EA Sports FC 27: Every Kickabout in The Grounds Explained — Rules, Scoring and Tips
The Grounds in EA Sports FC 27 hides seven scored minigames called Kickabouts — Bocce Ball, Team Keepaway, The Big Race, Attacking Scenarios, Bucket Ball, Balloon Ball and Goal Control. Here's exactly how each one is played and scored.
The Grounds is EA Sports FC 27's open social hub, and tucked inside it is a whole category of minigames the series has never had before: Kickabouts. They're short, scored, multiplayer party games that sit alongside the open-world's Small-Sided matches and Stadium Rush, and they're one of the easiest ways to pick up Archetype XP and weekly Objective progress without playing a full 11v11. Here's exactly how each Kickabout works, how scoring breaks down, and where to find them.
Kickabouts live across The Grounds' three districts — Montclair, Zeiza and Parkside — and the mentor who introduces them is Chloe Kelly, found in Parkside. Once you've met her, every Kickabout becomes accessible from the open world any time you're in The Grounds, solo or with friends in a party.
1. What Kickabouts Are and Where to Find Them
Kickabouts are EA's name for The Grounds' standalone minigames, distinct from the mode's 1v1/2v2/3v3 Small-Sided matches and its 11v11 Stadium and Rush options. There are currently seven: Bocce Ball, Team Keepaway, The Big Race, Attacking Scenarios, Bucket Ball, Balloon Ball and Goal Control, plus a set of hidden Drop Kick Targets scattered around the world. Each one uses its own scoring system rather than the usual goals-and-final-score format, and most run in short, multi-round sessions so a full session rarely takes more than a few minutes.
The Grounds — and every Kickabout in it — is only available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2.
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2. Bocce Ball
Bocce Ball is a three-player free-for-all played over three one-minute rounds. Instead of shooting at a goal, you're kicking the ball at a cluster of targets that shrink as you go — the targets split from a Large zone down to Medium and then Small as the round progresses, bowls-style. Landing in the innermost bullseye scores the most points, hitting a surrounding ring is worth 300 points, and clipping a Dead Zone costs you 150 points. With three players scoring independently each round, precision and touch matter far more than power.
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3. Team Keepaway
Team Keepaway is a 3v3 possession game played over a single three-minute round. Points come from simply holding the ball, from stringing passes together (longer sequences earn multipliers), and from winning it back — both intercepting and tackling are rewarded. Conceding a foul costs your team 100 points, so clumsy challenges are expensive. A team that builds a 1,000-point lead wins the round outright before time runs out, which keeps lopsided games from dragging on.
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4. The Big Race
The Big Race is a four-player dribbling race across one track that comes in three obstacle-filled variations, so the layout changes between runs. You're weaving a ball through gates, poles and hazards against three other players at once, and only finishing position decides your score: first place earns 9 points, second 6, third 3 and fourth just 1. It's the purest test of close control and pace among the Kickabouts, with no scenario-reading or tackling involved.
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5. Attacking Scenarios
Attacking Scenarios is a 2v2 Kickabout built around set situations rather than open play. Each session runs four one-minute rounds, and every round pulls a random scenario from a pool of ten — one example tasks you with scoring off a wall bounce or immediately after one. Each scenario is graded on a Bronze/Silver/Gold points scale depending on how cleanly you complete it, so a scrappy finish still counts for something while a clean execution pays out more. If the two sides are tied after four rounds, a fifth decider round kicks in and the first goal wins outright.
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6. Bucket Ball
Bucket Ball is a 2v2 game that swaps the usual goal for an elevated hoop-style target, and it rewards aerial technique over ground play. A session lasts three minutes, with a one-minute overtime that ends the instant either side scores. You get the ball in with lob passes, headers and overhead spikes, and goals are worth 2 or 3 points depending on how they're scored, with a 2-point bonus added for landing a spike specifically. Fouls aren't free either — a foul hands the other side a 10-second free throw to attack the hoop uncontested.
7. Balloon Ball
Balloon Ball is a four-player free-for-all played over three rounds, and the objective isn't scoring goals at all — it's popping balloons. Every player starts each round with three balloons, and a kicked ball pops an opponent's balloon on contact. Golden power-ups appear on the pitch and grant temporary effects such as Invincible, Tyres (extra speed and control) or Boomerang Ball, which can swing a round quickly if you grab one at the right time. The last 30 seconds of every round trigger Sudden Death, and finishing position pays out 250, 150, 75 or 50 points depending on where you land.
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8. Goal Control
Goal Control is the one head-to-head Kickabout, played 1v1 across three one-minute rounds on a pitch lined with eight small goals. Scoring a goal claims it for your side, but the points don't stop there — you keep earning points every second you control a goal you've claimed, so holding territory matters as much as the initial strike. An optional Golden Goal modifier can be switched on for an instant-win finish, and any round that ends level goes to sudden death.
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9. Drop Kick Targets
Scattered around The Grounds are hidden Drop Kick Targets — circles, rings and pentagons placed in odd corners of Montclair, Zeiza and Parkside. They're not a formal multiplayer Kickabout like the seven above; instead, they tie into weekly Objectives that ask you to find and hit a set number of them. They're worth checking your Objectives list for regularly, since EA rotates which targets and rewards are active.
10. Why Kickabouts Are Worth Playing
Every Kickabout feeds the same progression systems as the rest of The Grounds. Completing them contributes toward Daily, Weekly and Seasonal Objectives, which hand out Archetype XP, Season Pass XP, Amps and cosmetic rewards. Because Archetypes are all unlocked from the start and can be switched for free at any time — including from a Kickabout lobby — there's no reason not to try all seven at least once; switching doesn't cost Coins or reset your consumables. If you're short on time, Bocce Ball, Goal Control and The Big Race are the fastest to finish solo or in small groups, while Team Keepaway and Attacking Scenarios reward a coordinated 2v2 or 3v3 squad the most.
Quick recap
- Bocce Ball: 3 players, shrinking bowls-style targets, 3 one-minute rounds.
- Team Keepaway: 3v3 possession, one 3-minute round, 1,000-point mercy lead.
- The Big Race: 4-player obstacle dribbling race, scored by finishing place.
- Attacking Scenarios: 2v2, 4 rounds of random scoring scenarios, Bronze/Silver/Gold grading.
- Bucket Ball: 2v2, lob passes and spikes into an elevated hoop, 3 minutes plus sudden-death overtime.
- Balloon Ball: 4-player balloon-popping free-for-all with power-ups.
- Goal Control: 1v1 across eight small goals, points accrue per second controlled.
- Drop Kick Targets: Hidden world targets tied to weekly Objectives.
For more on how Archetypes, Amps and the rest of The Grounds fit together, see our full breakdown of Clubs, Archetypes and the wider Grounds hub, and for the latest attribute changes check how the October Archetypes rebalance altered attribute points. If you're building a player around a specific ability, our guide to PlayStyles and PlayStyle+ is worth a read too. You'll find every other EA Sports FC 27 guide on walkthroughs.net in our full game guide archive.