FIFA 18 World Cup: Best players, Icons & team ratings in full We bring you all the player ratings from EA Sports' latest offering, which gives gamers the chance to play at this year's World Cup The 2018 World Cup kicks off on June 14 but FIFA 18 gamers can already get things under way with the new tournament special edition update. EA Sports released the latest version of their FIFA World Cup game on May 29 ahead of the competition and it is available to play now. Featuring all 32 teams as well as every stadium, the update also includes FIFA Ultimate Team mode, with a wealth of World Cup Icons also thrown in to make things even more interesting. There's also an option to create a custom World Cup with a fantasy line-up, which on this occasion might be particularly appealing to gamers from the Netherlands, Italy or the United States. To help you get started, Goal takes a look at all the ratings for the game (per FUTBIN), including the best players, teams and icons. FIFA 18 World Cup best players Excluding the Icons, the best player in the FIFA 18 World Cup game is Cristiano Ronaldo, who has an overall rating of 95. The Portugal star's pace and shooting are undoubtedly his strongest qualities at 90 and 92 respectively. Ronaldo is followed in the game by his perennial rival Lionel Messi, with the Argentina captain boasting a rating of 94. While Messi lags slightly behind his Portuguese nemesis in terms of pace and shooting attributes, his dribbling ability is one of the best in the game at 96. Brazil's talisman Neymar is the third best player in the game with an overall rating of 93 and Portugal striker Robert Lewandowski follows the Paris Saint-Germain forward in fourth, with a rating of 92. Uruguay's Luis Suarez is rated at 91, as are Spain's David de Gea and Germany's Manuel Neuer. Interestingly, despite his incredible season, Egypt forward Mohamed Salah is rated relatively low at 88, which puts him behind the likes of Luka Modric, Edinson Cavani, Christian Eriksen and Antoine Griezmann, who are all rated 89. You can see every single player rated 90 or above in the FIFA 18 World Cup game below. Player Team Rating Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal 95 Lionel Messi Argentina 94 Neymar Brazil 93 Robert Lewandowski Poland 92 David de Gea Spain 91 Manuel Neuer Germany 91 Luis Suarez Uruguay 91 Kevin De Bruyne Belgium 90 Eden Hazard Belgium 90 Mats Hummels Germany 90 Toni Kroos Germany 90 Sergio Ramos Spain 90 FIFA 18 World Cup best goalkeeper Two goalkeepers in the game have a rating of 91: David de Gea and Manuel Neuer . They are followed by Belgium's Thibaut Courtois, who has a rating of 88, with France captain Hugo Lloris and Germany no. 2 Marc-Andre ter Stegen both rated 87. FIFA 18 World Cup best defender The best defenders at the World Cup, according to the FIFA 18 game, are Spain's Sergio Ramos and Germany's Mats Hummels , who both have a rating of 90. Veteran Portugal defender Pepe and Uruguay's Diego Godin follow with ratings of 88. Brazilian duo Miranda and Marcelo are rated 87, as are Gerard Pique and Jerome Boateng. FIFA 18 World Cup best midfielder Belgium talisman Kevin De Bruyne and Germany's Toni Kroos are the highest rated midfielders in the game at 90. Croatia star Luka Modric and Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen are next with ratings of 89. Salah, who is considered a right midfielder in the game, is one of four players boasting an 88 rating, alongside Mesut Ozil, Thiago Alcantara and N'Golo Kante. FIFA 18 World Cup best forward Cristiano Ronaldo is the best forward in the game, followed by Messi and Neymar, with ratings of 95, 94 and 93 respectively. Lewandowski (92), Suarez (91) and Eden Hazard (90) follow, with Cavani and Griezmann both rated 89. Other forwards who will be useful attacking options include