College Football 26 update: Massive upgrade in player compensation for athletes in new edition of EA Sports game

College Football 26 will return this summer after massive success last season. The EA Sports game became one of the highest-selling video games of all time in dollars after it returned to market following a long hiatus of 10 years. It was expected to be the next big thing but the levels it has reached were something unprecedented.

Seeing the popularity of the game, EA Sports announced earlier this year that a new edition of the game will return in 2026, which will have new features and see massive upgrades to its existing theme.

Moreover, as per the latest reports, College Football 25’s success will reflect on the paychecks of athletes who will feature in the upcoming addition.

The gaming giant has nearly doubled payments for every player slated to become part of the game. Chris Vannini of The Athletic disclosed this news on Tuesday by revealing the figures and decision made by the board members:

“Players will be paid a lot more money for appearing in this year’s edition of EA Sports’ college football video game.

"In an email to Football Bowl Subdivision players sent Tuesday afternoon, EA Sports said it would increase players’ name, image and likeness payments from $600 to $1,500 for their inclusion in the upcoming College Football 26 video game."

Similarly, the players will also get a deluxe edition of the game like that of the previous year and additional compensation for the promotions and advertisements as brand ambassadors of the game.

College football 26 will boost NIL opportunities, per EA Sports official

The move to double the payments of participants will be significant in all aspects. It provides new opportunities for athletes to explore their opportunities via NIL and a boost for every college featured in the game.

According to Sean O’Brien of EA Sports, who serves as VP of business development, this move promotes the idea of athelete-first approach and never-ending NIL opportunities for the players:

“From the beginning, we’ve designed our NIL program to be accessible, direct, voluntary and equitable for all, offering the same base-level compensation to every FBS athlete that opts-in using the OneTeam platform and COMPASS NIL app.

"This approach empowers each athlete to make their own decision. College sports are growing and changing."

College Football 26 will follow a similar trail as that of 25 with modified features and themes. New players will be added as per the team rosters. The official announcement for cover athletes this season is still awaited.