All 24 EFL Championship club's highest-rated player on EA FC 26 (Ranked) | OneFootball

FLW has ranked each Championship club's highest-rated player on the upcoming game by order

Football supporters across the world are building up towards the release of EA Sports' 'EA FC 26' game later this week, with the release date for pre-order editions being Friday, September 19th.

With the game incorporating an array of new features on Ultimate Team or Career Mode, it's got the entirety of the footballing network talking, and another way in which the game generates discourse is when player ratings are dished out prior to its launch.

Previously, ratings of those who ply their trade in the Championship have sparked plenty of controversy, with some supporters questioning whether the pool of talent in the second-tier is watched regularly enough to be given its end assessment by EA.

That isn't set to change this year, no doubt, and with that in mind, Football League World has looked at each club's highest-rated player(s) as per Futbin, and ranked them from lowest to highest.

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Sitting bottom of this particular ranking are Cameron Brannagan and Ben Davies of Oxford United, both of whom have received ratings of 71/99 for the upcoming game.

Brannagan - who was recently named club captain - has become a modern-day cult hero at the Kassam Stadium, particularly for his dead-ball ability which has already been on show this season, whilst Davies has been viewed as an extremely shrewd signing by Gary Rowett, with the experienced centre-back recently joining on loan from Rangers.

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Next up is another duo handed the same rating, with Ben Whiteman and Mads Frokjaer of Preston North End rated 72 in this season's version of EA FC.

Whiteman has become a seasoned and well-respected Championship performer during his four-and-a-half year stint at Deepdale to-date, with his combative nature key in breaking up play for Paul Heckingbottom's side before progressing it to the likes of Frokjaer, who has a total of over 20 goal contributions for the Lilywhites to date.

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Sondre Tronstad and Todd Cantwell have also been given 72-rated cards in EA FC this season, although Cantwell could be the one who ends up as a stand-alone, highest-rated player in the near future at Blackburn Rovers.

That's because, despite featuring in all five league games thus far, it has been claimed that Tronstad has expressed his desire to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Meanwhile Cantwell, who previously had a high potential rating on the game, has started the campaign as Rovers' standout performer with two goals in four appearances.

21 Sheffield Wednesday - Barry Bannan (OVR: 73)

The first player on this list to be rated 73 is Sheffield Wednesday icon, Barry Bannan.

Despite the well-documented off-pitch issues at Hillsborough at present, the Scottish midfielder opted to sign a new deal at the club, which has only further cemented his legacy given the predicament Henrik Pedersen's side find themselves in as clear relegation candidates.

A trio of Bristol City players have received ratings of 73 in the form of Max Bird, Jason Knight and Rob Dickie.

All three players have proven their worth to the Robins in the early weeks of Gerhard Struber's tenure as they remain unbeaten, with Dickie as solid as ever at the heart of defence, whilst the midfield duo continue to offer bundles of creative spark and combativeness alongside the likes of Scott Twine.

19 Middlesbrough - Hayden Hackney / Aidan Morris / Morgan Whittaker (OVR: 73)

All three of Middlesbrough's 73-rated stars in the game have had intriguing developments in recent times, with it looking at one point as if Hayden Hackney wouldn't feature on this list due to well-documented late transfer window interest from Premier League sides.

However, Rob Edwards has been able to retain his prized asset - for the time being - and he has begun to form a strong partnership with Aidan Morris, who is also one of the division's most highly-rated midfielders.

Meanwhile, Morgan Whittaker is yet to get his Middlesbrough career going in real life, with Edwards recently defending the 24-year-old after his substitution was sarcastically cheered in a 2-2 draw with Preston.

18 Charlton Athletic - Thomas Kaminski (OVR: 74)

Charlton Athletic's first-choice shot-stopper Thomas Kaminski is the first of many names to receive a 74-rated card in the new version of EA FC, having been downgraded from a 75-rated gold card in FC 25.

The Belgian moved to the Valley after two seasons between the sticks at Luton Town, earning vast praise for his performances in the Premier League before suffering a major slump in form last term as the Hatters suffered back-to-back relegations.

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Conor Chaplin is Portsmouth's stand-alone, highest-rated player for the upcoming game, having recently made a return to his boyhood club on loan from Ipswich Town.

The 28-year-old's addition only bolsters an already strong attack at Fratton Park given his recent successes at Portman Road, and he made his second debut for the Blues in their 0-0 draw against Southampton in the South Coast derby at St Mary's.

16 Derby County - Ben Brereton Diaz (OVR: 74)

Ben Brereton Diaz was one of several new additions to the Derby County squad this summer, with the proven second-tier goal getter immediately being the Rams highest-rated player according to EA.

The Chilean will hope to replicate his prior form at Blackburn Rovers after difficult spells with Villareal and his parent club, Southampton, in order to justify said rating.

Ilias Chair has been Queens Park Rangers' standout performer for many years now, and that has once again been reflected in EA FC's rating system.

The Moroccan hasn't got off to the strongest of individual starts under Julien Stephan due to injury, which will once again prove frustrating after he was reduced to just 28 league appearances last term.

However, when fully firing, there's no doubt that Chair is one of the most unpredictable players at this level.