The Winter Wildcards promo will be returning to Ultimate Team this week in FIFA 23, and a handful of players included have already been leaked.
FIFA 23 players were treated to five (yes five) World Cup promos in Ultimate Team over the last five weeks. But with the international tournament now over, and Lionel Messi crowned World Champion, a new promo will soon be taking the spotlight in FUT. Winter Wildcards is a winter-themed promo which took the place of the FUT Freeze promo in FIFA 22, which was in-turn the replacement for the fan-favourite FUTmas promo in FIFA 21.
A Winter Wildcards swaps event is already underway in Ultimate Team, with the first batch of Winter Wildcard players also confirmed to be released this week by EA Sports. And, a bunch of the players who are set to feature have been 'leaked' on social media, including players from Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester United.
So, what can we expect from the Winter Wildcards promo in FIFA 23? Below are the latest leaks, confirmed release dates and what we know so far.
FIFA 23 Winter Wildcards release date
The release date for Winter Wildcards Team 1 has been confirmed via a FIFA 23 Ultimate Team loading screen, with the promo confirmed to be released into Ultimate Team on Friday, December 23, 2022 at 6pm GMT / 1pm ET / 10am PT.
Team 2 of the Winter Wildcards promo will be released on Friday, December 30, 2022 at 6pm GMT / 1pm ET / 10am PT, ending on Friday, January 6, 2022, the same date that the Winter Wildcards swaps event also concludes. The loading screen also confirmed the official card design, an eye-catching dark green and gold colour scheme with some 3D snowflakes and baubles.
FIFA 23 Winter Wildcards leaks
Despite the promo being days away from release, quite a few of the Winter Wildcards players have been leaked online via reliable FUT leaker, @FutSheriff. These players will be part of Team 1 or Team 2, whilst they could also be released as an SBC, Objective or mini-release, meaning they may not be announced when the squad is released on Friday, December 23 at 6pm GMT / 1pm ET / 10am PT.
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
- Nicolas Pepe (Nice)
- Raphael Varane (Manchester United)
- Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
- Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
- Adama Traore (Wolves)
- Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle United)
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich are expected to be the two highest-rated players in the squad. A host of Premier League talent has also been leaked, with Manchester United's Raphael Varane the standout player.
FIFA 23 Winter Wildcards - everything we know
Following the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, EA's World Cup content came to an end, including the World Cup swaps program. A new Swaps event was introduced on Monday, December 19, 2022, Winter Wildcards Swaps. EA will be releasing 25 tokens through SBCs, Objectives and the FUT Store to earn rewards including Kieran Trippier and Sandro Tonali Winter Wildcards player items.
The Winter Wildcards swaps will last two weeks, ending on Friday, January 6, 2022. We usually start to receive information from EA regarding Team of the Year (TOTY) around early January, meaning the highly-anticipated promo could follow.
