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Are you trying to establish the FC 24 best tactics and formations? Each new game comes with its own nuances, and that includes overpowered tactics and formations.
This is known as the ‘meta’. So if you are struggling in matches, let us help you set your team up to be most effective. We’ve spent hours with the latest football game from EA as part of our detailed FC 24 review process, and have tried and tested a number of different formations.
Here, we go through what we believe are the best ones in the game. Whether you are playing FC Ultimate Team for the first time, playing FUT Champions, or jumping into FC 24 Career Mode, you need to know how to set your team up.
This is super simple to do, and you can even adjust your team tactics on the go via the FC 24 Web App. Take a look at our recommendations for the best EA Sports FC formations and custom tactics below.
Remember, these tactics will work more effectively if you have the best FC 24 meta players, which you can find in our dedicated guide.
FC 24 Best tactics and formations at a glance
Below, we have listed the FC 24 best formations and custom tactics to use:
| Formation | Defensive Style | Width | Depth | Build Up Play | Chance Creation | Width | Players in Box | Corners | Free Kicks |
| 5-3-2 | Drop Back | 50 | 35 | Balanced | Balanced | 65 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 4-4-2 | Balanced | 45 | 35 | Balanced | Balanced | 70 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 4-2-1-3 | Balanced | 45 | 40 | Slow Build Up | Possession | 65 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 4-3-2-1 | Drop Back | 40 | 40 | Long Ball | Direct Passing | 55 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 4-2-2-2 | Balanced | 47 | 39 | Balanced/Long Ball | Forward Runs | 55 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
New meta defensive tactics
If you are struggling defensively, stop what you are doing. Check out the simple FC 24 defending tactic that is a cheat code. Pro players and amateurs alike are using this setup and it is proving almost unbeatable.
Competitive game modes like Rivals and FUT Champions are seeing this setup more and more. Even pro players are struggling to deal with the tactic as your whole team works together to win the ball back quickly.
Pro Tips – 4-2-2-2 formation and best custom tactics
We have teamed up with NealGuides to bring you FC 24 expert tips. He picks the 4-2-2-2 as his ‘meta’ formation, and here is how he sets it up.
Offensive Tactics
- Build Up Play – Balanced/Long Ball
- Chance Creation – Forward Runs
- Width – 55
- Players in Box – 3
- Corners – 1
- Free Kicks – 1
Defensive Tactics
- Defensive Style – Balanced
- Width – 47
- Depth – 39
Player Instructions
- ST (one of them) – Come back on defence
- ST (both) – Stay central, Get in behind
- LAM and RAM – Come back on defence, Get into the box for cross
- RDM and LDM – Cut passing lanes, Stay back while attacking, Cover center
- RB and LB – Stay back while attacking, Overlap
You can watch his 4-2-2-2 tactics and instructions walk through below.
5-3-2 formation and best custom tactics
Offensive Tactics
- Build Up Play – Balanced
- Chance Creation – Balanced
- Width – 65
- Players in Box – 5
- Corners – 2
- Free Kicks – 2
Having used this formation and come up against it in the game, we know this creates overloads in different areas of the pitch.
Any team playing four at the back is man-to-man against your strikers. This means one mistake and you are in. If you do want wingers in the team, this set up can be altered to a 3-5-2 / 3-1-4-2 to give the same effect.
Defensive Tactics
- Defensive Style – Drop Back
- Width – 50
- Depth – 35
On paper, this might look defensive, but it doesn’t have to be! The 5-3-2 packs the centre of the pitch, making your team very difficult to break down.
From this solid defensive platform, you have plenty of options. You can break quickly with two strikers, dominate the ball with three midfielders, or counter attack using the width provided by the wing backs.
Player Instructions
- RWB and LWB – Overlap
- CDM – Cover center, Stay back while attacking
- ST – Stay Forward
Instructing your wing backs to overlap will help create the width in attack. Without this, your attack can become narrow and easy to defend against.
Make sure your CDM stays central. If they get dragged out into wide areas, your opposition can get directly to your centre backs. You can also instruct your CMs to stay central, but we like them to cover the wing backs when they fly forward.
4-4-2 formation and best custom tactics
Offensive Tactics
- Build Up Play – Balanced
- Chance Creation – Balanced
- Width – 70
- Players in Box – 6
- Corners – 2
- Free Kicks – 2
Keeping your width is crucial to this formation. In central areas your strikers can link up, creating the space for pacey wingers to get to the byline.
