World Cup Player Items have come to FIFA 23 Ultimate Team as part of the massive World Cup content drop in Season 2.
Working alongside the World Cup Swaps system and End of Event Rewards, the new cards are a vital part of the game at the moment.
However, we feel that they weren't fully thought through, and could have benefitted from these changes.
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World Cup Player Items Explained
Before we get onto the changes we'd make to the World Cup Player Items, here is a quick run-down of what the new cards are and how they work in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team.
Each player from the 32 qualified national teams has received a World Cup Player Item card, with some receiving upgraded versions.
click to enlargeYou can use them in your Ultimate Team squad as you would any other player, however, their chemistry is slightly different from their regular cards and they are also time-limited - with the cards being removed from FUT and all FUT clubs on Wednesday, 4 January.
The WC Player Items need to be used to complete the Objectives to gain WC Swaps Tokens and the more you amass (including duplicates) the better your End of Event Rewards will be.
SBC Wish
The main bugbear for many players with the World Cup Player Items is that they can't be used in SBCs.
It is understandable that they can't be brought and sold on the FUT Transfer Market, however, as they will be removed from your club on expiry, it is a shame they can't be more useful and traded in for SBCs.
It is more annoying when you get a duplicate WC Player - especially when they have a high rating!
Even if you weren't able to use them in regular SBCs, additional challenges could have been added specifically for WC Players.
They could be repeatable and offer a small reward - like a 75+ Rare Gold Player - which would be better than nothing.
Chemistry Change
The World Cup Player Items have had their cards changed slightly o the chemistry works a bit differently.
They all have the same 'World Cup League' and their Club is changed to their National Team.
Although this works great for getting good chemistry between WC Player Items, it doesn't necessarily help build a squad with a mix of WC and regular Ultimate Team cards.
click to enlargeThe point behind the WC cards was to incorporate these players into your regular squad whilst the World Cup was on, but it feels less like you can mix and match and more have to opt for a full team of WC players or regular FUT cards.
We like that the WC Players link together, but feel like this could have been a bonus quality the cards had in order to fit them in your squad easier.