With five of six matchdays now complete in the 2020-21 Champions League group stage, nine teams have already qualified for the last 16.
To celebrate the best players in the tournament so far, EA Sports is releasing the Team of the Group Stage in FIFA 21.
This will feature upgraded versions of players who have stood out during the five matchdays, rewarding players who have consistently impressed during the group stage.
On this page
- What is FIFA 21 Team of the Group Stage?
- When is the FIFA 21 Team of the Group Stage released?
- Which players will be in the FIFA 21 Team of the Group Stage?
- What players are available in Objectives and Squad Building Challenges?
What is FIFA 21 Team of the Group Stage?
Each year, FIFA 21 reveals the Team of the Group Stage for the Champions League, containing the best performers from the tournament so far.
The Team of the Group Stage (TOTGS) also includes some players from the Europa League, but contains a majority of players from the Champions League.
Players who have received Champions League Road to the Final (RTTF) cards are usually not included in the Team of the Group Stage as these players will get an upgrade if their team qualifies for the knockout stage.
When is the FIFA 21 Team of the Group Stage released?
The FIFA 21 Team of the Group Stage was released on Friday, December 4.
TOTGS players is available in packs from 6 pm GMT on December 4, while additional upgraded players will also be available from Objectives and Squad Building Challenges.
There probably will not be two TOTGS squads this season despite previous promotions in FIFA 21 featured staggered release dates where all the promotional cards were not released at the same time.
This is due to the fact that FUTmas is likely to begin on Friday, December 11.
Which players will be in the FIFA 21 Team of the Group Stage?
The Team of the Group Stage usually contains the top scorers from the tournament so far as well as players from teams who have qualified for the last 16.
This season's top scorers are Marcus Rashford, Erling Haaland and Alvaro Morata, and all three have been included.
Olivier Giroud's four-goal performance for Chelsea may have come too late for him to make the first squad, but he could be rewarded with a special moments card for his showing against Sevilla.
Kevin De Bruyne has contributed the most assists so far in the competition and has received a 92-rated upgrade for TOTGS.
Lionel Messi is the highest-rated player released in TOTGS with a 95-rated version, while Joshua Kimmich and Bruno Fernandes are also rated 90.
Three Europa League players have also been included in the squad.
CF: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) - 95 OVR
CM: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) - 92 OVR
CM: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) - 90 OVR
CAM: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) - 90 OVR
LW: Raheem Sterling (Man City) - 89 OVR
GK: Keylor Navas (Paris Saint-Germain) - 88 OVR
CAM: Alejandro Gomez (Atalanta) - 88 OVR
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) - 88 OVR
ST: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) - 88 OVR
ST: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) - 87 OVR
CB: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio) - 85 OVR
CB: Diego Carlos (Sevilla) - 85 OVR
ST: Alvaro Morata (Piemonte Calcio) - 84 OVR
CF: Diogo Jota (Liverpool) - 83 OVR
CB: Nico Elvedi (Borussia Mönchengladbach) - 82 OVR
LB: Theo Hernandez (AC Milan) - 85 OVR
RW: Nicolas Pepe (Arsenal) - 84 OVR
ST: Yusuf Yazici (Lille OSC) - 84 OVR
What players are available in Objectives and Squad Building Challenges?
As well as the players available that can be found in packs, additional Team of the Group Stage players will be awarded for completing certain Objectives and Squad Building Challenges (SBCs).
These Objective and SBC players are untradeable and cannot be found on the transfer market or in packs bought in the store.
The SBCs also have a limited time span for completion, which means they are only available for a short time during the TOTGS promotion.
Objective players can be earned by completing a set of goals for the week, which usually involves scoring or assisting with players from certain leagues or nationalities.
The first objective player released is Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman, while Tottenham's Lucas Moura is available via a SBC.