I think 90 percent of the tips I saw for EA Sports FC 25 were about some ridiculous thing the goalkeeper couldn't defend. Yeah, that's an exaggeration, but only slightly. One of the major focuses in FC 26 was making the goalkeepers play more like their real-life counterparts.
Among the improvements to goalkeepers in FC 26 are handling deflections, positioning, and decision making. Here are some of the upgrades:
Deflection Control - added a new level of control for save deflections to significantly reduce the amount of deflections going back to opponents.
Most deflections will now go out of bounds, toward teammates, or to open space away from opponents.
Goalkeeper Senses - refined goalkeeper's ability to read shot trajectories to better reflect real-world save efforts and shot detection.
Technical Improvements - improved base systems for goalkeeper handling, more consistent shot-stopping, and more reasonable decision-making in one-on-one situations.
AI has analyzed hours and hours of real-world goalkeeper data to help goalkeepers position more realistically in the box. Real- world motion capture data gives goalkeepers more realistic animations in the box, so they can react to a wide variety of shots. I'm sure it's a matter of time before players figure out some shot that's overpowered, but so far, goalkeepers seem better than in recent campaigns.
For the true defensive minded players, there is the Be A Goalkeeper experience. All of the data used to refine goalkeeping in other modes is at work here as well, resulting in a whole new control scheme.
Dive Direction - flicking the Right Stick will prepare your goalkeeper to dive in that direction for a short period.
Right Stick Flick
Cross Claiming - when there is a cross coming in, you have the ability to request either a catch or punch attempt, timing will matter.
Punch (When ball is crossed): ⚪ || B
Catch (When ball is crossed): ⬜ || X
One-on-One Situations - rushing the attacking dribbler, you have the ability to attempt to smother the ball or attempt to make yourself big to block the incoming shot. The direction of this action is based on your movement direction.
Rush: △ || Y
Ball pickup / smother: ⬜ || X
Reaction Save / Make Yourself Big: ⚪ || B
Reaction Saves - when the shooter is close or you wish to take the dive timing into your own hands, you can modify your dive direction to play an instant save attempt.
Reaction Dive On Demand: R1 + Right Stick Flick || RB + Right Stick Flick
Visuals
New Dive Direction UI - a new Dive Direction UI that appears when there is potential for a shot.
Updated Positioning UI - updated the auto-positioning AR visual.
Camera - new 11v11 camera that brings you closer to the action with the ability to manually pan the camera.
Camera Pan: L1 + Left Stick direction || LB + Left Stick direction
You can't be a championship team without championship goalkeeping, and these changes should keep those sheets clean.