EA FC 24 Potential explained: How to determine a player’s Potential rating

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Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham in EA FC 24 clapping his hands, with bright lights above him.
Image via EA

In EA Sports FC 24‘s Manager mode, success comes from sustaining a competitive roster across multiple seasons, and that means targeting players and prospect with a high Potential rating. But it’s not so easy to determine what that rating is in the game.

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The process of determining a player’s Potential while in EA FC 24‘s Manager mode differs between when you’re scouting potential transfers and potential youth academy players, but both are equally important. Players with sky-high Potential can become world class in just a few years, but they can also be sold at a higher cost in the transfer market.

Looking to build a team of the future? Here’s what to look for.

How to determine a transfer player’s Potential in EA FC 24

If players under the age of 23 have a high enough Potential rating, one of several Potential-related statuses will appear on their listing when you view it in your Scout Report:

  • Players that are “Showing Great Potential” have a Potential rating of 80-85.
  • Players that are listed as an “Exciting Prospect” have a Potential rating of 86-90.
  • Players that have “Potential to be Special” have a Potential rating of 91 or higher.

While similar, if a player has a status that says “Has That Special Something,” that actually has nothing to do with Potential. That status means they have the Flair trait.

EA FC 24 player with high Potential in Manager mode.
An Exciting Prospect and only 18? Could be the foundation of a team. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

Even if you send one of your scouts to fully scout an individual player, you won’t have the exact specific Potential rating, but the ranges give a good indicator of a player’s ceiling. If the player’s page only lists their club status, aka “At The Club Since [insert year],” they have a Potential less than 80.

EA FC 24 introduced a new Dynamic Potential system, meaning players are not limited to their original Potential ratings, so even a player with Great Potential could eventually be Special if you put them in the right situation.

How to determine a youth academy player’s Potential in EA FC 24

When scouting and developing youth academy players in Manager mode, you will have an exact range of the young player’s Potential you can view.

Youth Academy roster in EA FC 24 Manager mode.
Stars of the future. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

While a youth academy scout sets up their scouting network, they will periodically email you with potential youth academy players. These players have a Potential rating range, and the more you time you spend scouting them, the more exact the range becomes. You have the option of signing youth academy players, but if you wait too long to see what their exact Potential rating is, they could get signed away by another club.

Once signed though, you can view your youth academy players in the Youth Academy section of your Squad menu, along with their exact Potential range.

How to find players with the highest Potential in EA FC 24

Transfer scout instructions in EA FC 24.
World Class Prospects have so much potential. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

When looking to bring in players with high Potential through the Transfer market, the best suggestion I can give is to go to Scout Instructions on the Transfers menu, and search for players with the World Class Prospect trait. This will create a section of just young players with the potential to be World Class.

Setting up a scouting network in EA FC 24 Manager mode.
Maximum returns on a scouting network trip. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

On the youth academy side, this is the method I use:

  • Hire the scout with the highest Judgment rating you can afford. This ensures the scout will find higher quality players.
  • Send the scout on a full nine-month trip in their home country. This ensures the scout has the maximum time and advantage needed to find players with high Potential.

If you have very young players with high Potential but it’s still a long ways until they fully develop, try and give them as much game time as you can provide. If your current senior team is at a very high level though, then consider sending your young players out on loan.

Author
Image of Scott Robertson
Scott Robertson
VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.