Free kicks have been given a bit of an overhaul in FIFA 20, allowing players to have more control over the type of free kick they perform, as well as giving you a clearer idea of where your shot will end up going. Here’s how to score free kicks in FIFA 20.
Scoring Free Kicks in FIFA 20
There are a number of steps you should go through when taking a free kick. Down below, we’ve gone through each of these steps to help you get a complete picture of FIFA 20’s free kick system.
Picking the Right Free Kick Taker
As always, you’ll want to make sure that you’ve got a player who’s actually good at taking free kicks over the ball. By pressing R2 on PS4 or RT on Xbox One, you can open up the player selection tab in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
You’re now looking for someone with a good Power (PWR), Free Kick Accuracy (FKC), and Curve (CRV) stats. Free Kick Accuracy and Power are arguably the most important stats here. You can check out the top 25 best players in FIFA 20 for accuracy below.
FIFA 20’s Top 25 Best Free Kick Accuracy Players
- Lionel Messi – 94
- Roberto Carlos – 93
- Sebastian Giovinco – 92
- Gianfranco Zola – 92
- Miralem Pjanic – 92
- Enis Bardhi – 91
- Robert Skov – 90
- Hakan Calhanoglu – 90
- Dani Parejo – 90
- James Ward-Prowse – 89
- Marvin Plattenhardt – 89
- Angel di Maria – 88
- Aleksandar Kolarov – 88
- Memphis Depay – 88
- Paulo Dybala – 88
- Ruslan Malinovskiy – 87
- Anderson Talisca – 87
- Kengo Nakamura – 87
- Lasse Schone – 87
- Bruno Fernandes – 87
- Gareth Bale – 87
- Neymar Jr. – 87
- Yasuhito Endo – 86
Changing Your Starting Position
Once you’ve chosen the player you want to take the free kick, you can use the right analog stick to move your player’s starting position for their run-up.
Doing this can help you change the flight of the ball. For example, adopting a wide starting position so you’re standing almost to the side of the ball will result in more curl on the ball in the air. A straight run-up will cause your player to drill the ball straight and true.
FIFA 20 Free Kicks Target System Explained
One of the main new tweaks to free kicks in FIFA 20 is the target system you’ll see on the screen. By moving the left analog stick, you can move the large white circle around the screen.
This gives you an idea of where your free kick will go, so ideally, you want to aim for the top or bottom corners of the goal to make it hard for the goalkeeper to save.
It’s worth noting, however, that this target won’t take into account any spin that you put on the ball in an upcoming step. That means if you’re planning on curling it around the wall and into the top corner, you’ll need to take this into account when aiming the free kick at this point.
Getting the Power Right
With your player and free kick all lined up, it’s time to hit the shoot button to charge up the power of the shot. The longer you hold shoot — Circle on PS4, B on Xbox One — the more power you’ll have on your shot.
Keep in mind, though, that you don’t want to just go for full power. You need to take into account how far away you are from the goal, as well as the hit in accuracy you’ll take the more power you put on the ball.
We normally advise two and a half bars of power for anywhere around 25 yards out, and three bars for 30. It’s a case of playing around with the free kicks in FIFA 20, though, as the spin that you can put on the ball will also make a difference to where the ball ends up.
Timed Finishing for a More Accurate Shot
If you played FIFA 19, you’ll already be aware of what Timed Finishing is. This allows players to make their shots even more pinpoint precise and unstoppable by pressing the power button again quickly after the first time you press it up/ charge your shot.
To be precise, you need to press shoot again (Circle, B) within one to two frames from the first shot. Doing so will make your free kicks more or less unstoppable though if you get it right, so we’d highly recommend it.
Spin on Free Kicks in FIFA 20
The new ‘Tactical Free Kicks’ feature brings an added level of control to the spin that players can put on the ball in FIFA 20. After you’ve put the power on your shot, you can then use the right analog stick to put different spin on the ball.
The type of spin you put on the ball depends on how you flick the right analog stick. We’ve listed all of the different types of spin you can put on free kicks in FIFA 20 down below.
- Knuckleball Free Kick – Flick the analog down, then up, then back down again in one straight, fast motion. Best done with normal or straight run-up.
- Curve Free Kick – Move the analog stick directly down, and then bring it all the way around to the top in either direction depending on what way you want the ball to curve.
- Top Spin – Move the analog stick from the bottom to the top. Make sure to move it straight up to avoid putting spin on the ball. Best done with a straight run-up to drive the shot straight.
- Low Driven – This can be done by simply aiming low with the target mentioned earlier. Once you’re aiming low on the goal, any spin added here will just add to the low driven free kick.
With a bit of luck, you’ll now watch your player strike the ball and send it flying into the back of the net for an easy goal. If not, keep practising and it’ll come with time. It just takes a bit of practise.
That’s everything you need to know on how to score free kicks in FIFA 20. For more tips, tricks, and guides, be sure to check out our ever-expanding guide wiki or check out more of our guides below.