Brazil's Philippe Coutinho and Argentina's Gonzalo Higuain, who are 88-rated players. FIFA 18 World Cup Icon ratings As well as the regular national team players, the FIFA 18 World Cup game features a number of international 'Icons' , who have represented their respective countries at previous World Cups. Among the 17 Icons in the expansion game are Argentina's World Cup-winning captain Diego Maradona, Brazil's three-time World Cup winner Pele and former England striker Gary Lineker. Other heroes from past tournaments include 2002 World Cup winner Ronaldinho, Nigeria's iconic midfielder Jay-Jay Okocha and Germany's Miroslav Klose, who is the World Cup's all-time top scorer. You can see the full list of Icons below, along with their ratings. Icon Team Rating Pele Brazil 98 Diego Maradona Argentina 97 Ronaldo Brazil 94 Lev Yashin Russia 94 Thierry Henry France 93 Lothar Matthaus Germany 93 Bobby Moore England 92 Gary Lineker England 92 Carles Puyol Spain 92 Ronaldinho Brazil 91 Laurent Blanc France 91 Jay-Jay Okocha Nigeria 90 Rui Costa Portugal 90 Deco Portugal 90 Luis Hernandez Mexico 90 Miroslav Klose Germany 87 Hidetoshi Nakata Japan 86 FIFA 18 World Cup Player Ratings Argentina Overall rating: 84 Best player: Lionel Messi (94) Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (82), Geronimo Rulli (80), Nahuel Guzman (78) Defenders: Nicolas Otamendi (86), Federico Fazio (82), Marcos Rojo (81), Ezequiel Garay (81), Mateo Musacchio (81), Pablo Zabaleta (78), Gabriel Mercado (77), Ramiro Funes Mori (77), Facundo Roncaglia (76) Midfielders: Paulo Dybala (87), Javier Pastore (83), Lucas Biglia (82), Ever Banega (82), Javier Mascherano (81), Leandro Paredes (80), Roberto Pereyra (80), Fernando Belluschi (80), Augusto Fernandez (80), Enzo Perez (77) Forwards: Lionel Messi (94), Gonzalo Higuain (88), Sergio Aguero (87), Angel Di Maria (85), Mauro Icardi (85), Alejandro Gomez (84), Ezequiel Lavezzi (80), Eduardo Salvio (80), Angel Correa (80), Lucas Pratto (80), Marcos Acuna (79), Emiliano Rigoni (79), Dario Benedetto (79), Erik Lamela (78), Lautaro Acosta (78) Australia Overall rating: 71 Best players: Mathew Ryan, Aaron Mooy (76) Goalkeepers: Mathew Ryan (76), Mitchell Langerak (70), Danny Vukovic (69), Adam Federici (68), Mark Birighetti (66) Defenders: Aziz Behich (73), Mark Milligan (72), Trent Sainsbury (72), Baily Wright (70), James Meredith (69), Matthew Jurman (69), Matthew Spiranovic (69), Josh Risdon (69), Milos Degenek (69), Rhys Williams (69), Alex Wilkinson (69), Ryan McGowan (68), Alex Gersbach (67), Tarik Elrich (65) Midfielders: Aaron Mooy (76), Tom Rogic (74), Mathew Leckie (73), Robbie Kruse (72), Mile Jedinak (72), Massimo Luongo (72), Jackson Irvine (70), Tim Cahill (70), James Troisi (70), Tommy Oar (69), Ivan Franjic (67) Forwards: Jamie Maclaren (69), Tomi Juric (69), Apostolos Giannou (68), Nikita Rukavytsa (66) Belgium Overall rating: 83 Best players: Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard (90) Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (88), Simon Mignolet (80), Koen Casteels (78), Matz Sels (75) Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (84), Vincent Kompany (84), Jan Vertonghen (84), Thomas Vermaelen (80), Leander Dendoncker (77), Laurent Ciman (77), Christian Kabasele (76), Dedryk Boyata (75), Nicolas Lombaerts (74) Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (90), Axel Witsel (83), Yannick Carrasco (82), Moussa Dembele (82), Thomas Meunier (81), Marouane Fellaini (81), Radja Nainggolan (81), Steven Defour (80), Nacer Chadli (79), Youri Tielemans (79), Jordan Lukaku (75), Sebastian Pocognoli (70) Forwards: Eden Hazard (90), Dries Mertens (86), Romelu Lukaku (86), Michy Batshuayi (81), Christian Benteke (80), Thorgan Hazard (79), Kevin Mirallas (78), Divock Origi (78) Brazil Overall rating: 86 Best