FIFA 23 Heroes: New Heroes, World Cup, And More

You might be wondering what the FIFA 23 Heroes concept will look like if you've played and enjoyed the Ultimate Team game mode, as they were one of the new additions in the most recent title. Like Icons, Hero cards in FIFA act as a way to bring retired players back into the game, with cards that are supposed to represent them in their prime. So, to find out everything we currently know about the FIFA 23 Heroes, including information about any new heroes or World Cup tie-ins, make sure to carry on reading.

• Get prepared and set your alarms by checking out our FIFA 23 release date guide.

What Are Heroes In FIFA Ultimate Team?

If you're unfamiliar with what FIFA 23 Heroes will actually be, however, it might be best to start out with a quick explainer. 

Hero cards are special cards in Ultimate Team that act like Icon cards, only on a reduced scale. They are specially reserved for players that perhaps don't quite reach icon status, but are still regarded as prolific players - especially in the context of their domestic careers. Players like Antonio Di Natale, Mario Gomez, and Freddie Ljungberg have all been included as FUT Heroes, and have cards that are supposed to capture their career in a bottle.

Heroes operate on a similar ground to Icons in regard to chemistry, but with a couple of key differences. Instead of soft linking to everyone as a base ground like Icons, Hero cards give a soft link to anyone from the same country as them, but a strong link to any card from the same league. This makes them work especially well in league-based hybrid squads, as they can allow you to include players that would otherwise struggle to fit in.

Furthermore, various FUT Hero cards received promo-based upgrades across the course of the year to keep them in line with the power curve, with promos like Captains and Shapeshifters offering you the ability to continue using your favourite retired players.

• Learn how to get FIFA 23 early access if you want a head start over your friends.

Will FIFA 22 Heroes Be In FIFA 23?

It is likely that all of the pre-existing FUT Hero cards from FIFA 22 will carry over into FIFA 23 and continue to be used. Typically the only reason specific special cards like Icons or Heroes don't carry over is if there is either some controversy surrounding them like we are probably going to see with Diego Maradonna, or they are actively involved in politics, as was the case with George Weah.

Therefore, the players that will likely carry over to the FIFA 23 Heroes roster will be:

• Fernando Morientes (89, ST, La Liga)
• Abedi Pelé (89, CAM, Ligue 1)
• David Ginola (89, LM, Ligue 1)
• Jürgen Kohler (89, CB, Bundesliga)
• Antonio Di Natale (88, ST, Serie A)
• Diego Milito (88, ST, Serie A)
• Mario Gomez (88, ST, Bundesliga)
• Iván Córdoba (87, CB, Serie A)
• Jorge Campos (87, GK, Liga BBVA MX)
• Joe Cole (87, RW, Premier League)
• Ole Gunnar Solskjær (86, ST, Premier League)
• Robbie Keane (86, ST, Premier League)
• Jerzy Dudek (86, GK, Premier League)
• Aleksandr Mostovoi (86, CAM, La Liga)
• Sami Al-Jaber (86, ST, MBS Pro League)
• Freddie Ljungberg (LM, 86, Premier League)
• Tim Cahill (85, ST, Premier League)
• Lars Ricken (85, CAM, Bundesliga)
• Clint Dempsey (85, CAM, MLS)

What we could see, however, are a couple of position changes, stat tweaks, and even maybe a league shift too. Some players are wanting to see someone like Ginola make the switch to the Premier League, commemorating his time at Newcastle and Spurs, or returning Ljungberg to his natural right-sided position.

• Check out the FIFA 22 Season 8 Storyline players list to see what you can grind towards.

FIFA 23 New Heroes

There are, however, a couple of new FIFA 23 Heroes being added to the game thankfully, and they are hopefully just a glimpse of what we will see in the lead-up to release. The following new FIFA 23 Heroes have been officially confirmed to be joining the roster when the game releases in September:

