FIFA 09 introduced FIFA Ultimate Team to the main series.
Ultimate Team began as downloadable content for FIFA 09, letting players assemble squads from collectible footballer cards. Users could build a club, manage chemistry and formations, and compete with teams assembled from their card collections.
The mode was not part of every platform version in exactly the same way at launch, which can lead to confusion about its introduction. It later became a central part of the annual FIFA games, with new cards, challenges and live content added throughout each release cycle.
Ultimate Team differs from Career Mode: Career Mode focuses on managing a club or player over seasons, whereas Ultimate Team centres on constructing a squad from earned or acquired cards. Its long-term popularity made it one of the defining modes of modern FIFA.