FIFA 20 Winter Upgrades: When will the ratings refresh happen and which players will be upgraded?

At the start of the season, every player was given a unique rating in FIFA 20 based on their recent form.

As the 2019-20 campaign progressed, it was clear that some players had been underrated, while others have had a breakout season making their initial rating redundant.

In order to make sure each player in the FIFA 20 database is properly rated, EA Sports update player ratings throughout the season in the live database for online seasons.

FIFA Ultimate Team does not have dynamic ratings like this, but each February, a Ratings Refresh takes place, where upgraded cards are released into packs.

Contents

1. When did the FIFA Ultimate Team winter upgrades happening?
2. Which players improved ratings in the FIFA 20 Winter Upgrades?
3. Will my current FUT players be upgraded?
4. Will players also be downgraded?

When did the FIFA Ultimate Team winter upgrades happen?

During the January transfer window, EA Sports released new versions of players at their new clubs. This took place throughout the month of January and into February once all the deals were completed.

The Ratings Refresh took place once the transfer window closed. As predicted, the FIFA 20 winter upgrades kicked in on Friday, February 14, 2020.

As well as ratings increases, some players also received boosts to their skill stats - such as Roberto Firmino and Hakim Ziyech, both now 5* - and weak foot, while other players may benefit from position changes to reflect their real-life positions.

In the past, the ratings refresh saw the most-improved players from each league get upgraded, but in FIFA 20, only the top 50 most-improved players receive a boost. As a result, only players whose rating in the live database have increased by +3 or more have received a new card in FUT.

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Which players improved ratings in the FIFA 20 Winter Upgrades?

The following 50 players are the most improved for ratings on FIFA 20 following the February 14 update:

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Will my current FUT players be upgraded?

Only special versions of players in your club are eligible for an upgrade. Regular gold, silver or bronze cards will not be automatically upgraded.

If a player's new rating exceeds or equals the rating of their special versions (Team of the Week, Team of the Group Stage, etc.), then these special cards will receive an automatic boost.

For example, Timo Werner's initial card had an 83 rating, but he is now rated 86 in the live FIFA database. A new 86-rated basic version was added to packs in February, but anyone who has the original 83-rated version will not receive an upgrade.

His 85 and 96-rated Team of the Week in-form cards both received +2 boosts, while his Player of the Month cards increased from 87 to 89 and 89 to 90.

All new players found in packs will be upgraded but the lower-rated original cards will still be available to be bought and sold on the transfer market.

Will players also be downgraded?

The dynamic nature of the FIFA 20 database means that player ratings also go down as well as up. Players who were excellent in the past but have not been playing to the same ability often see their overall scores decreased during the season.

Some players who have also been benched or missed game time also see their scores go down and this is reflected in Career Mode and Online Seasons. In recent updates, players like Edinson Cavani, Hector Bellerin and James Rodriguez have seen their overall ratings decrease.

However, in the last few years, EA Sports has not released new updated cards into Ultimate Team for these downgrades, unless the player has moved during the transfer window. The Ratings Refresh now only applies to upgraded players.

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