player: Neymar (93) Goalkeepers: Alisson (84), Ederson (83), Diego Alves (82), Cassio (77) Defenders: Miranda (87), Marcelo (87), Dani Alves (86), Thiago Silva (86), Marquinhos (85), Filipe Luis (85), Alex Sandro (84), David Luiz (84), Felipe (82), Jemerson (80), Gabriel Paulista (80), Danilo (79), Geromel (78), Fagner (77) Midfielders: Paulinho (87), Casemiro (86), Renato Augusto (85), Fernandinho (84), Oscar (83), Giuliano (83), Fabinho (83), Lucas Lima (82), Luiz Gustavo (81), Fred (81) Forwards: Neymar (93), Philippe Coutinho (88), Gabriel Jesus (85), Willian (85), Roberto Firmino (84), Hulk (83), Douglas Costa (83), Jonas (83), Taison (82), Lucas (82) Colombia Overall rating: 79 Best player: James Rodriguez (87) Goalkeepers: David Ospina (78), Camilo Vargas (75) Robinson Zapata (69)<doc-sep>FIFA 18 World Cup game: Top 10 rated legends in the new mode 12 Pele, Maradona and Ronaldinho feature as legendary players Ahead of this summer’s tournament, FIFA 18’s World Cup mode is now out and the complete set of legends have also been released. It’s no surprise that Pele and Diego Maradona are ranked as the top two players in history, however there is a shock Russian who is in joint third position with Brazil’s Ronaldo. You can also see the top 10 rated non-legendary players here. Scroll down to view the full ratings: =10: Ronaldinho (91 Rated) – Brazil =10: Laurent Blanc (91 Rated) – France =7: Carles Puyol (92 Rated) – Spain =7: Bobby Moore (92 Rated) – England =7: Gary Lineker (92 Rated) – England =5: Lothar Matthaus (93 Rated) – Germany =5: Thierry Henry (93 Rated) – France =3: Lev Yashin (94 Rated) – Russia =3: Ronaldo (94 Rated) – Brazil 2: Diego Maradona (97 Rated) – Argentina 1: Pele (98 Rated) – Brazil<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Click to play Tap to play Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter by email with the day's key headlines and transfer news Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice FIFA 18's new World Cup mode is now officially out. Bar a few squad hiccups , the free update appears to have been a success. Along with playing as your nation in the World Cup in all 12 stadiums in Russia, gamers also get the chance to play Ultimate Team. And to coincide with the update, EA have released 17 special World Cup Icons - including four new additions to FIFA 18 . Miroslav Klose, Hidetoshi Nakata, Gary Lineker and Bobby Moore have all seen themselves added to the game. (Image: EA SPORTS) (Image: EA SPORTS) Here's a breakdown of the Icons with their ratings in full... Pele - Brazil (Image: EA Sports) Diego Maradona - Argentina (Image: EA Sports) Ronaldo - Brazil (Image: EA Sports) Lev Yashin -Russia (Image: EA Sports) Thierry Henry - France (Image: EA Sports) Lothar Matthaus - Germany (Image: EA Sports) Bobby Moore - England (Image: EA Sports) Gary Lineker - England (Image: EA Sports) Carles Puyol - Spain (Image: EA Sports) Ronaldinho - Brazil (Image: EA Sports) Laurent Blanc - France (Image: EA Sports) Jay-Jay Okocha - Nigeria (Image: EA Sports) Rui Costa - Portugal (Image: EA Sports) Deco - Portugal (Image: EA Sports) Luis Hernandez - Mexico (Image: EA Sports) Miroslav Klose - Germany (Image: EA Sports) Hidetoshi Nakata - Japan<doc-sep>
EA Sports’ sixth World Cup game is the first made available free of charge, and as such can call itself groundbreaking before you’ve even lifted the controller. The small catch: you need to own FIFA 18 for it to automatically download. It’s an essential diversion for anyone who does, but what about those considering a purchase just to sample a virtual World Cup? That’s the main question we’re looking to tackle here. Modes wise, there are few surprises. You get a customisable World Cup finals recreation, and a bespoke version of Ultimate Team. ‘FUT’, as it’s commonly known, is