Madden 26 goes live worldwide on Aug. 14 after a week-long early access, and you can play the game for free during that period if you have a functional EA Play membership.
The only sustained way of playing the early access is to get the Digital Deluxe Edition, which costs notably more than the Standard Edition. This allows you to play seven extra days, which begins on Aug. 7. However, there's an alternate way to play the game (for a limited playtime) for a reasonable amount or for free.
