FIFA 18 Team of the Season: Release dates, squad information & more

The end of the domestic season is always a favoured time for FIFA players, with Teams of the Season being released for all the major leagues as well as the rest of the world.

This allows gamers to get their hands on high-rated versions of the game's biggest stars, which tend to be much more affordable than the chosen XI for the Team of the Year in January.

The Team of the Season period usually begins in early May, but because of the World Cup expansion this year, EA Sports has confirmed that it will begin on April 27.

In the past, it has always started with the Most Consistent Team of the Season before releasing squads for individual leagues or combined league panels such as Benelux or the Football League.

Goal explains the various Teams of the Season and looks at which players might be chosen for the 23-man squads.

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Most Consistent Team of the Season

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The first Team of the Season squads released each year are for the most consistent players who have not received an in-form version of their normal card during the season. This also includes special cards like Man of the Match but may not consider the Scream items from Halloween or Christmas Squad Building Challenge rewards. 

In previous versions, three Most Consistent Teams of the Season are released, one each for the three card levels: gold, silver and bronze. The squads are made up of players who put in good performances for their teams on a regular basis but were not included in any of the Teams of the Week during the season.

The Team of the Week usually rewards players who have scored multiple goals or defenders who keep a clean sheet and score a goal in the same gameweek. As a result, players who score regularly but usually only one goal-a-game, or players who provide assists but not goals, or even defensive midfielders who are crucial to a side's gameplan but not involved around the box, are often overlooked for Team of the Week but then make the Most Consistent Team of the Season.

This year, there is just one squad which was chosen by users of popular FIFA Ultimate Team sites FUTHead and FUTWiz, and will be decided from a shortlist of 100 players who have not received an in-form this season, called the Community Team of the Season, and released on April 27.

It includes some very highly-rated players including Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini and Barcelona duo Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets. Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has received a pace upgrade in his Team of the Season edition, now with an explosive 97 pace score.

Usually, the players included in the Most Consistent or Community TOTS then re-appear in the squads from their individual leagues, so expect Bayern Munich's Niklas Sule and Javi Martinez to be included in the Bundesliga Team of the Season, and Fabinho and Thomas Lemar to make the cut in Ligue 1.

As well as the Community TOTS, EA Sports also released the EFL Team of the Season on April 27, containing all the top performers from the Championship, League One and League Two.

In addition, instead of a Rest of the World Team of the Season this year, there will be 50 players from all over the globe released over the course of five weeks, available through Squad Building Challenges and in-game achievements and tournaments.

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Premier League Team of the Season

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The Premier League Team of the Season is one of the biggest and most popular squads at the end of the year due to the sheer number of FIFA 18 gamers who use Premier League sides in FIFA Ultimate Team.

This year's Premier League Team of the Season is unsurprisingly headlined by top scorer Mohamed Salah, who receives a 98-rated upgrade, while Sergio Aguero and David de Gea have 97-rated versions.

Manchester City's dominance in the English top flight also means they are strongly represented in the starting XI, substitutes and reserves. Nicolas Otamendi, Kyle Walker, Kevin de Bruyne, Fernandinho, David Silva and Aguero are all among the starters, with Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane included as part of the larger squad.

The other two stars of Liverpool's attacking trio make the cut, with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino getting ratings boosts. Manchester United are strongly represented too, as De Gea, Nemanja Matic, Ashley Young and Romelu Lukaku are included.

Burnley's Nick Pope is a surprise candidate, while three of Tottenham's biggest names make the starting XI: Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane.

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La Liga Team of the Season

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La Liga always tends to have some of the highest rated players in FIFA in its end-of-season panel, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo included each year.

This year is no different as the FIFA 18 La Liga Team of the Season has an unstoppable attack, including 99-rated Ronaldo, 98-rated Messi and a 96-rated Antoine Griezmann.

The starting XI is so strong, there is no room for Luis Suarez, who is resigned to a spot on the bench. League winners Barcelona have five players in the full squad, while Real Madrid have five representatives as well.

Atletico Madrid's push for second place sees them secure three of the spaces in the starting XI, with Lucas Hernandez and Saul playing behind Griezmann. Their excellent defence sees Jan Oblak, Diego Godin and Filipe Luis included on the bench.

