Think, Move, and Play Like a Superstar in EA SPORTS™ NHL® 26, Powered by Official NHL Edge Data

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 6, 2025--

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today unveils EA SPORTS™ NHL® 26, launching September 12, 2025, on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S with a new level of on-ice authenticity and superstar quality. Back-to-back Stanley Cup champion, Matthew Tkachuk, graces the cover of the deluxe edition alongside his brother, Brady, and their father, Keith, in a dream lineup uniting hockey’s present and past. With real-world NHL EDGE positional data (NHL Puck and Player Tracking) powering gameplay, in partnership with the NHL, and a reimagined Be A Pro mode that immerses players in the stakes and emotions of playing at the highest level, NHL 26 delivers an immersive and intense experience for hockey fans around the world.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250806397524/en/

This year’s cover athletes challenge traditional notions of NHL superstardom. Matthew Tkachuk, known for his relentless physicality and skill, has captivated fans with a signature style that breaks the conventional playbook. Bringing together two generations of Tkachuks, the cover highlights a family that’s carved its own path with individuality, edge, and an unyielding drive to win.

NHL 26 is all about this individuality. Setting a new standard for hockey realism, every star plays more like their real-life counterpart with the new ICE-Q 2.0 fueled by NHL EDGE positional data (NHL EDGE Puck and Player Tracking). Real-world sport data now informs player attributes and personal tendencies. Skating speed, shot power, unique behaviors and signature moves are reflected in the game, giving true hockey fans a strategic advantage. The new Goalie Crease Control System also makes netminders more responsive, with smarter positioning and quicker, more natural saves. Combined with an expanded set of X-Factors that amplify superstar abilities with unique playstyle animations and gameplay outcomes, fans will experience a deeper connection to their favorite players, whether they’re controlling them or playing against them.

“My dad, Brady and I are all unique and play the way we want to. Sharing the cover of NHL 26 is an extension of that,” said Matthew Tkachuk, forward for the Florida Panthers and featured athlete across both editions of this year’s game. “I’ve always tried to bring my own style to the ice, and seeing that captured in NHL 26 makes it feel like it is really me out there.”

“Growing up, Matthew and I dreamed of playing just like our dad,” said Brady Tkachuk, captain of the Ottawa Senators. “Even now, his influence on how we play and prepare remains huge. It’s an honor to be featured on the cover, and having him standing alongside us makes the whole thing even better.”

“I always told the boys to play hard, be smart, and never lose their personality out there,” said Keith Tkachuk, five-time NHL All-Star. “What you see now is two players with totally unique styles, and I’m proud to be sharing the cover with them.”

The fully revamped fan-favorite Be A Pro mode gives players full control over their journey from rookie to NHL superstar. Fresh storylines, new characters, high-stakes challenges, and cutscenes make the experience more realistic and engaging than ever before. From competing in the World Juniors to the draft or working their way from the minors back to the big leagues, players will craft their own legacy on and off the ice.

“NHL 26 is the most true-to-life experience we’ve ever built,” said Mike Inglehart, Creative Director at EA SPORTS. “It was created with fans who crave hockey authenticity in mind — the ones who live and breathe the game and know how it should feel. From deeper gameplay detail to the biggest Be A Pro update since NHL 21, everything we’ve done this year is about bringing them closer to the teams they love and the moments that define the NHL.”

The new HUT Seasons will give players an all-new, dynamic way to compete by introducing new team-building mechanics, ranked matches, and an offline mode geared for those who prefer to play at their own pace, the HUT Cup Chase. With new Heroes and Icons player cards added each season to celebrate the greatest to ever lace up their skates, plus visual upgrades that elevate every moment, players will experience this and much more in NHL 26.

Players who pre-order* the Deluxe Edition will receive up to seven days of early access, a multitude of perks including Matthew Tkachuk at 99 OVR as an immediate reward in NHL 25, 4600 NHL Points, HUT Starter Choice Pack and much more. All pre-order editions and information can be found here, loyalty offers with up to 10% off are also available.

EA Play members** can enjoy a 10-hour early access trial starting September 5th, 2025 and other rewards including 3,000 WOC Coins and Season Pass XP Multiplier Tokens. They also receive 10% off EA digital content including pre-orders, game downloads, NHL Points, and DLC. For more information, please visit https://www.ea.com/ea-play.

