FIFA 21 has been out for almost two months now, and we’ve gotten a good look at all the different formations the game has to offer. While there are plenty of viable options, four formations stand out above the rest.
Here are the four best formations you can use to get more wins in FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Division Rivals and FUT Champions.
4-2-2-2
4-2-2-2 is a narrow formation that works well for attacking, especially if your opponent is using a wider defensive formation. This formation excels at getting the ball into the center where you can score from the box.
FIFA 21 is all about getting the ball into the box and scoring upfront. This formation helps you do that and works great as an option for getting goals. Defensively, it functions alright because your opponent will likely have to get the ball to the center of the field to score, where you’ll have defenders waiting.
4-3-2-1
This formation is also aggressive but adds a bit more width to your attack. In 4-3-2-1, you can set your forwards to “Stay Central” while having your midfielders act as wingers. This way, you’ll have plenty of width with 5 players forward.
One key element to playing this formation is setting your midfielders and forwards to “Come Back on Defense.” Otherwise, you will be left with only your backs and one midfielder, which might not be enough to reliably prevent your opponent from scoring.
4-4-2 (2)
4-4-2 (2) is a very balanced formation that works well for both attacking and defending. You get plenty of width from your LM and RM, along with two CDMs for a strong defense. When attacking, you benefit from the width as well, and you have two Strikers to help get goals.
The key to making this formation successful is having one CDM stay back on defense while having the other join the attack, creating a good balance. You will need a versatile CDM with high stamina to make this work, so someone like Kante or De Bruyne works well.
4-2-3-1
4-2-3-1 is still the pro standard in FIFA 21. Ever popular in FIFA, this formation offers just about everything you need to succeed. Like with 4-4-2 (2), you will have four attackers with two CDMs. Instead of having two Strikers, however, you will have three attacking midfielders with a single Striker, this helps with getting the ball back and creating strong counterattacks.
In this formation, you can also set one of your CDMs to stay back and the other to join the attack, but it isn’t as necessary as with 4-4-2 (2). The most important instruction is to have your Striker stay central and your CDMs cover center. Your left and right CAMs will act as wingers, and your central CAM acts like a second Striker. This gives this formation a lockdown defense with strong attacking options.
There are plenty of other viable formations in FIFA 21 too, notable mentions go out to 4-3-3 (4), 4-1-2-1-2 (2), and 3-5-2. The biggest benefit for the four formations above is that they offer a balanced attack and defense, whereas others are generally weighted toward one side. Make sure to try them all out and find what works best for you!