Making sure there are plenty of options in the box will help create chances. Whether you are crossing the ball for a big striker or finding a pass for a tap-in, options will be plentiful.
Defensive Tactics
- Defensive Style – Balanced
- Width – 45
- Depth – 35
Keep it simple. Two banks of four will make it difficult to get through your team. Set your full backs to ‘stay back while attacking’, ensuring there are always defenders on hand to snuff out any danger.
Unlike a back five, you want your defensive width a bit narrow to ensure your CBs aren’t too far apart. Somewhere between 40-45 will do.
Player Instructions
- RB and LB – Stay back while attacking
- CM – Cover center, Stay on edge of box for cross
- RM and LM – Stay wide, Get into the box for cross
If you are more offensively inclined, you can get your full backs to overlap and create overloads on the wings. We like to fill the box too, so these settings should mean 3 players in the box, with your CMs on the edge.
When using this formation, we have set our central midfield players to cover centre. We don’t want them being dragged out wide, especially when there are two players out there already. This is a solid, reliable system that works. It will always be among the FC 24 best formations.
4-2-1-3 formation and best custom tactics
Offensive Tactics
- Build Up Play – Slow build up
- Chance Creation – Possession
- Width – 60
- Players in Box – 5
- Corners – 2
- Free Kicks – 2
This is effectively a 4-3-3, but with two CDMs and a CAM. The new configuration allows for more freedom for your CAM. Having three players in the front line also provides width.
The options to spring forward quickly can often catch your opponent out. However, we have found that the distances between the front four players can be quite large. It is important to pay attention to your team width and try to get your attacking players linking up.
Defensive Tactics
- Defensive Style – Balanced
- Width – 45
- Depth – 40
This formation provides you with options. If you have a preferred method of defending, then go with that. We like to stay balanced as the team remains in a solid defensive shape and the front three can still capitalise on a stray pass in the opposition’s defence.
Keeping your CDMs compact and covering center will make sure no one can just run through your team. The wingers might need to defend, but we prefer them to conserve their energy for attacking!
Player Instructions
- RB and LB – Stay back while attacking, Overlap
- CDM – Stay back while attacking, Cover center
- RW and LW – Stay forward, Cut inside
New to FC 24 is the 4-2-1-3 formation. Like with most back four formations, we are likely to instruct our full backs to stay back while attacking.
On the off chance they do venture forward, we want them to overlap. We want them to create width, but we don’t want them on the end of goal scoring opportunities.
4-3-2-1 formation and best custom tactics
Offensive Tactics
- Build Up Play – Long ball
- Chance Creation – Direct passing
- Width – 55
- Players in Box – 5
- Corners – 2
- Free Kicks – 2
The 4-3-2-1 is effectively a 4-3-3, but you play with three strikers instead of wingers. This provides different options when building the team.
If you are utilising bigger, more powerful forwards, then long ball can really work. Physical players are particularly effective this season as there is an abundance of smaller centre backs in the game.
Defensive Tactics
- Defensive Style – Drop back
- Width – 40
- Depth – 40
The midfield three is quite flat, so you’re going to be vulnerable to a counter attack, especially if the team has the pace to take you on the outside. The opposing wingers will also stretch the middle three, which could create holes for their midfield to come through.
So, yes, the formation has its flaws but with the right player instruction, could suit more direct players who prefer long balls and through passes rather than spreading the ball out wide.
Player Instructions
- RB and LB – Stay back while attacking
- CM – Stay back while attacking, cover center
- RCM and LCM – Stay on edge of box for cross
- CF – Get in behind
I don’t like this formation, but it is popular in FC 24. For me, it’s too narrow and doesn’t make use of the pace from the wide areas. It does work if the full backs go forward, so the right player instructions here are absolutely vital.
The major plus is that you can have three strikers on the pitch, so you’ll effectively have three sharpshooters who could offer more than wingers in front of goal.
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What is the best formation in FC 24?
The 5-3-2, or a variation of, is the FC 24 best formation in our opinion as it provides a solid defensive platform with a variety of attacking outlets.
Is 4-3-3 good in FC 24?
It doesn’t feature in our best formations, but the 4-3-3 formation should still be effective in this year’s game. We do recommend checking out the 4-2-1-3 formation, though, as this is effectively a 4-3-3 but offers more defensive stability in EA FC.
