The FC Pro Open Group stage saw plenty of drama as the best FC24 players went up against each other across eight Match Weeks, though there was still plenty of discussion around the draft.
Squad Building Requirements ensured that each week was different, and that saw a vast variety of items used across the competition from both the men’s and women’s game.
We’ve been collecting the data since Match Week One, and it is now possible to reveal what the most popular items at the FC Pro Open were.
Of course, there are some that you’d expect to feature, such as the selection rate of Kylian Mbappe and Virgil van Dijk, and while not all will have maintained the same value in line with the FC24 item power curve, there are still many that can transform your team’s results in both Champions and Rivals.
All percentages are from Match Weeks 1-8 at the FC Pro Open Group stage and refer to the percentage of eligible teams they were selected in, which excludes Icon week in Match Week 3.
Goalkeepers
How important are goalkeepers? Some shots might be hit too well from an attacker that they’re unsaveable, but the best goalkeepers are generally what will make the most saves that they’re “expected to” while making the fewest mistakes.
Icon Peter Schmeichel was the most popular goalkeeper item during the FC Pro Open Group stage, having been selected 11 times (31.43%) across the seven recorded Match Weeks.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson was the most popular non-icon, with five selections (14.29%), while Tekkz's regrettable selection of Mike Maignan in MW4 was the only time the French shot-stopper featured – (2.86% of teams overall)
Icon Van der Sar featured in 10 teams overall, though that was spread across his Base Icon (17.14%) and Thunderstruck version (11.43%)
Top Five Most Popular Goalkeepers during the FC Pro Open Group Stage
Schmeichel (11) - 31.43%
Van der Sar (6) - 17.14%
Alisson (5) - 14.29%
Cech (5) - 14.29%
Thunderstruck Van der Sar (4) - 11.43%
Centre-backs
If you have played Champions or Rivals, then you already know which centre-back is going to be at the top of the list. Virgil van Dijk’s gold item alone was selected 23 times across the FC Pro Open (65.71% of teams), but including his other versions, the Dutch defender was picked in 33 of the 35 sides across the seven Match Weeks he was eligible for.
He maintained a 100% pick-rate all the way up until Match Week 8, when competitors began to favour the likes of Winter Wildcard Yashin and TOTY Renard in line with draft requirements
Top Five Most Popular Centre-backs At The FC Pro Open Group Stage
Any version of Virgil van Dijk (33) - 94.28%
WW Yashin (8) - 22.86%
Eder Militao (5) - 14.29%
Lucio (4) - 11.43%
TOTY Wendie Renard (4) - 11.43%
Full-backs
Pros also seemed to favour attack-minded full-backs on the flanks. Of course, current popular options like WW Laudrup, Fire Spinazzola and Hero Bompastor may have featured more if available since Match Week 1, but there are still many current meta options available. Including a recently dropped Squad Building Challenge item.
Top Five Most Popular Full-backs At The FC Pro Open Group Stage
Thunderstruck Davies (14) - 40%
Trailblazer or TOTGS Joao Cancelo (14) - 40%
Base (7) or Thunderstruck Cafu (4) (11) - 31.43%
Mendy (6) - 17.14%
Hakimi (4) - 11.43%
Midfielders
Midfield saw a number of standout items selected, but it looks as though there wasn’t much room for your typical “number six” defensive or holding midfielder. Having used the recent Flashback TOTY N’golo Kante SBC in Champions, it could be argued that there is still very much room for a proper number six in your team, but pro players look to be opting for players that can make a strong impact at both ends of the pitch.
In terms of individual items, we had a tie between RTTK Modric and Base gold Alexia Putellas, which were both picked 14 times (in 40% of teams) across the seven eligible Match Weeks. But who was picked most overall across all of their versions?
Top Five Most Popular Midfielders At The FC Pro Open Group Stage
Any version of Alexia Putellas (19) - 54.28%
Any version of Jude Bellingham (16) - 45.71%
Any version of Federico Valverde (15) - 42.85%
RTTK Modric (14) - 40%
Centurions or TOTY De Bruyne (6) - 17.14%
Forwards
The most selected Base gold item at the FC Pro Open Group stage was a forward. Kylian Mbappe’s base version was selected 28 times across the FC Pro Open, with the item selected in 80% of the eligible teams. Another Barcelona Femeni star followed in second, but far from the 91.42% of teams that Mbappe featured in.
The Team of the Year drop did see his pick rate fall in Match Week 8 after TOTY Haaland dominated in Match Week 7, with the Norwegian forward’s price rising after he proved to be a gamechanger.
Top Five Most Popular Forwards At The FC Pro Open Group Stage
Any version of Kylian Mbappe (32) - 91.42%
Any version of Caroline Graham Hansen (17) - 48.57%
Base Hero (11) or Triple Threat Ginola (1) (12) - 34.28%
Dynasties (2) or TOTY Haaland (6) (8) - 22.86%
Thunderstruck (1) or Base Vinicius Jr (6) (7) - 20%
As new promotions continue to drop, there will undoubtedly be changes in the individual players, but the data indicates that pros are selecting similar profiles for each position. Attack looks to be favoured at full-back with Thunderstruck Davies, Trailblazer Joao Cancelo, and Cafu as most popular, while more defensive options weren’t looked to as much.
Virgil van Dijk also doesn’t look to be going away anytime soon in your Rivals or Champions games. The pros maintained a strong selection of the Dutchman even in Match Week 8 with a 17 million coin budget, and given the price of some of the alternatives – such as WW Yashin (1.7million) and TOTY Renard (3.3 million), van Dijk still represents excellent value for his performance at under 100k coins.
Meanwhile, in midfield, box-to-box items are seen as the most meta, but that doesn’t mean a strong number six wouldn’t add significant value to your team – especially if you’re not a player who hits a high volume of long-range trivelas and finesse shots.
Was there any item that you thought should have been selected more at the FC Pro Open?
Let us know at @EASportsFCPro, where you can get involved with all the squad building draft discussion from the FC Pro Open and for future events.
