Fan-favourite promo FUT Birthday will return to FIFA 23 later today, and it looks set to be one of the best promos of the FUT 23 calendar.
Celebrating its 14th birthday, EA Sports are set to make the upcoming FUT Birthday promo one of the best ever, with the FIFA community in high hopes based on the limited information released so far. A FUT Birthday Swaps event is already underway in FIFA 23, whilst a new loading screen into Ultimate Team has confirmed the promo will feature FUT Birthday Icons.
The first FUT Birthday promo was released in FIFA 14 in the form of free packs and new tournaments, and it's since evolved into one of the biggest events in FUT, featuring a host of incredible promo cards, and more recently a themed Swaps event. FUT Birthday players usually receive boosted skill moves and weak foot ratings based on previous releases, so with Icons now included, we could see some of the best players released in FUT history if EA gets it right.
Here's a round-up of the latest FUT Birthday leaks, confirmed release date, predictions and swaps event
FIFA 23 FUT Birthday confirmed release date
There is no promo currently available in FUT Packs, with the current in-game promo, FUT Ballers, only available in SBCs and Objectives. FUT Birthday was originally predicted to be released last Friday, but it's not been confirmed via a FUT 23 loading screen that the promo will begin on today at 6pm GMT/ 2pm ET/ 11am PT.
With a Swaps event running alongside the promo and FUT Icons also confirmed via the loading screen, we expect that the promo will last two weeks, exiting FUT Packs on Friday, April 7 at 5.59pm GMT / 1.59pm ET / 10.59am PT. The loading screen confirmed the card designs for the FUT Birthday and FUT Birthday Icons, and personally, these are my favourite design of FUT 23 so far.
FIFA 23 FUT Birthday Swaps event
A FUT Birthday Swaps event has already begun in FIFA 23 ahead of the promo being released into FUT Packs at the end of the week. In total, 30 tokens will be released in-game, whilst some bonus tokens will be released in the FUT Store.
EA has only confirmed two of the rewards available to claim with FUT Birthday Swaps tokens so far. According to the FUT Birthday message received when loading up FUT, three tokens can get you a FUT Birthday Team 1 player pack, and 10 tokens can get you an 85+ x10 pack.
FIFA 23 Fantasy FUT leaks
A handful of players have been leaked by @FutSheriff ahead of the release, and from what's been leaked so far, the promo is looking to live up to the hype. After reporting that Barcelona midfielder Pedri will feature in FUT Birthday as an SBC, the leaker has announced a handful of FUT Birthday players and Heroes as well, including Liverpool's Darwin Nunez and Brazilian Icon Jairzinho.
Here are all the players that have been leaked so far.
- Jairzinho (ICON)
- Rivaldo (ICON)
- Rui Costa (ICON)
- Ronald Koeman (ICON)
- Eric Cantona (ICON)
- Ian Rush (ICON)
- George Best (ICON)
- Lothar Matthaus (ICON)
- Ferenc Puskas (ICON)
- Alban Lafont (Nantes)
- Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
- Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Joao Felix (Chelsea)
- Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
- Emerson Royal (Tottenham)
- Djibril Sow (Frankfurt)
- Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal)
- Sead Kolasinac (Marseille)
- Mesut Ozil (Istanbul Basaksehir)
- Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal)
- Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
- Koke (Atletico Madrid)
- Pedri (Barcelona) - SBC
Leaker @FUTZONEFIFA has reported that all FUT Birthday Icons released will be available in every type of gold pack, increasing your chances of finding one in-game. A new loading screen in FUT has also teased three players, and based on the limited details shown on the card, we predict the three players are Ferenc Puskas, Bernardo Silva and Jairzinho.
@FutSheriff has also leaked there will be two mini-releases during the FUT Birthday promo, with each mini-release seeing two versions of the same player released at the same time, one with five-star skill moves, and one with five-star weak foot. According to the leak, you can tell the players apart by slight differences on their design, with each player possessing a different symbol above their overall rating.
FIFA 23 FUT Birthday Predictions
Two teams are expected to be released as part of the FUT Birthday promo, so here are our predictions for the FIFA 23 FUT Birthday Team 1 squad, as well as a predicted skill move or weak foot upgrade. It would be rude not to include Christopher Nkunku as well, with the Frenchman possessing the perfect dynamic image after his infamous balloon celebration from earlier this season.
FUT Birthday Team 1 predictions
- CF: Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) - five-star weak foot
- LW: Darwin Nunez (Liverpool) - five-star skill moves, four-star weak foot
- CB: Gabriel (Arsenal) - five-star weak foot
- LB: Jonathan Clauss (Marseille) - five-star skill moves, four-star weak foot
- CAM: Xavi Simons (PSV) - five-star skill moves, five-star weak foot
- LW: Stephan El Shaarawy (AS Roma) - five-star skill moves, five-star weak foot
- CDM: Frank Yannick Kessie (Barcelona) - five-star skill moves, five-star weak foot
- CB: Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid) - five-star skill moves
- ST: Youssoufa Moukoko (Borussia Dortmund) - five-star skill moves
- CAM: Jesse Lingard (Nottingham Forest) - five-star weak foot
- ST: Hugo Ekite (Paris Saint-Germain) - five-star skill moves, five-star weak foot
FUT Birthday Icons Team 1 predictions
- ST: Wayne Rooney (ICON) - five-star skill moves, four-star weak foot
- CB: Ronaldo Koeman (ICON) - five-star weak foot
- RW: Jairzinho (ICON) - five-star skill moves, five-star weak foot
- CF: Alessandro Del Piero (ICON) - five-star skill moves, five-star weak foot
- ST: Emilio Butragueno (ICON) - five-star skill moves, five-star weak foot
- RW: George Best (ICON) - five-star skill moves
- CDM: Michael Essien (ICON) - four-star skill moves, five-star weak foot
