Meet the new ICONs coming to FIFA 22 Ultimate Team

chelsea players punching the air after scoring a goal
(Image credit: EA)

FIFA 22 ICONs are unique cards in Ultimate Team that celebrate the best footballers to ever grace the game, after they've hung up their boots. But not only will they have stood among the top teams they've played for: chances are they'll be a superb addition to our FIFA Ultimate Team, too. Or at least they'll fetch a pretty penny on the FIFA market.

Since ICONs started back in FIFA 18, more exceptional talent has been added each year, with four more to come in 22. And there could be even more than that this year, if certain leaks bear fruit. So, here are the FIFA 22 ICONs, what they are, and the new historic names making their way into FUT.

(Image credit: EA)

All FIFA 22 ICONs: The new and returning players

Just in case you're returning to FUT after a long break, ICONs are special cards dedicated to the very best retired players. They are the finest footballers to ever play, and will live long in the memory for their many achievements in the game. 

So, unlike FIFA 22 Heroes, new for 22, ICONs come in three variants: base, mid, and prime, ascending in overall rating. Their high FIFA 22 ratings are complemented by their ability to build stronger chemistry links to players from the same nation, making them nice and versatile when squad building. That said, they'll be rarer, and more expensive, than Hero cards.

For the full list, click on the arrows in the top-right corner to zoom in on the image above. Below are the four new additions, plus their stats and nationalities:

Swipe to scroll horizontally
PlayerNationalityOverall
Wayne RooneyEngland86, 88, 91
Robin Van PersieNetherlands87, 89, 91
Iker CasillasSpain87, 89, 92
CafuBrazil88, 90, 93

FIFA 22 new ICONs: Will there only be four additions?

Not necessarily. David Beckham got his ICON card in December last year in FIFA 21, for example, so there may be some further additions to the group throughout the season. FUT Watch and others have spotted some other ex-players added to the game's code, too. They are:

Swipe to scroll horizontally
PlayerNationalityOverall
Alfredo di StefanoArgentina88, 90, 92
AdrianoBrazilUnknown
Fernando CavenaghiArgentina85
Gabriel BatistutaArgentina91
Jaap StamNetherlands89
LucioBrazil90
Park Ji-SungSouth Korea88
Wesley SneijderNetherlands90

Of course, given that these are leaks, it's worth pointing out that this is always subject to change. That said, they've been pretty spot on of late.

Harry Shepherd

UK — After collecting and devouring piles of print gaming guides in his younger days, Harry has been creating 21st century versions for the past five years as Guides Writer at PCGamesN and Guides Editor at PC Gamer. He has also produced features, reviews, and even more guides for Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and Top Ten Reviews. He's been playing and picking apart PC games for over two decades, from hazy memories of what was probably a Snake knock-off on his first rig when he was seven to producing informative guides on football simulators, open-world role-playing games, and shooters today. So many by now he steadfastly refuses to convey information unless it’s in clickable online form.

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