Let me take you back to a typical evening of Ultimate Team. I’m hyped, the match kicks off, and before I can even settle into my chair, the ball is sailing over my defense into the path of R9, who buries it top bins. I’m down 1–0 inside four seconds. Sound familiar? That’s the infamous kick-off glitch, a cheesy exploit that’s haunted EA Sports FC since at least FC 24, and it’s made a spectacular return in EA FC 25. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably hurled a controller or two because of this nonsense.

The grind in Ultimate Team is real. In 2026, we’re still battling the same old demons that content creators flagged months ago. Streamers like BorasLegend have been vocal about the laundry list of issues that make competitive play a headache for players like me: delayed animations that feel like playing in molasses, passes that go nowhere near your intended target, first touches so heavy they’d make a Sunday league player cringe, automatic tackles that bail people out, and offside traps so overpowered they warp the entire flow of a match. On top of that, you’ve got the L1/LB speed boost and trivela shots from downtown being spammed in every high-elo game. It’s enough to make you want to delete your squad and touch grass.

But the kick-off glitch? That’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. In EA FC 24, this exploit was already a known nuisance, and I’d hoped it would be patched out by the time FC 25 dropped. No such luck. In fact, FC 25 streamer Bugs put up a clip that made my jaw drop—the exact same maneuver works like a charm, and now every Timmy and their mother is using it in Weekend League. The execution is laughably simple. From kick-off, you tap the ball to your center mid. Then you quickly dish it to your CAM. After that, you hold L1 and Triangle on PlayStation 5 (or LB and Y on Xbox if that’s your jam) to launch an over-the-top through ball at full power toward your striker. If your opponent isn’t paying attention or doesn’t manually control a center back, their AI backline just stands there like statues, and your attacker is clean through on goal. It’s basically a free goal every other kick-off if you don’t know how to counter it.

The first time someone did this to me, I thought it was a fluke. The second time, I knew something was up. By the third game in a row where I conceded inside five seconds, I was ready to throw my DualSense out the window. What grinds my gears is that it requires zero skill. You’re not outplaying anyone; you’re exploiting a broken mechanic that EA somehow hasn’t fixed in multiple iterations. It cheapens the experience, especially when you’ve spent hours trading and building your ultimate squad, only to lose to some scripted nonsense. And in a game that’s supposed to celebrate football, seeing a 60-yard aerial ball from your own half that defies physics to land perfectly on Mbappé’s foot feels like playing an arcade title from 2005.

Now, let’s talk about how to stop this rubbish, because you better believe I wasn’t going to just take it lying down. There is a counter, but it’s not something you can rely on the AI to handle for you. As soon as the opponent kicks off and you sense they’re going for the glitch, you need to manually take control of one of your defenders. Flick the right stick in the direction of the center back you want to move, then immediately drag him backward so he drops between your two center backs. This manual adjustment is your only real lifeline because the default defensive AI will not track the runner properly. I’ve found that the most consistent method is to select your fastest defender or even a CDM with decent pace and retreat him into the gap. If you time it right, you’ll intercept the through ball or at least force a heavy touch that your keeper can claim.

Is it foolproof? Heck no. Even with the center back pulled back, there’s always a chance the glitch slips through — maybe your player gets magnetized to the wrong attacker, maybe the ball takes a weird bounce, or maybe your opponent’s striker has 99 positioning and glitches past your defender anyway. I’ve had moments where I did everything right, and still the ball somehow spooned over my last man, landing for an easy tap-in. But pulling a player back gives you the best possible shot at not conceding. It’s like bringing an umbrella when there’s a 70% chance of rain — you might still get wet, but you’d be crazy not to try.

Beyond the counter, what baffles me is how this exploit keeps showing up year after year. In a community where online tournaments and rewards hinge on every single win, a cheesy mechanic like this tilts the playing field unfairly. I’ve been playing since the FIFA days, and I remember when kick-off goals were a meme in FIFA 15. You’d think that after a decade, EA would hard-code the defenders to drop back on kick-off, or at least make AI awareness spike temporarily. But nope, here we are in 2026, still dealing with the same spaghetti code. My hope is that by the time EA FC 26 or whatever the next installment is, they finally nuke this exploit from orbit. Until then, I’ll keep manually dragging my defender back and praying to the RNG gods. If you’re still scratching your head about how to survive the kick-off meta, just remember: switch on, pull back, and keep your cool. And maybe send EA a strongly worded tweet while you’re at it. Happy grinding.