the biggest mode in sports gaming, and its international remix should appeal to players both hardcore and casual given how swiftly you nab elite players. There’s no transfer market, but packs are generous, and within two nights’ play, FFT had amassed a squad boasting Manuel Neuer, Jan Vertonghen, Laurent Blanc, Marcelo, Diego Maradona and Alexandre Lacazette. Digne and bear it The key to sustained success is maximising chemistry by linking players from the same confederation – we’ve found Vertonghen’s fellow European Lucas Digne to work better at left-back than the more talented (but South American) Marcelo, and resolving those kinds of conundrums with no transfer market for easy fixes is the most fun aspect of the mode. With a smaller pool of players, depth issues are inevitable, but few are likely to care once they’ve nabbed Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and/or Mo Salah for nothing. Visually, World Cup mode deserves plaudits for its comprehensiveness. The famous gold trophy is in, as are kits and crests for each of the 32 qualifiers – and all 12 Russian stadia set to host matches over the summer. Kaliningrad is compact and intense, the Luzhniki in Moscow is cavernous yet imposing; such attention to detail isn’t as critical as on-pitch gameplay, but definitely makes the mode feel special. Updated player faces such as Salah (at last!) and Timo Werner are also welcome. But dig beyond the cosmetic and you uncover design shortcuts that stifle enjoyment. The 23-man squad limit doesn’t exist; get to the World Cup final with England and you can draft in Harry Winks or Luke Shaw regardless of having used 23 (or more!) players elsewhere in the tournament. Subs benches are limited to seven players, there’s no reduction in fitness from playing matches, and even the ‘customisable’ World Cup disappoints – you’re limited to swapping in national sides already on the FIFA 18 team list. The latter issue highlights the biggest omission of all: World Cup qualifying. Going back to EA’s first World Cup sim in 1998, a major pull has always been making the finals as Malta or Vanuatu after negotiating a comprehensive qualifying campaign. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of World Cup 2014 remained true to this tradition, but it’s finally been axed. That’s a huge loss for traditionalists. Late equalisers The positive we’ve left to last is a raft of small but important on-field improvements which freshen things up even if you’ve amassed 500+ games of FIFA 18. The action itself has been slowed down a step, reducing the effectiveness of teams built around pace alone, and many small annoyances from the club game are gone – for instance, keepers now miss the ball completely on occasions when coming for a cross under pressure. A new running clock which displays added time on 45 and 90 minutes is also a little detail that smartly apes real TV presentation. Such tweaks certainly bode well for FIFA 19 – and in areas this is a strong accompaniment to the real thing, worth a few pick-up-and-play FUT matches when you’re done watching Australia vs Peru. But as a standalone purchase, made for World Cup mode alone? Sadly, lack of depth makes it impossible to recommend on that front. Despite abundant promise, this is only third-place play-off class. 4 things we love… New faces Werner, Salah, Ederson, Casemiro, Shatov: over 20 new or revised faces have been added, with EA clearly listening to fan demands even at this stage of FIFA 18. Slow ’n steady A significant reduction in game speed makes for a simulation where tactical nous finally amounts to more than ‘90+ PACE in every position’. Russian atmosphere Stadiums, kits, badges, stats overlays, even the occasional manager likeness such as Joachim Low: as you’d expect from EA, it certainly looks like the real thing.