EA FC 26 Messi vs Ronaldo Player Pick SBC: Full Breakdown, Cheapest Solutions, and Is It Worth It?

EA Sports FC 26 has officially delivered the most hyped Squad Building Challenge of the year, and it does not get bigger than this. For the first time during the Team of the Year promo, Ultimate Team players are being forced to make the toughest decision possible.

The TOTY Honourable Mentions Player Pick SBC is now live, and the reward is nothing short of legendary — a straight choice between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Two icons. Two eras. One SBC.

Here is a complete breakdown of the requirements, cheapest solutions, total cost, and whether this historic SBC is worth completing.

Messi vs Ronaldo TOTY HM SBC Overview

• SBC Name: TOTY HM Player Pick
• Reward: Player Pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (Team of the Year Honourable Mentions versions)
• Total Cost (PS/Xbox): Approximately 2.87 million coins
• Expiry: Available for 2 weeks
• Repeatable: No
• Total Segments: 21 squads

This SBC is designed as a once-in-a-cycle moment, offering a guaranteed pull of one of the two greatest footballers of all time.

Squad Requirements and Rewards Breakdown

85-Rated Squad

• Reward: Small Electrum Players Pack (tradeable)
• Estimated Cost: ~12.75K coins

Cheapest Solution:

• Hakan Çalhanoğlu – 86
• Emily Sonnett – 83
• Ibrahima Konaté – 86
• Lisa Boattin – 84
• Ona Batlle – 86
• Linda Caicedo – 85
• Benjamin Pavard – 84
• Romelu Lukaku – 84
• Geraldine Reuteler – 84
• Janina Minge – 84
• Xavi Simons – 84

86-Rated Squad

• Reward: Small Gold Players Pack (tradeable)
• Estimated Cost: ~19.4K coins

Cheapest Solution:

• Hakan Çalhanoğlu – 86
• Ona Batlle – 86
• Marc-André ter Stegen – 86
• Klara Bühl – 86
• Temwa Chawinga – 86
• Pernille Harder – 86
• Lea Schüller – 86
• Ibrahima Konaté – 86
• Bruno Guimarães – 86
• Ann-Katrin Berger – 86
• Elisabeth Terland – 81

87-Rated Squad

• Reward: Small Prime Electrum Players Pack (tradeable)
• Estimated Cost: ~35.1K coins

Cheapest Solution:

• Hakan Çalhanoğlu – 86
• Sam Kerr – 87
• Mallory Swanson – 87
• Victor Osimhen – 87
• Chloe Kelly – 87
• Ada Hegerberg – 87
• Ibrahima Konaté – 86
• Lauren Hemp – 87
• Cole Palmer – 87
• Martin Ødegaard – 87
• Alessandro Bastoni – 87

All 88-Rated Squads (10 Segments)

Each of the ten 88-rated squads rewards a Prime Electrum Players Pack and costs roughly 82–83K coins.

Cheapest Solution (usable across all 88-rated squads):

• Marie-Antoinette Katoto – 88
• Irene Paredes – 88
• Jamal Musiala – 88
• Martin Ødegaard – 87
• Gabriel Magalhães – 88
• Bukayo Saka – 88
• Jan Oblak – 88
• Robert Lewandowski – 88
• Guro Reiten – 88
• Alexander Isak – 88
• Lauren Hemp – 87

All 89-Rated Squads (10 Final Segments)

These are the most expensive segments of the SBC, each rewarding a Rare Players Pack and costing around 246K coins.

Cheapest Solution (usable across all 89-rated squads):

• Rodri – 90
• Mapi León – 89
• Khadija Shaw – 89
• Lindsey Heaps – 90
• Joshua Kimmich – 89
• Robert Lewandowski – 88
• Marie-Antoinette Katoto – 88
• Irene Paredes – 88
• Jan Oblak – 88
• Gabriel Magalhães – 88
• Bukayo Saka – 88

Messi vs Ronaldo: Who Should You Pick?

This is where the SBC becomes personal.

• Lionel Messi (TOTY HM):
  Ideal for possession-based play, elite dribbling, tight-space control, and creative attacking setups.
• Cristiano Ronaldo (TOTY HM):
  Perfect for physical dominance, aerial threat, elite finishing, and direct attacking styles.

Your choice should depend on your playstyle, formation, and chemistry needs — not just nostalgia.