Why Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is not in EA FC 24

Barcelona has a reputation for breeding young talent, and their current generation of youngsters is touted as the most promising since Pep’s revolution 15 years ago. Lamine Yamal is part of this new Barcelona core, but EA FC 24 fans won’t be able to play with the talented teenager. Why is that?

Barcelona isn’t shy to giving young players from the club academy an opportunity to shine in the first team. Players frequently seize these opportunities due to the immense quality of recruitment at La Masia, Barcelona’s academy. From captain Sergi Roberto to midfield prodigy Gavi, La Masia’s fingerprints are all over Barcelona’s squad.

The youngest and one of the brightest products of this system is Lamine Yamal, yet he is nowhere to be found in EA FC 24.

Why is Lamine Yamal not in EA FC 24?

There is no conspiracy at hand here. The only reason Lamine Yamal is not featured in EA FC 24 is that he’s too young. Though already a senior Spanish international, Yamal is barely 16 years old, which prevents him from appearing in EA FC 24. Electronic Arts has a self-imposed rule that every player in their games must be at least 17 years old.

Unfortunately for Barcelona fans and Lamine Yamal himself, he won’t meet that goal in time to make any significant impact in EA FC 24. Yamal was born on July 13, 2007, which means he won’t turn 17 until the soccer season is over and EA FC 24’s relevancy is beginning to wane as eyes shift toward its successor.

For context, the EA FC 24 pre-orders were opened on July 13, 2022, at which point Lamine Yamal still hadn’t celebrated his 16th birthday.

Will Lamine Yamal be added to EA FC 24?

We won’t completely rule out Yamal becoming a late inclusion to the EA FC 24 player roster once he reaches the necessary age, but given how late into the year and how close to the next EA FC launch his 17th birthday is, we anticipate that Lamine Yamal’s first appearance in the series will likely come in EA FC 25.

Barcelona’s promising winger isn’t the only omission from EA FC 24. Some leagues are also absent, as fans of the Mexican Liga MX were disappointed to hear. The reasons why that league isn’t included goes a bit deeper than EA being allergic to 16-year-olds, though.