We’re into 2026 and EAFC 26 is still going strong.
Ultimate Team may be the main focus of the game, but Career Mode has a special place in our hearts. That’s because you can start whenever you want, as many times as you want.
No matter who you’re managing the premise and aim of Manager Career — as it’s now called — remains the same. Winning the league and continental trophies, no matter where you start or who you manage.
Attack is important, but defences win you titles. A great team is often built on a strong spine, which includes a top quality centre-backs.
So who do you go for on EAFC 26? We’ve taken a look at some of the top centre-backs available to buy in your first window, across an array of transfer fees to make your job a tad easier.
We’re just looking at players available in Men’s Career Mode here, with finances in Women’s Career Mode much different.
Values and presence of release clauses may vary per save, while availability may vary depending on strictness of transfers.
Jump to:
EAFC 26 best centre-backs to sign on Career Mode – Under £5m
Ifeanyi Ndukwe (Austria Vienna)
- Initial EAFC 26 overall: 58
- Potential EAFC 26 overall: 82
- Value: £525k
We start our journey in Austria, with Ifeanyi Ndukwe. Now, we’ll preface this by saying that this will be for those who really don’t have the money to throw around. Those in the lower leagues — especially when it comes to wages. Ndukwe has an initial Overall of 59, so he’s only going to be good enough for some teams. But he can do a job for those teams. He boasts 63 Physical and 59 Defending, including 63 Stand Tackle and 65 Heading Accuracy. The latter is no surprise given Ndukwe is 6’6″ tall!
Ndukwe has the potential to grow to 82, which isn’t the best. But, like we said, he’ll get you on your way. And Austria Vienna will be happy to let you negotiate with Ndukwe for around £500k.
Joane Gadou (Red Bull Salzburg)
- Initial EAFC 26 overall: 66
- Potential EAFC 26 overall: 85
- Value: £1.8m
Joane Gadou’s up next and he’s an interesting young player. The Frenchman starts Manager Career with an Overall of 66, so you can do something with him early on if you’re at a certain level. He’s very much a no-nonsense centre-back, as shown by his 72 Physical and 65 Defending, compared to just 44 Passing and 40 Dribbling. But he’s also got a bit of speed with 70 Pace, despite standing 6’5″.
Obviously, we’re all about the potential and Gadou can grow to to 85 Overall. Despite this, Red Bull Salzburg will accept under his value, at around £1.5m.
Finn Jeltsch (Stuttgart)
- Initial EAFC 26 overall: 73
- Potential EAFC 26 overall: 87
- Value: £5.5m
We had Finn Jeltsch on our tips for EAFC 25, and he’s got a bit better. The German, still at Stuttgart, boasts an initial Overall of 73 at the age of 18. Both his Defending and Physical are in the 70s at 74 and 72, respectively, which we love to see. Delving a bit deeper, Jeltsch boasts 73 Interceptions, 71 Aggression and 76 Strength, alongside 78 Standing Tackle. And he has four-star Weak Foot, which is always a bonus.
Jeltsch’s main selling point, however, is his potential to grow to 87. If you get him early and stick with it, Jeltsch will turn into one of the better centre-backs in your Manager Career. And you can always influence his growth with training. Don’t take notice of his value, you can be cheeky and get Jeltsch for around £4.9m with a small sell-on clause.
EAFC 26 best centre-backs to sign on Career Mode – £5m – £20m
Zeno Van Den Bosch (Royal Antwerp)
- Initial EAFC 26 overall: 75
- Potential EAFC 26 overall: 85
- Value: £10m
Don’t be put off by the value, this isn’t as big a jump as it may seem. There is a lack of options in this middle ground, but Zeno Van Den Bosch can certainly do the trick. The Belgian has an initial Overall of 75, so will get into a fair few teams. And he’s decent, with 74 Defending and 73 Physical. That includes 72 Interceptions, 80 Strength and 73 Reactions. Now, Van Den Bosch is a bit slow, so you’ll want to counter that along the way.
Van Den Bosch has the potential to grow to 85 Overall, becoming a solid centre-back. He won’t be in your end game, but he’ll certainly be there for a lot of the journey. Now, Royal Antwerp will accept around £8m with a sell-on clause, which is a lot better than the £10m you see at first glance.
