In the realistic FC 26, close-range dribbling control is fundamental to skillful play. Especially when you want to maintain possession under immense pressure and break down the opponent’s defense, mastering dribbling is absolutely your most lethal offensive weapon!
Here, IGGM shares some of the best dribbling techniques and shows you how to use them to successfully break through the opponent’s defense and win victories and tons of FC 26 coins! Without further ado, let’s get started!
Straffe Dribbling
First up is Strafe Dribbling, a special technique where you move the ball laterally by holding down L1/LB button and using the left stick, keeping your player facing the opponent.
When dribbling laterally, you need to always face the opponent’s goal. This means you don’t need to turn with the left stick; instead, you can slide your player backward or sideways while maintaining close contact with the ball.
Strafe Dribbling typically allows you to suddenly change direction, thus escaping a well-organized defensive block. You can also use it to gain a boost, though not as powerful as last year, it can still create opportunities in tight spaces.
Slow Dribbling
Next, we’ll learn a slow dribbling technique in FIFA 26, achievable by simultaneously holding L2 + R1 or LT + RB. The smaller the turn, the more touches the ball. Therefore, this is another excellent technique for protecting the ball from the opponent’s feet while turning to move in a safe direction.
However, the downside is obvious: it’s very slow. Once you’ve protected the ball from the defender but continue dribbling slowly, you might lose your advantage because of insufficient speed. This means it’s most effective only when used briefly and then immediately switched to another dribbling method or any offensive move.
The best way to use it is to briefly protect the ball with Slow Dribbling, then turn and release it. Use it again to evade opponents, and immediately sprint forward after completely shaking them off, enjoying the freedom of open space.
However, this technique demands high pace stats from your player; Kylian Mbappé is a good option. However, the price of this player card is a burden for many players. If you also have this problem, you can buy FC 26 coins at IGGM to add him to your team!
Shielding
Speaking of ball protection, Shielding technique is absolutely essential. You can perform it by holding down the L2/LT button, which will cause your player to attempt to shield the ball from the oncoming defender with their body.
This technique is very useful when opponents attempt a quick charge, especially when you need to control the ball. Once this happens, execute Shielding promptly, shielding the ball from the potential danger with your body, and then decide your next move to avoid accidents caused by panic.
Therefore, when facing immense pressure, Shielding can serve as an emergency safety measure. Of course, we’re not saying this technique guarantees you won’t lose the ball, but compared to normal dribbling, the probability of losing the ball is significantly reduced, and it can help you magically escape trouble and create scoring opportunities in FUT 26.
Sprinting
When you want to cover a larger area in open play, you can also use the sprinting technique, which is very useful.
Because your movement speed increases and you touch the ball more frequently during sprinting, this means your ball control will decrease. This can significantly limit your ability to turn, so it’s recommended to use it when there’s open space ahead.
Note that this technique can be very dangerous when facing an unstable defense or trying to explore open spaces on the flanks, so you’ll need to use the right stick appropriately to increase the distance when exploring open spaces. In addition to lightly pushing the right stick, you can also push it in the direction of your run, which can further increase the ball’s flight distance. This means that this technique is very useful when you know you have a significant speed advantage in the air.
Effort Dribble Touches
Finally, we’ll introduce Effort Dribble Touches in FC 26, a perfect dribbling technique for creating opportunities and unexpectedly bypassing the opponent’s defense.
Simply hold down R1/RB button and flick the right stick in any direction to quickly touch the ball and rapidly change direction to evade the opponent. If you execute the correct input combination before the ball reaches your feet, you can even use Effort Touch on the first touch. This allows you to quickly fill gaps, explore attacking routes, and catch defenders off guard with unexpected moves.
If the opposing defender doesn’t anticipate the sudden change of direction, this could be a killer move to shake them off. However, successfully executing this technique is definitely a test of your team’s coordination, so we do not recommend using this technique until you have enough FIFA 26 coins to recruit suitable players.
Left Stick Dribbling
Finally, we’ll introduce Left Stick Dribbling.
When using this technique, you don’t need to press any other buttons; simply operate the left stick. This is the most basic dribbling method and the core mechanism of all other dribbling skills.
When dribbling with the left stick, the player moves slower but maintains good contact with the ball. Each touch gives your player a chance to change the ball’s direction, allowing you to get past opponents in tight spaces.
Additionally, when using only the left stick, you need to be very sensitive to touch the ball, observing your opponent’s defensive movements and adjusting your touch accordingly. You can easily use the left stick to lure the defender in one direction, allowing you to easily get past them. Then, simply dribble with only the left stick again, turn in the exact opposite direction, and you can score.
In any case, mastering all these dribbling skills isn’t easy, but they are the foundation for creating scoring opportunities on EA FC 26 field, allowing you to break down opponents’ defenses, maintain ball control in tight spaces, and control the pace of the game. Therefore, IGGM recommends practicing them extensively; this will give you an advantage over opponents who rely solely on skill moves or lack patience and control on defense.