FC 27 The Grounds Beginner Guide: What to Do First

The Grounds is one of the biggest new additions to EA SPORTS FC 27, especially for players who spend most of their time in Clubs. Instead of moving between menus all the time, you can explore a shared football world, find different activities, meet other players, and access Club content from the same place.

If you are entering The Grounds for the first time, the amount of information on the screen can feel a little confusing. The good news is that you do not need to unlock the different areas before exploring them. The Grounds is open from the start, so you can start moving around immediately.

Start at the Terrace

When you first enter The Grounds, you will start at the Terrace, which acts as the central hub connecting the three districts. From here, you can walk around, open the map, find activities, visit stores, or head to the Clubhouse.

I recommend spending a few minutes here before jumping into a match. Open the map and look at the available locations. You can set waypoints for places such as the Clubhouse, stores, Rush Drop-In, 11v11 Drop-In, and gameplay locations. Once a waypoint is set, simply follow the marker to your destination.

Find the Clubhouse First

The Clubhouse is located directly in the Terrace, so you do not need to travel across the entire Grounds to find it. It is one of the first places worth checking because it gives you access to several Club-related features.

From the Clubhouse, you can access League and Playoff matches, 11v11 Live Event Tournaments, and a store for Consumables and Amps. Keep in mind that Ranked Rush and 11v11 Drop-In have their own access points elsewhere in The Grounds, so you will need to use the map when you want to enter those activities.

Learn the Map and Fast Travel

The map is probably the most useful tool for a new player. Instead of running everywhere, use it to identify activities and important locations around The Grounds.

Fast travel is available, but there is an important limitation: it is specifically available for Street Football and Kickabout locations. Open the menu in the bottom-left area of the screen, select a Street Football pitch or Kickabout location, and choose Travel when the option is available. This can save a lot of time when you want to move between activities.

You can also visit World Stores around the Grounds. These stores offer Consumables, Amps, and vanity items, while some purchases can also be accessed through the map's Store tab. Vanity items need to be purchased from the physical World Stores.

Try a Kickabout Before Competitive Matches

If you are completely new to The Grounds, Kickabouts are a simple way to get comfortable with the environment. Open the map, select a Kickabout, and either use Travel when available or walk to the pitch.

Once you arrive, check the information board to understand the rules. Then enter the queue area and select Play. You can wait for enough players to join before the activity starts. Kickabouts also provide opportunities to earn Archetype XP and Grounds Coins, making them useful beyond simply learning the controls.

You do not need to rush into buying everything when you first arrive. If you are planning your Clubs progression or looking at ways to spend FC 27 Coins elsewhere in the game, take some time to understand which activities actually fit your playstyle first.

A Simple First-Time Routine

For your first visit, I would keep the process simple: start at the Terrace, open the map, locate the Clubhouse, check the nearby stores, and then try one Kickabout or Street Football activity. After that, explore the districts and look for the activities you enjoy most.

The Grounds is designed around exploration, so there is no need to treat your first visit like a checklist. Once you know where the Clubhouse is and how the map and Travel system work, getting around becomes much easier.

If you eventually decide to spend money on your overall FC 27 experience, make sure you understand what each purchase is for before you buy FC 27 Coins. For The Grounds itself, learning the layout and finding the activities you enjoy will be much more useful at the beginning than simply trying to unlock everything at once.