Stay tuned for the full rundown of NHL 26 in the coming weeks. To keep up-to-date with the latest game news and information, visit https://www.ea.com/games/nhl/nhl-26 and follow our social channels.

*Conditions and restrictions apply. See ea.com/games/nhl/nhl-26/game-disclaimers for details.

**Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. SeeEA Play Termsfor details.

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About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers.

In fiscal year 2025, EA posted GAAP net revenue of approximately $7.5 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognised for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as EA SPORTS FC™, Battlefield™, Apex Legends™, The Sims™, EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ College Football, Need for Speed™, Dragon Age™, Titanfall™, Plants vs. Zombies™ and EA SPORTS F1®. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.

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About the NHL

The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 32 Member Clubs. Each team roster reflects the League’s international makeup with players from more than 20 countries represented, all vying for the most cherished and historic trophy in professional sports – the Stanley Cup®. Every year, the NHL entertains more than 670 million fans in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio; more than 191 million followers - league, team and player accounts combined - across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube; and more than 100 million fans online at NHL.com. The League broadcasts games in more than 160 countries and territories through its rightsholders including ESPN, WBD Sports and NHL Network in the U.S.; Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada; Viaplay in the Nordics, Baltics, Poland and the UK; MTV3 in Finland; Nova in Czech Republic and Slovakia; Sky Sports and ProSieben in Germany; MySports in Switzerland; and CCTV5+ in China; and reaches fans worldwide with games available to stream in every country. Fans are engaged across the League’s digital assets on mobile devices via the free NHL® App; across nine social media platforms; on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio™; and on NHL.com, available in eight languages and featuring unprecedented access to player and team statistics as well as every regular-season and playoff game box score dating back to the League’s inception, powered by SAP. NHL Productions develops compelling original programming featuring unprecedented access to players, coaches and League and team personnel for distribution across the NHL’s social and digital platforms.

The NHL is committed to building healthy and vibrant communities using the sport of hockey to celebrate fans of every race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. The NHL’s Hockey Is For Everyone® initiative reinforces that the official policy of the sport is one of inclusion on the ice, in locker rooms, boardrooms and stands. The NHL is expanding access and opportunity for people of all backgrounds and abilities to play hockey, fostering more inclusive environments and growing the game through a greater diversity of participants. To date, the NHL has invested more than $100 million in youth hockey and grassroots programs, with a commitment to invest an additional $5 million for diversity and inclusion programs over the next year.

NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. © 2025 NHL. All Rights Reserved.

About the National Hockey League Players’ Association

The National Hockey League Players’ Association, established in 1967, is a labour organization whose members are the players in the National Hockey League. The NHLPA works on behalf of the players in varied disciplines such as labour relations, product licensing, marketing, international hockey and community relations, all in furtherance of its efforts to promote its members and the game of hockey. In 1999, the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund was launched as a way for the players to give something back to the game they love. Over the past 24 years, more than 80,000 deserving children in 34 countries have benefited from the players' donations of hockey equipment. NHLPA Goals & Dreams has donated more than $25 million to grassroots hockey programs, making it the largest program of its kind. For more information on the NHLPA, please visit www.nhlpa.com.

NHLPA, National Hockey League Players’ Association and the NHLPA logo are registered trademarks of the NHLPA and are used under license. © NHLPA. All Rights Reserved.

Matthew, Brady, and Keith Tkachuk featured as cover stars of NHL 26's Deluxe Edition

HAVANA (AP) — Cuban soldiers wearing white gloves marched out of a plane on Thursday carrying urns with the remains of the 32 Cuban officers killed during a stunning U.S. attack on Venezuela as trumpets and drums played solemnly at Havana's airport.

Nearby, thousands of Cubans lined one of the Havana’s most iconic streets to await the bodies of colonels, lieutenants, majors and captains as the island remained under threat by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The shoes of Cuban soldiers clacked as they marched stiff-legged into the headquarters of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, next to Revolution Square, with the urns and placed them on a long table next to the pictures of those slain so people could pay their respects.

Thursday’s mass funeral was only one of a handful that the Cuban government has organized in almost half a century.

Hours earlier, state television showed images of more than a dozen wounded people accompanied by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez arriving Wednesday night from Venezuela. Some were in wheelchairs.

