FC 26 97 Glory Hunter Haaland Squad Challenge: How to Build a 96-Rated Team

This guide explains how to build a 96-rated FC 26 squad around the 97-rated Glory Hunter Erling Haaland by balancing team rating, smart player selection, creative squad-building challenges, and tactical adjustments. It also covers pack management, position optimization, and gameplay strategies to maximize Haaland's scoring potential and dominate competitive matches.

Start with Your Star Player

Everything revolves around the 97-rated Glory Hunter Erling Haaland. With incredible pace, physicality, and 99 shooting, he is capable of scoring from almost any situation. Because he occupies such an important role, the rest of the squad should focus on creating opportunities rather than competing for goals. If you need additional resources to complete a similar elite squad, many players choose to buy FC 26 Coins to afford top-rated cards more quickly and strengthen their lineup.

The challenge becomes even more difficult when aiming for a minimum overall squad rating of 96. Every position matters, and even a single low-rated player can jeopardize the target.

Build Around High-Rated National Links

One of the best early decisions is using nationality-based squad building.

Selecting any Norwegian player immediately makes Martin Ødegaard an obvious choice. His 96-rated special card offers elite passing, dribbling, and creativity while also providing chemistry with Haaland.

High-rated midfielders not only improve chemistry but also help maintain the required overall squad rating.

Use Creative Squad-Building Challenges

Instead of simply buying the best players, adding random restrictions makes team building much more enjoyable.

Interesting methods include:

· Selecting players from specific World Cup-winning nations.

· Using stick-or-twist mechanics when searching the transfer market.

· Choosing players based on historical achievements.

· Determining player ratings through random wheels.

· Opening packs to decide certain positions.

These restrictions create unique squads every time while forcing players to adapt instead of relying on the same meta team.

Prioritize Team Rating

Throughout the challenge, maintaining the 96-rated squad becomes the highest priority.

Whenever choosing between similar players, the higher-rated option is usually the correct decision.

Examples of strong defensive additions include:

· 96-rated Dean Henderson

· Lilian Thuram

· Virgil van Dijk

Each elite defender contributes significantly toward reaching the required squad rating while remaining highly competitive in-game.

Even bench players can influence overall rating, making valuable substitutes an important part of the strategy.

Make Smart Stick-or-Twist Decisions

Random selection mechanics often present difficult choices.

For example, landing on a low-rated defender can immediately threaten the overall squad rating.

Instead of accepting an 86-rated center back, using a "twist" for another attempt may produce a far stronger option.

However, every twist carries risk because previous results cannot be recovered.

Knowing when to gamble—and when to accept a decent player—is one of the most enjoyable aspects of this type of challenge.

Use Bench Players to Improve the Squad

High-rated substitutes provide flexibility both before and during matches.

Adding players like Declan Rice to the bench helps increase the squad rating while also giving tactical options for the second half.

Fresh midfielders can:

· Strengthen defensive stability.

· Improve passing quality.

· Close out matches.

· Replace tired players without sacrificing quality.

Never underestimate the importance of a strong bench when chasing a high squad rating.

Open Packs Strategically

Pack openings can dramatically influence the final squad.

Festival of Football packs offer opportunities to obtain elite midfielders and attackers that perfectly fit the challenge.

Desired pulls include players such as:

· Bruno Guimarães

· Rodrigo De Paul

· Declan Rice

· Viktor Gyökeres

Unfortunately, pack luck is unpredictable.

If the desired players fail to appear, be prepared to rely on transfer market purchases or club items to finish the squad.

Resource management remains essential throughout the process.

Adapt Position Changes

Position swaps can significantly improve the team's effectiveness.

Moving Martin Ødegaard onto his stronger side allows him to cut inside more naturally and deliver dangerous through balls to Haaland.

Meanwhile, selecting technically gifted CAMs ensures continuous service into the striker.

Do not hesitate to adjust positions if they better suit player strengths rather than their default assignments.

Avoid Squad Rating Penalties

Some challenge formats introduce severe punishments for missing the required squad rating.

One particularly difficult restriction prevents shooting entirely during the first half if the team fails to reach a 96 overall rating.

Under those conditions, goals must come exclusively from headers or by dribbling the ball into the net.

Meeting the rating requirement therefore becomes just as important as assembling a balanced squad.

Let Haaland Finish the Chances

Once the squad is complete, the game plan is simple.

Feed Haaland consistently.

Use quick passing combinations through midfield before releasing him into dangerous positions.

Crosses, through balls, and cutbacks all maximize his incredible finishing ability.

Even when tightly marked, his physical presence allows him to create space for powerful headers and clinical finishes.

A complete hat trick demonstrates exactly why building around Haaland is so effective.

Final Thoughts

A Glory Hunter Haaland squad challenge perfectly combines squad building, pack luck, tactical decision-making, and competitive gameplay. By prioritizing overall rating, making intelligent transfer decisions, embracing creative randomizers, and building an attack centered around Haaland's elite finishing, you can assemble a 96-rated team capable of defeating top opponents while making every match feel fresh and unpredictable. If you're looking to complete your dream squad faster, cheap FC 26 Coins can help you acquire elite players without spending countless hours grinding the transfer market.