El Chadaille Bitshiabu (RB Leipzig)
- Initial EAFC 26 overall: 75
- Potential EAFC 26 overall: 87
- Value: £11m
El Chadaille Bitshiabu is another we’ve looked at before. We’re back again with good reason. This time the Frenchman boasts an initial Overall of 75, so is very capable from the start. We won’t go into your title-chasing team, but mid-table or even relegation-battling? He’ll be perfect. Bitshiabu boasts 73 Defending and 78 Physical, including 71 Interceptions, 85 Jumping and a whopping 92 Strength. He also has Pinged Pass as one of his PlayStyles.
The real seller here is the potential to grow to 87 Overall. Again, that’d make him one of the best centre-backs in your save. Despite this, RB Leipzig are happy to accept around £11.2m with a small sell-on clause, which we think is a steal.
Joel Ordonez (Club Brugge)
- Initial EAFC 26 overall: 76
- Potential EAFC 26 overall: 87
- Value: £13.5m
Joel Ordonez is a tidy player and one definitely worth taking a look at. He has an initial Overall of 76, which may not make it into the best starting XIs, but he’ll be on the fringes at least. And for those who can fit him in the starting XI straight away, he boasts 75 Defending and 79 Physical. That includes 85 Strength, 77 Interceptions and 75 Defensive Awareness. Don’t be put off by his lower Passing, as it does still include 75 Short Pass. He just won’t be pinging long balls over the top.
To make Ordonez even more eye-catching, the Ecuadorean has a lovely potential Overall of 87! He’ll become one of the better centre-backs in the game. And Club Brugge will be happy to let him go for around £15m if you include a sell-on clause.
Midnite Offer: Bet £10, get £30 in free bets
How to claim:
- Open an account at Midnite using this link.
- Deposit £10 or more
- Place your first bet of £10 or more (minimum odds of 1/1)
- Receive £30 in free bets, valid for 7 days on selected betse only.
18+ New customers only. Place a £10+ bet at min odds 1/1 (2.0) within 14 days of sign-up. Get £30 in Free Bets, valid for 7 days on selected bets only. Free stake not returned with winnings. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
EAFC 26 best centre-backs to sign on Career Mode – £20m and above
Antonio Silva (Benfica)
- Initial EAFC 26 overall: 77
- Potential EAFC 26 overall: 86
- Value: £19m
Antonio Silva is another familiar face, but he remains affordable and a decent option. The Benfica centre-back starts with an Overall of 77, which places him capable of getting into a lot of teams. His best stat is his 80 Physical, but there’s not much difference between his 78 Pace and 76 Defending. And Silva’s Defending includes 79 Standing Tackle and 77 Defensive Awareness. The Portuguese centre-back also boasts 83s in Stamina and Strength, making him a rock at the back.
Silva has the potential to grow to 86 Overall, and again will be a solid addition to a lot of defences. Benfica will accept around £20m for Silva, which seems like a good deal.
Giorgio Scalvini (Bergamo Calcio)
- Initial EAFC 26 overall: 78
- Potential EAFC 26 overall: 86
- Value: £25.5m
We’re tipping Giorgio Scalvini again, and we’ll do it until it becomes a bad decision. The Italian starts Manager Career with an Overall of 78 and three PlayStyles, including Intercept and Anticipate. His Standing Tackle of 82 and 80 Slide Tackling are very strong, forming part of Scalvini’s 80 Defending. Now, there is a downside with his 65 Pace, but you can work on that. And it’s partly because Scalvini stands at 6’4” tall. So he should be winning a lot in the air.
Scalvini can potentially grow to 86 Overall, which may seem a little underwhelming. But he’s still a good player and well worth the £29m it’ll cost to take him from Atalanta – sorry, we mean Bergamo Calcio.
Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona)
- Initial EAFC 26 overall: 82
- Potential EAFC 26 overall: 88
- Value: £34.5m
Top-level centre-backs really get expensive, which shows you just how important they are. Pau Cubarsi comes with an initial Overall of 82, aided by his 83 Defending. He has strong stats across the board including 83 Reactions, 83 Interceptions and 87 Jumping – which negates his slightly smaller frame of 6’0”. Cubarsi also boasts 86 Short Passing and 83 Defensive Awareness, alongside the Long Ball Pass PlayStyle.
The Spaniard has the potential to grow to 88 Overall, becoming a top centre-back. Of course, this is Pau Cubarsi we’re talking about, so Barcelona won’t budge unless you offer around £50m.