EA Sports has officially revealed the cover stars for FC 26, and while it should’ve been a triumphant moment for two of football’s brightest talents, Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala, the mood has been dampened by a strange twist of fate. Both stars are currently sidelined with serious injuries – and fans are beginning to wonder: has the infamous Madden curse just crossed over into world football?
Bellingham, fresh off a phenomenal season with Real Madrid, has undergone shoulder surgery that will keep him off the pitch until at least November. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich’s Musiala faces an even grimmer recovery – a broken leg and dislocated ankle suffered during the Club World Cup mean he might not play again until 2026.
That’s right – FC 26 is launching without either of its cover stars fit to play.
A marketer’s nightmare, and possibly the birth of a new curse. In American sports culture, the Madden curse is legendary. Athletes who grace the cover of EA’s Madden NFL game frequently find themselves injured or underperforming. CBS Sports found that 58% of Madden cover stars between 2000 and 2024 experienced post-cover struggles. Most recently, Christian McCaffrey suffered from calf and Achilles issues just a month after landing on the Madden NFL 25 cover.
Bellingham tried to keep things light during the announcement, reminiscing about his days playing EA football games with Musiala back when they roomed together for England’s youth squad. “Everyone I know plays this game,” he said. “To be on the cover again is an honor.” Musiala echoed the excitement, calling the moment “crazy” and saying it would be a huge surprise for his little brother, who’s a massive fan.
But fans weren’t buying the fairytale. With both cover stars injured, questions and jokes flooded social media. “Spread to what? You mean football,” wrote one user. Others mocked the naming conventions: “What do you think the ‘F’ in FC stands for? Certainly not soccer.”
Still, EA charges forward. FC 26 will release on September 26, 2025, across nearly every platform imaginable, with early access available from September 19. Whether the football gods are smiling or the curse has truly begun, one thing’s for sure: the FC franchise just got a whole lot more dramatic.