Temwa Chawinga and Barbra Banda have garnered the highest player ratings of any African player, male or female, in the latest edition of EA Sports’ FC football video game series, FC27. On Monday, a list of 54 players with the best overall ratings in the upcoming EA Sports FC27 was published, comprising as many male as female footballers.
EA Sports FC is the most popular and widely anticipated football video game series, which started as FIFA International Soccer in 1993 before dropping the FIFA name in 2023 after Electronic Arts’ partnership with the world’s football governing body came to an end.
Chawinga, with an overall rating of 89, is the outright highest-rated African player, male or female, in the video game, getting an upgrade from the 86 she had in EA Sports FC26. This comes on the back of an impressive 2025 NWSL campaign with KC Current, where she retained the Golden Boot after scoring 15 goals in 23 matches.
The Malawian striker has had an impeccable start to the year in the United States, netting nine goals in 11 league matches. And more impressively, she led Malawi to their first ever WAFCON final, earning them a silver medal and qualification to their first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup after scoring a Golden Boot-clinching five goals in six games.
Her Southern African counterpart, Barbra Banda, who also netted five goals at the WAFCON 2026, was given an overall rating of 88, climbing from 85. The Zambian striker has had an explosive start to the 2026 NWSL season with Orlando Pride, leading the scoring charts in the United States with 12 goals.
Banda claimed the CAF Women’s Player of the Year in 2024, establishing herself as one of the best women’s footballers on the planet. The current holder of the men’s version of that award, Achraf Hakimi, completes the trio and is the highest-rated male African footballer in EA Sports FC27 with an overall rating of 88.
Hakimi highest ranked African male
The Moroccan defender had a successful campaign with Paris Saint Germain helping them retain the UEFA Champions League before enjoying another impressive FIFA World Cup with the Atlas Lions, who reached the quarterfinals in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is joined by Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe at the top of the overall ratings, earning 91 each. With seven goals in five matches, Erling Haaland spearheaded Norway to the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage, where they defeated Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil.
Meanwhile, Mbappe stole all the headlines with France, with a ten-goal showing, which saw him become the FIFA World Cup all-time topscorer with 22 goals.
Alexia Putellas, an FC Barcelona and Spain icon, who recently earned a move to London, got an EA Sports FC27 overall rating of 91, more than any other female player.
EA Sports is set to continue the release of overall player ratings for the rest of the players over the course of the next few days.
