How to Practice Penalties in EA FC 27 (With Your Favorite Player)

A missed penalty in a Clubs cup game hurts more than any other mistake, and the only fix is reps. Here’s where to practise penalties in EA FC 27, how to do it with the player you actually want, and the technique for both taking and saving them.

Where to practise penalties in FC 27

Practice Arena

This is the fastest way to take 50 penalties in a row. EA describes it as a training pitch with “complete control of both sides”, so you can also switch to the goalkeeper and practise saves.

1. Open Learn to Play > Practice Arena.
2. Pick the outfield player and goalkeeper you want before you load in.
3. Use the Practice Arena’s set-piece options to place a penalty, take it, reset and repeat. The menu also has a Practice Difficulty setting and toggles for offside and fouls.

Skill Games

Skill Games turn practice into a score. The Set Pieces group includes penalty drills, and you chase Bronze, Silver and Gold targets and a place on the leaderboard. Use them once you’ve got the basic technique from the Practice Arena: hitting a target under a score limit is closer to a real penalty than free practice.

Kick Off

Free practice has no pressure. A Kick Off match against a friend, or the CPU on World Class or higher, does. If it goes to a shoot-out, even better. See our difficulty levels guide for which level to pick.

How to practise with your favorite player

The players available in the Practice Arena come from your profile’s Favorite Team:

1. Open Settings > Profile and set your Favorite Team to the club of the player you want.
2. If you want a different goalkeeper, change your preferred squad in Team Sheets.
3. In the Practice Arena you can swap the active player at any time by removing the current player and picking another from the sidelines.

In Kick Off you can pick any team, and when your side wins a penalty you can press R2 / RT to choose the kick taker. To make it permanent, set the Penalties slot in the team’s Assignments (team management). Assignments only apply to the starting XI: a substitute doesn’t inherit the job.

Penalty controls in FC 27

How to take a penalty

Since FIFA 23, penalties have used the Composure Ring. When you start the run-up, a ring around the ball pulses; the smaller it is when you press shoot, the more accurate the penalty. Players with higher Composure get a slower ring, which makes the timing easier. EA hasn’t announced any change to penalties for FC 27 (its Gameplay Deep Dive doesn’t mention them), so the same system applies as far as we can tell.

1. Aim first. Hold the left stick toward a corner before the run-up. Don’t change your mind halfway; late changes are how you end up shooting at the keeper.
2. Set the power. Hold ◯ / B for power. More power reaches further into the corners but adds risk; around half the bar is a sensible start.
3. Shoot when the ring is smallest, just as it touches the ball.
4. Mix it up. Low corners are the safe default. A finesse penalty (R1/RB) adds placement, and a chip (L1/LB) is a great surprise against a human keeper who dives early.

Which stats matter

• Penalties is the accuracy stat for spot kicks.
• Composure controls how fast the ring pulses. If you take your club’s penalties, our Finisher build gets Composure high early.
• Shot Power decides how hard the ball goes and how far into the corners it can reach.

The Dead Ball PlayStyle gives set pieces “increased speed, curve, and accuracy” in EA’s FC 27 description. EA doesn’t say whether that includes penalties, so don’t build around it for spot kicks alone.

How to save a penalty

As the keeper you have two tools: position and the dive. A good Shot Stopper build helps, but technique comes first.

1. 01
   Move, but not too early. Shuffle along the line with the left stick to narrow one side; moving too far gives the taker the other corner.
2. 02
   Dive late with the right stick. Flick in the direction you want to go as the taker strikes; diving early is what makes chips work.
3. 03
   Watch for patterns. Human takers repeat themselves. Note where each opponent went last time.
4. 04
   Stay big against chips. If a taker likes to chip, stay up and let the right stick wait.

Practise this in the Practice Arena by switching to the goalkeeper. For Clubs keepers, our goalkeeper guide covers positioning and the rest of the controls.

FAQ

How do you practise penalties in FC 27?

Go to Learn to Play > Practice Arena, choose an outfield player and goalkeeper, and set up a penalty with the Practice Arena’s set-piece options. For scored drills, use Skill Games > Set Pieces.

How do you change the penalty taker in the Practice Arena?

Set your Favorite Team (Settings > Profile) to the team of the player you want, then pick that player before loading in or swap him in from the sidelines. Change the goalkeeper through Team Sheets.

How do you pick the penalty taker during a match?

When your team wins a penalty, press R2 / RT to select the kick taker. To set it before the match, use the Penalties slot in your team’s Assignments.

Do you press shoot twice for penalties in FC 27?

No. Penalties use the Composure Ring, not timed finishing. Press shoot once, when the ring is at its smallest.

How do you save penalties in FC 27?

Move along the line with the left stick and dive with the right stick in the direction you want to go. Dive as late as you can.

Sources

Checked on 8 October 2026:

• EA SPORTS: Which FC 27 mode is right for you? (25 Sep 2026), FC 27 Gameplay Deep Dive (29 Jul 2026) and What are PlayStyles? (25 Sep 2026)
• FIFPlay: FC 27 Controls (penalty controls), FC 27 Practice Arena and FC 27 Skill Games
• fifauteam: FC 27 Assignments and FC 27 Attributes
• FUT.GG: How to take penalties in FIFA 23 (Composure Ring introduction, 25 Aug 2022)