When FIFA 19 was released in September, every single player in the game was given their own unique rating, with individual stats for every aspect of their game from pace to passing, dribbling to tackling, shooting and strength.
As the 2018-19 season progressed, it became clear that many of the players were overperforming compared to their individual rating.
EA Sports tracks how players perform in real life and then updates FIFA 19 accordingly so that the game reflects a player’s individual ability and value.
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Every season, many of the world’s top performers receive winter upgrades as part of the Ratings Refresh, including Virgil van Dijk, Marco Reus and Son Heung-min.
It is not just highly-rated players who are part of the ratings refresh, however – even players in lower leagues can receive boosts to their overall statistics.
When are the Winter Upgrades happening?
Once the transfer window closed at the end of January, EA Sports started making updates to the FIFA database.
In Ultimate Team, this sees new versions of players released in packs with their new club (and perhaps new league) replacing their previous one. In the past, they have also released new versions of transferred players during the window itself.
This season, the ratings refresh began on Friday, February 15. Just like last year, upgrades for the Premier League led the list and then additional leagues were added every two to three days. Each of the five major European leagues were released separately and then players from the rest of the world were released in a large batch at the end.
Some players also had their positions updated in addition to new clubs or updated ratings, especially if they played a lot of their games at a position other than the one assigned to them at the start of FIFA 19.
In addition, players may also have had their skill move or weak foot ratings changed. For example, Marcus Rashford received a bump in his skill move rating, while Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani’s weak foot improved from three to four stars.
Which players will receive upgrades?
During the Ratings Refresh period, EA Sports announced each batch of upgraded players on their website, discussion forums and social media accounts. The first set of upgraded players were revealed on February 15, with 23 Premier League players getting new overall scores in FIFA 19. All their individual statistics are also changed to reflect their new overall rating, with some players even getting boosts to pace or finishing.
Here are all the players who have received ratings upgrades in FIFA 19:
Premier League
Bundesliga
Serie A
La Liga
Rest of the World
FIFA 19 weak foot upgrades
EA Sports confirmed the players who have been handed upgrades to their weak foot rating, which can be seen in the table below.
Among the most notable players to be upgraded are former Manchester City midfielder Brahim Diaz, who recently joined Real Madrid, and Bayer Leverkusen star Kai Havertz.
Veteran strikers Edin Dzeko and Edinson Cavani have also improved, while Borussia Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel and Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne have too.
Serie A defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Kalidou Koulibaly have also seen their weak foot get stronger, going from ratings of two stars to three stars.
FIFA 19 skill upgrades
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford leads the way when it comes to skill upgrades in the February ratings refresh.
The England international has enjoyed a new lease of life under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and is now a five-star skill player in the game.
Schalke’s Amine Harit, Benfica’s Franco Cervi and D.C. United’s Luciano Acosta have also improved to become five-star skill players, so they are worth keeping an eye on.
Others who have been given a ratings increase include Leicester City’s Demarai Gray and Wolves forward Helder Costa, who are now both four-star skill players.
Want-away Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden have also improved.
Will my current players be upgraded?
The rosters in Online Seasons and new Career Modes are automatically updated when your console connects to the EA servers.
Online Seasons squads are upgraded regularly, while you must start a new game in Career Mode for the upgrades to take effect.
Any normal cards you have in your FIFA Ultimate Team club will not be upgraded, but there is the potential that some of the special versions could be upgraded automatically. This includes Team of the Week, Ultimate Scream, FUTmas, Champions League and Europa League live editions, as well as Ones to Watch players.
However, if their base card only receives a small upgrade, there is a chance that the special card will not be upgraded.
All new players found in packs will be upgraded, but the special players in your club will only increase if an upgraded player’s new overall rating equals or surpasses his existing first Team of the Week version’s rating. If a player has multiple special edition cards, all these will be improved if they meet this criteria.