Best FIFA 22 Ultimate Team starter squad

Nathan Warby
FIFA 22 starter squad

Building the perfect FUT squad is no easy task, especially at the beginning when coins are hard to come by. So, we’ve put together the best starter squad in FIFA 22 Ultimate Team that won’t break the bank.

FIFA Ultimate Team is a marathon, not a sprint. Although fans go into every new season dreaming of squads full of ICONS and Ones to Watches, this just isn’t possible right away.

Even those who have put in work on the Web App might not have raised the coins to have a team full of superstars in the early stages of the season.

With that in mind, we’ve put together the best team to get your FUT journey started in FIFA 22.

Table of contents

Chelsea players behind FIFA 22 logo

FIFA 22 Ultimate Team starter defenders

Goalkeeper is the one position on Ultimate Team that you have no control over, so really it all comes down to the one with the best overall stats. Early on, we’ve gone for Arsenal’s Bernd Leno, who has great reflexes despite his modest 84 rating.

When it comes to defenders, pace is the name of the game. Most starter squads contain extremely pacey attackers, so it’s important to have a backline that can keep up when the ball is played in behind.

That’s why we’ve picked Antonio Rudiger and Lucas Klostermann as a center-back pairing. Both have pace stats of 75 or above, but their relatively low ratings mean their price is nowhere near the likes of Van Dijk.

Full-backs are all about keeping an opponent’s wingers in check. Nico Schulz has plenty of pace to bail himself out of tricky situations and Thomas Meunier has been handed a solid all-round card perfect for the early weeks.

Theo Hernandez dribbling the ball in FIFA 22

FUT 22 starter midfielders

The midfield is arguably the most important area of the pitch, as it gives your team balance between attack and defense. At launch, the top CAMs and CDMs will require a lot of coins, but there are plenty of solid cards that will set you on the right path.

Ilaky Gundogan’s low pace means he’s a steal for 85 rated card, with an engine chemistry style he can be the perfect man to pull the strings.

Pairing him with Dortmund’s Emre Can will provide your defense with cover, thanks to his unral physical and defending stats.

For a more attacking player, we’ve opted for Chelsea’s Mason Mount. EA gave him nice passing and dribbling stats for the early game, but upgrades to players like Phil Foden will likely mean that Mount’s price will stay low throughout the year.

Mason Mount in FIFA

FIFA 22 Ultimate Team starter attackers

Picking cheap players that can still do the business at the top end of the pitch can be difficult, as many of the best goalscorers and wingers keep the price for many months. However, there are still some devastating attackers that won’t set you back too much.

Bearing in mind chemistry links to the midfield, Christian Pulisic will be the perfect early option on the left-wing. His pace and dribbling stats will make it much easier to get around opposing full-backs, and his shooting can easily be buffed by a Deadeye or Hunter chemistry style.

On the right, Leroy Sane is overpowered once again. His stats far outweigh his 84 rating, with blistering pace and nimble dribbling making him perfect on the counter-attack.

Though the middle you’ll want someone who is still effective against the overpowered center-backs that other teams will have. We’ve gone for Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus, whose 83 rated card has been a staple in professional teams in the early weeks.

Anthony Martial in FIFA

FIFA 22 Ultimate Team full starter squad

For the sake of getting everybody on full chemistry, we’ve selected a 4-3-3 formation. However, this can be changed in-game using custom tactics to any lineup that suits your playstyle.

Some of the players can be seen to be on nine chemistry instead of the maximum 10. This can be fixed by picking a Premier League or Bundesliga manager, or earning loyalty after 10 matches.

Check out our full FIFA 22 starter squad below.

  • GK – Bernd Leno (Arsenal)
  • RB – Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund)
  • CB – Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea)
  • CB – Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig)
  • LB – Nico Schulz (Borussia Dortmund)
  • CM – Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund)
  • CM – Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)
  • CM – Mason Mount (Chelsea)
  • RW – Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
  • ST – Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
  • LW – Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
FIFA 22 starter team

That was our guide on the best XI to get your FUT 22 season off to the perfect start.

For more on FIFA 22 Ultimate Team, check out our guides on the best goalkeepers, full-backs, defenders, midfielders, and strikers you should buy this year.

Image credits: EA / FUTBIN

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About The Author

Nathan is a Senior Writer for CharlieIntel and Dexerto, primarily covering FIFA and Call of Duty, as well as general gaming news and guides. After leaving university with a degree in Sports Studies and a master's degree in Magazine Journalism, he took on a role as a local news reporter before moving into games media. You can contact Nathan by email at [email protected].