Fans in Disbelief over EA Sports’ decision on HBCU’s in College Football 26 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Anyone hoping to see Historically Black Colleges and Universities in EA Sports College Football 26, will have to wait another year. The video game maker confirmed the release, but no HBCU teams will be included. This has left many wondering why.

In last year’s release by EA Sports, only Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools were in the game. Players could create a team in dynasty mode or upload rosters to have their own team and players in the game. However, HBCUs were included in the college football video game in the mid 2000s. NCAA Football 2006 and 2007 was the last time schools from either the MEAC or SWAC were included in the default game rosters.

EA Sports has not confirmed that they will include any Football Championship Subdivision schools in the game. This is the main reason why there will be no Grambling State or North Carolina Central rosters in the game. Players will have to continue to upload rosters or play the team builder game mode. This is a serious misstep for the game and wanting to promote the rich culture and tradition for HBCU schools.

Over recent years, HBCUs have begun to create buzz especially in the sports world. With another year with no answers for the exclusion of MEAC or SWAC teams, fans will have to wait even longer. The unfortunate thing is HBCU games get televised nationally more often than in recent years. Starting back in 2022, ESPN announced that they would air more than 125 games during football season for HBCUs.

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Having HBCUs in the game would add a unique culture to the stadium pulse feature in the game. The environment of a homecoming game is like no other and would increase the skill gap between players.

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It is something EA needs to reconsider sooner rather than later. Regardless, the wait will continue. This year’s version of College Football will drop on July 10.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.