# Unlocking the 96-Rated Rio Ngumoha: Tactical Efficiency in EA Sports FC 26 Season 9

**By Tomás Ferreira**  \nPublished August 5, 2026  \nUpdated September 9, 2026

> Season 9 of EA Sports FC 26 brings a high-value grind with the National Pride objective, rewarding players with a 96-rated Rio Ngumoha. Here is how to complete all five tasks in the fewest matches possible.

The arrival of Season 9 in *EA Sports FC 26* has injected fresh content into Ultimate Team, highlighted by the National Pride objective set. Centered around a free, untradeable 96-rated special card for Rio Ngumoha—a young talent making waves following his move to Liverpool's academy—the promotion offers more than just raw pace and technical ability on the wing. Completing these milestones also counts directly toward unlocking the 98-rated FUTTIES Lampard Icon, turning a standard grind into an essential tactical pipeline for end-game squad building.

Approaching this objective set piecemeal is a recipe for wasted hours. Success hinges entirely on structural overlap: building a single starting eleven that satisfies multiple criteria at once.

## Architecting the Optimal Matchday Squad

To clear the five National Pride requirements with maximum efficiency, your starting lineup must balance nationality, league origin, and card acquisition history. The core prerequisites demand:

- **At least 6 English players** in your starting eleven.
- **1 LM (left midfielder)** as a preferred position player.
- **At least 2 Premier League players** in your starting eleven.
- **At least 6 first-owned players** (cards packed or earned, excluding transfer market purchases).English Premier League players naturally satisfy both the England and Premier League criteria simultaneously. Build your core around them, then fill out the remaining slots with first-owned options to tackle the win totals without restructuring your bench.A critical trap for many players is the first-owned requirement. Making sudden transfers between sessions can inadvertently break your count, rendering matches invalid for the milestone progression. Double-check your squad filter before queuing up.

## The Five National Pride Tasks

The objective set comprises five distinct challenges that can be completed across Squad Battles (on a minimum of Semi-Pro difficulty), Division Rivals, Champions Finals, or Live Events:

- **It's Coming Home:** Play 5 matches with at least 6 England players in your starting eleven.
- **Score 5:** Score 5 goals using an LM with a preferred position.
- **Win 3:** Win 3 matches by 3 goals or more with 2 Premier League players in your starting eleven.
- **Squeaky Clean:** Keep 5 clean sheets.
- **Win 8:** Win 8 matches with a minimum of 6 first-owned players in your starting eleven.

## Match Execution and Chronology

By deploying the recommended hybrid squad on Squad Battles Semi-Pro difficulty, players can compress the timeline drastically. Matches one through five should be approached with an emphasis on dominant scorelines. Winning by three or more goals per match clears *It's Coming Home*, chips away at the *Win 3* and *Win 8* tallies, and registers clean sheets simultaneously.

For the individual scoring requirement, ensure your left midfielder is actively involved in build-up play inside the 18-yard box, utilizing them as a secondary striker or pushing them forward during set-piece routines. Five goals across a minimum of eight matches is an easily manageable threshold if prioritized early.

The primary bottleneck for most competitors is not the goal margins, but rather *Squeaky Clean*. While AI opponents on Semi-Pro difficulty attack infrequently, defensive focus can occasionally lapse late in matches. If your win total outpaces your clean sheets toward the end of the grind, shift to a conservative 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 formation featuring dual defensive midfielders, and avoid aggressive pressing when protecting a late lead.

## The Reward Yield

Beyond securing the 96-rated Rio Ngumoha, finishing the objective delivers substantial collateral value. Players receive 500 SP and a 5x 88+ Rare Gold Players Pack. In the current *FC 26* meta, high-rated rare gold fodder packs of this caliber provide crucial resources for clearing top-tier Squad Building Challenges or fueling ongoing promotional evolutions such as the *Make Your National Pride Star* evolution chain.

## Sources

- [Larc](https://games.gg/ea-sports-fc-26/guides/fc-26-how-to-complete-national-pride-ngumoha/) — original
- [Sobre](https://xeber.world/pt/artigo/fc-26-lista-completa-dos-jogadores-do-fof-nacional-pride-e-contagem-regressiva-p-2891e8) — original
- [uk.moyens.net](https://uk.moyens.net/gaming/guides/fc-26-fof-national-pride-players-release-countdown/) — original
- [Aakash Regmi Contributor](https://realsport101.com/article/fc-26-make-your-national-pride-evolution-guide-best-players-how-to-get-5th-ps) — original
- [moddingway.com](https://www.moddingway.com/fut/news/9677/glory-hunters-land-in-ea-fc-26) — original
- [FUT Mind](https://futmind.com/articles/14314/fc-26-national-pride-ngumoha-objective-how-to-unlock-rio-ngumoha) — original
- [GilangMainFIFA](https://soccergaming.com/ea-sports-fc-26-festival-of-football-national-pride-players-leaked/) — original