• Yaya Touré (89, Premier League) - The Citadel
• Park Ji-Sung (87, Premier League) - Tigerheart
• Ricardo Carvalho (89, Premier League) - The Anticipator
• Claudio Marchisio (88, Serie A) - Il Principino
• Landon Donovan (88, MLS) - The Brave
• Diego Forlán (91, La Liga) - Sunstrike
• Lúcio (90, Bundesliga) - The Thunder
• Rafael Márquez (89, La Liga) - El Kaiser
• Javier Mascherano (89, Premier League) - Octob-Boss
• Peter Crouch (86, Premier League) - The Robot
• Tomas Brolin (89, Serie A) - The Tornado
• Harry Kewell (88, Premier League) - The Wizard of Aus
• Jean Pierre-Papin (90, Ligue 1) - The Acrobat
• Dirk Kuyt (88, Premier League) - The Energizer
• Sidney Govou (87, Ligue 1) - The Lion of Lyon
• Rudi Völler (91, Serie A) - The Flying German
• Hidetoshi Nakata (88, Serie A) - Stealth Agent
• Jay-Jay Okocha (89, Ligue 1) - Double Take
• Joan Capdevila (88, La Liga) - The Backfield Bull
• Włodzimierz Smolarek (88, Eredivisie) - Phase Shift
• Saeed Al-Owairan (88, MBS Pro League) - The Emerald Falcon

Fans have been clamouring for a Yaya Touré card in Ultimate Team for years, and he will certainly join Park Ji-Sung in dominating the midfield of many teams in FIFA 23. Furthermore, those looking to shore up their defence will likely welcome Ricardo Carvalho into their squad, looking to recreate his heroics as part of the record-breaking Chelsea defence that still remains unbroken to this day.

Claudio Marchisio is also the first new FIFA 23 Hero to be officially revealed from outside the Premier League, and he will certainly be a mainstay for anyone looking to make a Serie A team. It wouldn't be surprising if he joined Yaya Touré in having potentially all face stats over 80, making him a complete midfielder capable of pretty much everything. 

Additionally, as there is confirmed to be a FIFA 23 World Cup game mode, alongside it of course comes Ultimate Team content, and the FUT Heroes are directly tied into that. EA has announced that an additional special World Cup based FUT Hero card will be released for each existing Hero card in the game, potentially with some stat boosts to go alongside the new card design.

What exactly this new World Cup Hero card entails we are yet to discover, but it could potentially include features like links to other potential World Cup cards, strong links to players from their country instead of league, or maybe boosts based around specific World Cup moments.

FIFA 23 Heroes Marvel Crossover

In news that will both delight and confuse a fair chunk of FIFA and Marvel fans out there, the two companies have combined to make the World Cup Heroes variants a bit more special.

From what it seems, the World Cup versions of each Hero card will be superhero themed in some form, with a unique illustrated dynamic image to represent their heroic actions for their respective nations. Monikers like 'Sunstrike', 'The Brave', and 'Tigerheart' have also been assigned to each currently confirmed FIFA 23 World Cup Hero card, giving that extra bit of flair.

Furthermore, additonal cosmetic items like tifos, kits, and balls will be available as part of this collaboration, so if you're a fan of the superhero aesthetic, then you'll definitely want to check the FIFA 23 Marvel crossover out.

• Check out this full list of the FIFA 23 wonderkids right here.

FIFA 23 Heroes Ratings

Despite the primary focus being on the World Cup versions of the FIFA 23 Heroes, their 'standard' versions will be what players will first become acquainted with. 

Thankfully, on the eve of the FIFA 23 Web App release time, EA has finally revealed the ratings and stats for each of the new Heroes' standard cards. Lúcio, Papin, and Völler sit at the top of the list, sharing a rating of 89, but plenty of the new Heroes look primed and ready to slot into any team.

Here's a full list of the standard ratings for the new FIFA 23 Heroes:

• Lúcio - 89
• Papin - 89
• Völler - 89
• Forlán - 88
• Marquez - 88
• Mascherano - 88
• Okocha - 88
• Carvalho - 88
• Brolin - 87
• Kewell - 87
• Touré - 87
• Marchisio - 87
• Nakata - 87
• Donovan - 86
• Capdevila - 86
• Govou - 86
• Kuyt - 86
• Park Ji-sung - 86
• Smolarek - 86
• Al Owairan - 85
• Crouch - 85

That wraps up everything we currently know about FIFA 23 Heroes though, letting you know which Hero cards will be returning and debuting in the newest entry of the series. If you're wanting to read about some more new features though, make sure to check out which FIFA 23 women's clubs will be joining the game too when it releases.