FIFA 21 Winter Refresh countdown: start time, predictions, leaks

EA SPORTS may well be on the verge of unveiling the next Winter Refresh event, which will see FIFA 21 cards upgraded thanks to real-life performances from players. Here’s everything we know about the 2021 promo event so far.

Ultimate Team this year has been flooded with new and returning promos.

These limited-time events are what Ultimate Team club owners look forward to, with new packs being made available with special cards each time. Most recently, we’ve had events like Player Days, the live-card “What If” promo, and of course flash-forward event Future Stars.

Next week, we should be celebrating FUT with FIFA’s yearly Birthday promo.

Before that, however, there’s a good chance EA whips out the “refresh” event to bridge the gap. The annual roster overhaul sees FIFA 21 players bumped up (and sometimes down) in ratings based on live performances.

Here’s everything we know about the returning event so far.

EA SPORTS

Winter Refresh will celebrate some of the best performers in world football across the season.

When does FIFA 21 Winter Refresh start?

If EA SPORTS decides to pull the trigger, we should see the Winter Refresh promo begin on March 12.

FIFA 21 events have been starting around 6pm GMT (5am AET, 10am PT, 1pm ET) in Ultimate Team, so if the “refresh” promo begins, we will start seeing player cards, updates, and of course pack specials start around that time in-game.

• Read More: FIFA 21 “What If” promo revealed

This is not an official timeline as EA has not yet confirmed the event, though it’s likely accurate – give or take a few days – based on FIFA 20’s schedule.

Winter Refresh card design

The card design for a number of new promo cards have been very similar to that of FIFA 20, so we don’t expect the FIFA 21 event to change too much. Examples of this would be the Road to the Final cards, which barely altered.

Here’s how they looked last year, with a cool blue color.

EA SPORTS

Here’s how the promo team itself shaped up last year, with special cards.

What’s included in Winter Refresh?

There’s a number of changes players can expect to see as part of the Winter Refresh promo, based on last year’s event. This includes the following:

• Ratings changes
• New players
• Winter Refresh promo team
• ICON Moments
• Winter Refresh Objectives & SBCs

Predictions for Winter Refresh 2021 – Ratings Upgrades

The Winter Refresh promotion celebrates players who performed well in the first half of the season. Last year, EA SPORTS released a proper Winter Refresh promotion team instead of Winter OTW Squads. It helped the cards have a longer shelf-life, which was lacking in the older system. 

Fortunately, it will be the same this year, too. A minimum of 50 players will receive upgrades between +1 and +3. However, they will only apply to new base items found in packs.

• Read More: FIFA 21 Carniball 2021 countdown

Below, we have included a handful of predictions – based on performances throughout the calendar year of 2020.

• Jack Grealish
• Ferran Torres
• Hirving Lozano
• Erling Haaland
• Youri Tielemans
• Heung-Min Son
• Dominic Calvert-Lewin
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic
• Moise Kean
• Jan Oblak
• Édouard Mendy
• Jude Bellingham
• Hakan Calhanhoglu
• Wesley Fofana
• Pedro Neto
• James Ward-Prowse
• Romelu Lukaku
• Mitchel Bakker
• Eduardo Camavinga
• Alphonso Davies
• Denzel Dumfries
• Luis Alberto
• Bukayo Saka
• Dominik Szoboszlai
• Dejan Kulusevski
• Marcos Llorente
• Patrick Bamford
• Wout Weghorst

EA SPORTS

Breakout Arsenal midfielder Bukayo Saka could be among the “refreshed” FIFA 21 players.

FIFA 21 Winter Refresh Leaks

As of March 11, 2021, nothing has been leaked for the event. Should any leaks surface, we’ll be the first to let you know.