented with “What If” scenarios to earn a potential additional ratings upgrade.

Players for the first promo team announced include Chelsea’s N’Golo Kanté, Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, and Papu Gomez of Sevilla, to name a few of the highest OVR items, and every player has the chance to get even better. The full list of players who are getting “What If” cards for Team 1 are:

N’Golo Kanté (CDM) — 91
Jadon Sancho (RM) — 90
Sergei Gomez (CAM) — 90
Marcelo (CB) — 88
Chris Smalling (CB) — 88
Martin Ødegaard (CAM) — 88
Yuri Berchiche (LB) — 87
Roberto Pereyra (LM) — 87
Luka Jovic (ST) — 87
Pierre Lees-Melou (CM) — 86
Kevin Mbabu (RB) — 85

How to upgrade “What If?” promo cards?

FUT “What If” players are boosted dynamic items that are eligible for an additional one-time +2 OVR upgrade if their team fulfills “What If” Scenarios based on real-life football criteria.

Attackers & Midfielders will upgrade if the player’s club scores at least six total goals in their next five domestic league matches. On the other side of the pitch, Defenders & Goalkeepers will upgrade if the player’s club keeps at least one clean sheet over their next five domestic league matches.

When will “What If?” cards be upgraded?

We saw the first promo team ⁠drop at 6 pm GMT on Friday, February 26, exactly like the countdown said it would.

According to EA, “What If” Upgrade Tracking for the first team will start right on Feb. 26, and the day any new team is announced going forward. If a team plays on the same day as an item’s release, that will only count if the match kicks off after the item is released into the game.

It’s important to note that items will not be updated immediately after a particular player’s match. Instead, they’ll all get updated the following Wednesday following the conclusion of their next five domestic league matches.

Keep tuned on our Twitter accounts, @UltimateTeamUK and @FutWatch, to see all the breaking news and when new promo teams and upgrades are announced.

The usual teaser campaign for any new FIFA 21 promos, including “What If,” started yesterday.

How new FIFA 21 promo works

The new promo, called “What If” is a ‘Live Card’ event similar to the Headliners promo. That means any special cards released in the set revealed on Friday will be “live” cards for the rest of the FIFA 21 cycle.

The key difference between these What If cards and Headliners, however, is they will reward “objectives” in live games, “instead of wins.”

“Similar to Headliners… [but] it’s based on objectives,” popular FIFA insider KingLangpard posted on Twitter ahead of the official What If reveal.

According to the leaks, upgrades will be handed out for match-based milestones. “Score a certain amount of goals in five games, the ATK/MID players get boosted stats,” the insider explained. “Clean sheets give GK/DEF boosts.”

Live Cards ✅

Similar to headliners ✅

Instead of Wins its based on objectives ✅ (team scores a certain amount of goals in 5 games the ATT/MID players get boosted stats. Clean sheets get GK/DEF boosted stats)

Player news coming tomorrow ⌛#LangpardLeaks https://t.co/ztJZ02snLd pic.twitter.com/qIvaGyXbGw

— #LangpardLeaks (@KingLangpard) February 24, 2021

What If player card leaks

Looking to get a cheeky look at all the “What If” cards coming in the new FUT promo early? Well, lucky you ⁠— we’ve already got a few peeks.

EA SPORTS has, as per usual, begun loading small teasers onto the Ultimate Team loading screen (pictured below). These include three cards, branded with three clubs: Sevilla, Wolfsburg, and Chelsea. Each also has one face stat or overall rating revealed too.

The first (Sevilla) is a CAM with a “90” rating. The second (Wolfsburg) boasts a huge “94” pace, while the last early leaked What If card (Chelsea) has “89” defending.

Three new promo cards have been teased on the FUT loading screen.

Promo card design leak

The new promo card has already been uncovered in the FIFA 21 backend code as well, as datamined by Dexerto’s FutWatch. The branding is a rich purple mixed with black, white, and silver, with the word “FUT” and live arrows atop the card.

Here’s a first look at the new cards:

Official What If designs pic.twitter.com/8Fdm2qnBLe

— FUT Watch (@FutWatch) February 26, 2021

Expected What If promo content

FIFA 21 players should expect a hefty chunk of Ultimate Team content when the new-look “What If” promo drops in late February, including:

1x “What If” live lineup
Player SBCs
Objective Players
Repeatable FUT Upgrade SBCs
Rare FUT Pack SBCs
Packs & Lighting Rounds

So there you have it ⁠— everything we know about FIFA 21’s brand new promo, so far. This looks like it could be a fan-favorite event with plenty of top-tier cards, so make sure you’re ready with plenty of packs, coins, and SBC fodder.

As always, stick with us on Twitter @UltimateTeamUK for all the latest FIFA news, updates, and content.

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