Further down the table, Celta Vigo's Iago Aspas and Valencia duo Goncalo Guedes and Rodrigo are also rewarded for impressive seasons with their respective clubs.

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Ligue 1 Team of the Season

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Ligue 1 now has the most expensive player in the world, and he will surely be the marquee selection in their end-of-season squad. Neymar's base card is rated at 92-overall and has already received two Team of the Week versions to take him to 95, meaning a 98 or 99 Neymar in the Ligue 1 TOTS is a definite possibility.

PSG team-mate Edinson Cavani was chosen as the reward for completing the Ligue 1 Squad Building Challenges with an untradeable 90-rated version, and his end-of-year card will surely have a few extra points on top of this score. He currently leads the Ligue 1 scoring charts after becoming PSG's highest ever goalscorer.

Radamel Falcao is having a similarly impressive season for Monaco, while Nabil Fekir of Lyon is guaranteed a spot in the 23-man squad. Kamil Glik and Luis Gustavo could both also be included, while Kylian Mbappe could earn a place on the bench.

Ligue 1 winners PSG will likely have the most players in the team, with Marco Verratti and Dani Alves possibly joining Neymar, Cavani and Mbappe.

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Serie A Team of the Season

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Unlike the other major leagues in Europe, the race for Serie A proved a tight one, with both Napoli and Juventus vying for the title. As a result, the Serie A Team of the Season (or Calcio A Team of the Season as it is known in FIFA 18) should be a more diverse selection, while the top three players in the top scorer race are from teams further down the table.

Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain have been sharing the goals for Juventus, leaving Lazio's Ciro Immobile at the top of the goalscoring charts. Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi and Sampdoria's Fabio Quagliarella both have been hot in front of goal, while Dries Mertens of Napoli has been one of the league's standout performers.

Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has received rave reviews this season, which has also seen him pick up multiple Team of the Week cards. His second in-form is one of the most well-rounded midfielders in FIFA 18, so a Team of the Season card would be brilliant in the middle of the park.

Napoli and Juventus's impressive showings this season are also thanks to their ability to keep goals out, with both averaging much less than a goal-per-game conceded. Pepe Reina and Gianluigi Buffon could be eligible for inclusion, while their defenders are surely under consideration.

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Bundesliga Team of the Season

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's exit from the Bundesliga meant Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski easily won the top scorer award, which will be his third Torjagerkanone since 2013-14. He is the highest rated player in the FIFA 18 Bundesliga Team of the Season, having picked up a 97-rated version for his 29 goals in 30 games.

Lewandowski's goals have helped Bayern win another league title, but their success in the Bundesliga is also thanks to performances from all over the pitch. Right-back Joshua Kimmich has picked up where Philipp Lahm left off, while James Rodriguez has hit the ground running in his first season in Germany.

Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey has been one of the breakthrough players of the season, with Thorgan Hazard impressive for Borussia Monchengladbach, leading to both players being linked with moves to bigger clubs.

With Manuel Neuer injured for most of the season, other goalkeepers have stood out in the Bundesliga. Eintracht Frankfurt surprised many to reach the DFB-Pokal final and compete for a place in Europe, with Lukas Hradecky's clean sheets turning them into contenders. Werder Bremen's Jiri Pavlenka is included on the bench with an upgraded 91-overall card.

Marco Reus's return from injury and Michy Batshuayi's instant impact after being loaned to Borussia Dortmund made them surprise inclusions in the squad, with Reus's 96-rated upgrade the second-highest rated player in the panel.

Unlike some of the other leagues which are selected by EA Sports, the Bundesliga Team of the Season is chosen through a fan vote on the official Bundesliga website. Fans are asked to choose from three players in each position, creating a 4-4-2 side, with many of the names missing out on the starting XI included on the bench or in the reserves.

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Rest of the World Team of the Season

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Unlike previous editions of FIFA, the best players from other leagues around the world are being released in five batches of 10 players in a top 50 list rather than in a combined squad.

Every week, one player is available via special challenges in game, while the other nine can be acquired through Squad Building Challenges (SBCs) and then bought or sold on the transfer market.

The final 10 players will be released at the end of May before the World Cup download becomes available.