The Grounds in EA SPORTS FC 27, Explained
Updated September 29, 2026
The Grounds is EA's new shared online world in FC 27, and it is the reason people are asking whether Pro Clubs still exists. It is a persistent social space holding up to 100 players at once, built around a central Terrace and three themed districts, and it is where Clubs, Rush and a set of new small-sided formats now live.
What The Grounds is
EA describes The Grounds as "the most social way to play EA SPORTS FC 27": a shared online world holding up to 100 players, entered with your avatar, where you move between spaces instead of picking a mode from a list. Professional mentors appear across it — cover athlete Kylian Mbappé, Paulo Dybala and Chloe Kelly among them — tied to the districts they represent.
It replaces the standalone Clubs entry point rather than the mode itself, and it also hosts Rush, live events and the new small-sided formats. EA has confirmed that every clothing item purchasable in The Grounds can also be earned with in-game currency.
- Kylian MbappéCover athlete
- Paulo Dybala
- Chloe Kelly
…and others, tied to the districts they represent.
The Terrace and the three districts
The layout is a central hub, The Terrace, plus three districts drawn from different football cultures: Parkside, Montclair and Zeiza, evoking the United Kingdom, France and Argentina respectively. Each has its own look, its own mentor figures and its own activities.
The districts are how EA structures live events, tournaments and Kickabouts — expect the seasonal content calendar to be expressed through them rather than through a menu of playlists.
Schematic map: it shows how the places relate, not where they sit in the game.
The Terrace
The central square of The Grounds, with the three districts around it. Up to 100 players share the same world.
Parkside
Its own look, its own mentors and its own activities. EA runs live events, tournaments and Kickabouts through the districts.
Montclair
Its own look, its own mentors and its own activities. EA runs live events, tournaments and Kickabouts through the districts.
Zeiza
Its own look, its own mentors and its own activities. EA runs live events, tournaments and Kickabouts through the districts.
The Clubhouse
11v11 Clubs matches, Leagues and Playoffs, Clubs Live Tournaments and your build tools.
Inside The Clubhouse ↓The Clubhouse: where Clubs lives
The Clubhouse is the part of The Grounds that matters most to anyone reading a Pro Clubs stats site. EA's wording is direct: The Clubhouse "is where the Clubs experience lives in EA SPORTS FC 27", including the return of Leagues and Playoffs.
From there you reach 11v11 Clubs matches, the new Clubs Live Tournaments with their house rules, and your build tools — archetype changes can be made from The Clubhouse or even from inside a Clubs or Rush lobby. Club Objectives, Club Milestones and the fans they earn are also anchored here.
- Leagues and Playoffs
- 11v11 Clubs matches
- Clubs Live Tournaments
- Build tools and archetype changes
- Club Objectives and Milestones
- Fans earned by your club
Small-sided football inside The Grounds
Alongside 11v11, The Grounds hosts shorter formats. 1v1 matches use computer-controlled goalkeepers. 2v2 and 3v3 are human-only, played with smaller goals and no keepers. Matches run about three minutes, which makes them the filler between longer Clubs sessions rather than a replacement for them. EA calls these formats Street Football, and they are not Kickabouts.
These formats are new, and EA has not said whether their results feed the same statistics as Clubs matches. Until that is clear, treat 1v1/2v2/3v3 records as separate from your club's league form.
- Leagues and Playoffs
- Clubs Live Tournaments
Kickabouts and in-world events
EA's help pages list seven Kickabouts: Bocce Ball, Team Keepaway, The Big Race, Attacking Scenarios, Bucket Ball, Balloon Ball and Goal Control. Drop Kick Targets, which EA's August Deep Dive counted as an eighth, are targets scattered around the world rather than a match you queue for. Live services and in-world events appear on a schedule.
EA has also said live events now appear in regular matches, not only in Rush — so the house-rule variants that used to be a Rush novelty become a normal part of the week.
- 01Bocce Ball3
- 02Team Keepaway3v3
- 03The Big Race4
- 04Attacking Scenarios2v2
- 05Bucket Ball2v2
- 06Balloon Ball4
- 07Goal Control1v1
Plus Drop Kick Targets, scattered around the world
Where you can play The Grounds
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X|S
- PC
- Nintendo Switch 2
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- Nintendo Switch
What The Grounds changes for tracking stats
For a stats tracker, the questions that matter are unglamorous: which formats produce data, under which match types, and on which platforms. Now that FC 27 is out, part of the answer is in: EA's Clubs data exposes three match types — league, playoff and friendly — and FCClub.gg tracks all three. Leagues and Playoffs feed form, head-to-head records and rankings as before.
Friendlies are kept apart: we save them from 28 September 2026, for clubs opened or followed on fcclub.gg, and show them in their own tab so they never count towards league form. Live Tournaments and the 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 formats have no match type of their own in that data, and we have not yet confirmed whether their results show up anywhere in it. FC 26 stats remain available from the season selector.
FAQ
What is The Grounds in EA SPORTS FC 27?
A shared online world for up to 100 players, made of a central Terrace and three districts (Parkside, Montclair, Zeiza). It hosts Clubs, Rush, small-sided matches, Kickabouts and live events, replacing the standalone Clubs menu entry.
Where is Clubs inside The Grounds?
In The Clubhouse. EA states that The Clubhouse is where the Clubs experience lives in FC 27, including the return of Leagues and Playoffs.
Is The Grounds available on every platform?
No. EA limits The Grounds, including Clubs, to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2. PS4, Xbox One and the original Nintendo Switch do not get it.
Do I have to play in The Grounds to play Clubs?
Clubs is entered through The Grounds, via The Clubhouse. Hands-on previews describe a route for players who prefer to stay out of the social world, but the entry point is The Grounds rather than a separate menu item.
Is The Grounds pay-to-win?
EA has stated that every clothing item that can be purchased in The Grounds can also be earned with in-game currency. Progression items — Amps, Consumables and Masteries — are earned through play and objectives.