The official announcer indicated that they were “combatants” who had been “wounded” in Venezuela. They were greeted by the Minister of the Interior, Lázaro Alberto Álvarez, and the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Álvaro López Miera.

Those injured and the bodies of those killed arrived as tensions grow between Cuba and U.S., with President Donald Trump recently demanding that the Caribbean country make a deal with him before it is “too late.” He did not explain what kind of deal.

Trump also has said that Cuba will no longer live off Venezuela's money and oil. Experts warn that the abrupt end of oil shipments could be catastrophic for Cuba, which is already struggling with serious blackouts and a crumbling power grid.

Officials unfurled a massive flag at Havana's airport as President Miguel Díaz-Canel, clad in military garb as commander of Cuba's Armed Forces, stood silent next to former President Raúl Castro, with what appeared to be the relatives of those slain looking on nearby.

Cuban Interior Minister Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casa said Venezuela was not a distant land for those killed, but a “natural extension of their homeland.”

“The enemy speaks to an audience of high-precision operations, of troops, of elites, of supremacy,” Álvarez said in apparent reference to the U.S. “We, on the other hand, speak of faces, of families who have lost a father, a son, a husband, a brother.”

Álvarez called those slain “heroes,” saying that they were example of honor and “a lesson for those who waver.”

“We reaffirm that if this painful chapter of history has demonstrated anything, it is that imperialism may possess more sophisticated weapons; it may have immense material wealth; it may buy the minds of the wavering; but there is one thing it will never be able to buy: the dignity of the Cuban people,” he said.

Thousands of Cubans lined a street where motorcycles and military vehicles thundered by with the remains of those killed.

“They are people willing to defend their principles and values, and we must pay tribute to them,” said Carmen Gómez, a 58-year-old industrial designer, adding that she hopes no one invades given the ongoing threats.

When asked why she showed up despite the difficulties Cubans face, Gómez replied, "It’s because of the sense of patriotism that Cubans have, and that will always unite us.”

Cuba recently released the names and ranks of 32 military personnel — ranging in age from 26 to 60 — who were part of the security detail of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during the raid on his residence on January 3. They included members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, the island’s two security agencies.

Cuban and Venezuelan authorities have said that the uniformed personnel were part of protection agreements between the two countries.

Meanwhile, a demonstration was planned for Friday across from the U.S. Embassy in an open-air forum known as the Anti-Imperialist Tribune. Officials have said they expect the demonstration to be massive.

“People are upset and hurt. There’s a lot of talk on social media; but many do believe that the dead are martyrs” of a historic struggle against the United States, analyst and former diplomat Carlos Alzugaray told The Associated Press.

In October 1976, then-President Fidel Castro led a massive demonstration to bid farewell to the 73 people killed in the bombing of a Cubana de Aviación civilian flight financed by anti-revolutionary leaders living in the U.S. Most of the victims were Cuban athletes returning to their island.

In December 1989, officials organized “Operation Tribute” to honor the remains of more than 2,000 Cuban combatants who died in Angola during Cuba’s participation in the war that defeated the South African army and ended the apartheid system. In October 1997, memorial services were held following the arrival of the remains of guerrilla commander Ernesto “Che” Guevara and six of his comrades, who died in 1967.

A day before the remains of those slain arrived in Cuba, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced $3 million in relief aid to help the island recover from the catastrophic Hurricane Melissa, which struck in late October.

The first flight took off from Florida on Wednesday, and a second flight was scheduled for Friday. A commercial vessel also will deliver food and other supplies.

“We have taken extraordinary measures to ensure that this assistance reaches the Cuban people directly, without interference or diversion by the illegitimate regime,” Rubio said, adding that the U.S. government was working with Cuba's Catholic Church.

The announcement riled Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez.

“The U.S. government is exploiting what appears to be a humanitarian gesture for opportunistic and politically manipulative purposes,” he said in a statement. “As a matter of principle, Cuba does not oppose assistance from governments or organizations, provided it benefits the people and the needs of those affected are not used for political gain under the guise of humanitarian aid.”

Coto contributed from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Workers fly the Cuban flag at half-staff at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune near the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in memory of Cubans who died two days before in Caracas, Venezuela during the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)