FIFA 22 Winter Wildcards: Release date, featured players, SBCs

Luca Di Marzo
Winter Wildcard Ultimate Team

Ultimate Team players believed that the FUT Versus promo would take the place of last year’s beloved FUT Freeze. Now, it looks like we’re getting FUT Freeze under its new moniker, Winter Wildcards. 

EA aren’t afraid to think outside of the box when it comes to Ultimate Team promos. Just when you think you know what to expect they deliver a surprise. This is exactly what occurred with the previous promo as fans expected FUT Freeze but got FUT Versus instead.

FUT Versus is a brand new promo that debuted in FIFA 22. Players assumed that this would replace last year’s FUT Freeze promo. However, new information concerning the Winter Wildcards promo suggests that FUT Freeze is making a return under a new name. 

FIFA 22 Winter Wildcards release date

Winter Wildcards mini release

The upcoming promo has been revealed through FUT loading screens. The Winter Wildcards promotion is set to arrive on Friday, 17 December at around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM GMT / 7 PM CET. These special items will remain in packs until Thursday, December 23 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM GMT / 7 PM CET, when they will be replaced with Team 2.

Winter-themed promotions tend to generate a lot of excitement and Winter Wildcards will aim to maintain this trend. 

What is FUT’s Winter Wildcards promo?

Wildcards promo screen

The Winter Wildcards promo seems heavily inspired by last year’s FUT Freeze. As with most promos, a stat boost is administered to the players involved. However, only some players can be seen in a new position.

“From supernatural boosts to shapeshifting upgrades and the powerhouses in between, Winter Wildcard Player Items will receive a variety of permanent boosts inspired by past, present, and potential future FUT player upgrades.”

The most important change is a positional one. The idea of changing the base position of players is what made FUT Freeze such a special promo. For example, FUT Freeze Adama Traoré went from a RW to a LB. This drastic change allowed for new squad-building possibilities.

PSG’s Neymar is the big-name player that is set to headline the Winter Wildcards promo. Interestingly enough his natural position of LW has shifted to ST. French superstars Paul Pogba and Kinglsey Coman are also highly sought-after players included in the promo.

Here’s a list of the featured players:

Team 1

  • Neymar – PSG
  • Paul Pogba – Manchester United
  • Kingsley Coman – Bayern Munich
  • Fabinho – Liverpool 
  • Nelson Sémedo – Wolverhampton Wanderers 
  • Leonardo Spinazzola – Roma FC
  • Embarba – RCD Espanyol
  • Pau Torres – Villarreal
  • Adel Taarabt – Benfica
  • Moussa Niakhate – Mainz 05
  • Axel Tuanzebe – Aston Villa
  • Frank Acheampong – Shenzhen Kaisa
  • Jordan Graham – Birmingham City
  • Sergej Milinković-Savić – Latium (Lazio)
  • Breel Embolo – Borussia Mönchengladbach 

Team 1 mini-release

  • Jonathan David – LOSC Lille
  • Luka Modrić – Real Madrid
  • Dodi Lukebakio – VfL Wolfsburg

Team 2

  • Raheem Sterling – Manchester City
  • Eden Hazard – Real Madrid
  • Lucas Moura – Tottenham
  • Anthony Martial – Manchester United
  • Kieran Tierney – Arsenal
  • Caglar Soyuncu – Leicester City
  • Matteo Guendouzi – Marseille
  • Romain Alessandrini – Qingdao Huanghai F.C.
  • Morales – Levante
  • Alessandro Florenzi – A.C. Milan
  • Nnamdi Collins – Borussia Dortmund

FUT Winter Wildcards SBCs

Zaha SBC fifa 22 ultimate team

FUT Players will get the chance to earn a few special Winter Wildcards players through the completion of SBCs. If you’re not feeling particularly lucky in packs, the SBC will be a surefire way of securing a Winter Wildcards item. 

The players up for grabs are Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, Genoa’s Goran Pandev, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Djibril Sow, Watford’s Etebo, Bologna’s Orsolini, and Blackburn Rovers’ Magloire. Players must complete three SBCs to earn Etebo, two for Zaha, Sow, Orsolini, and Magloire, and only one SBC to earn Pandev.

Winter Wildcards Zaha requirements

Premier League

  • Min 1 Premier League player
  • Min 85 Squad Rating
  • Min 70 Chemistry

86-Rated Squad

  • Min 86 Squad Rating
  • Min 65 Chemistry

Sow requirements

Top Form

  • Min 1 TOTW player
  • Min 84 Squad Rating
  • Min 75 Chemistry

Bundesliga

  • Min 1 Bundesliga player
  • Min 85 Squad Rating
  • Min 70 Chemistry

Pandev requirements

  • Min 1 Serie A player
  • Min 85 Squad Rating
  • Min 55 Chemistry

Magloire Requirements

England

  • Min 1 player from England
  • Min 1 TOTW player
  • Min 83 Squad Rating
  • Min 80 Chemistry

Top Form

  • Min 1 TOTW player
  • Min 85 Squad Rating
  • Min 70 Chemistry

Orsolini Requirements

Italy

  • Min 1 player from Italy
  • Min 82 Squad Rating
  • Min 75 Chemistry

Serie A TIM

  • Min 1 Serie A TIM players
  • Min 84 Squad Rating
  • Min 65 Chemistry

Etebo Requirements

Premier League

  • Min 1 Premier League player
  • Min 1 TOTW player
  • Min 82 Squad Rating
  • Min 80 Chemistry

Top Form

  • Min 1 TOTW player
  • Min 83 Squad Rating
  • Min 75 Chemistry

84-Rated Squad

  • Min 1 TOTW player
  • Min 84 Squad Rating
  • Min 70 Chemistry

That just about covers everything we know about FIFA 22’s Winter Wildcards promo so far. We’ll be updating this page as new information comes to light about this exciting new Ultimate Team promotion.

For more information on the latest FIFA 22 Ultimate Team promos stay tuned to Charlie INTEL.

Image Credit: EA Sports

About The Author

Luca is an Associate Editor at CharlieIntel. An accomplished, writer with interests in sports and gaming alike, Luca is focused on Call of Duty and FIFA as a content creator. After earning his BA in English Literature at Concordia University, he began writing for Gamelevate, OddsShark, and H4X. Luca joined CharlieIntel in 2021. You can reach Luca at [email protected], or via X @TheLucaDiMarzo.