It has already been eight years since FC Online (FCO) launched. There is a common perception that the older an online game gets, the higher the barrier to entry. However, FCO is not as difficult as you might think. If you follow along step by step, you will find yourself eyeing the Challenger rank before you know it.

Today, we are going to take a look at the history of FCO classes. Starting with just four classes in 2018, FCO has seen a significant expansion in variety over the past eight years. We will summarize which classes were released each year and the legacy left by the major ones.

When FC Online first appeared, there were the Live class, 18TOTY, TKI, and the NHD class, which we used to call 'Nonghyup.' 18TOTY felt like the top-tier position, while TKI and NHD were classes that combined sentiment and performance. Players like NHD Gullit, Vieira, Ronaldo, and Maldini became the core of many squads. The Live class was often used as a low-salary option for cost-efficiency.

TOTY stands for Team Of The Year, a class composed of the best players selected by vote for their outstanding performance that year. Since then, it has been released in the same way every year. Those who missed out on the TOTY selection have been organized separately as TOTY Nominee since 2020. NHD was based on the performances of famous players in international tournaments, while TKI consisted of legendary Korean players.

Later, the 18KFA class, consisting of Korean players who participated in the World Cup and Asian Games, appeared, and we also saw the 17-18 Man City Champions class with a Manchester City theme. In particular, around the World Cup season, we saw Korean teams that combined TKI and 18KFA. The TB and TT classes followed; the TT class, which introduced the concept of transfers, became a hot topic at the time for its high performance-to-salary ratio and immediately rose to top-tier status. It was used as a viable class for quite a long time.

In 2019, the range of class choices expanded further. In January, the GR and K19 classes were released alongside 19TOTY. You could say that the formula of releasing TOTY in January started here, and Ronaldo gained significant popularity. The GR class, composed mainly of European prospects, wasn't a definitive top-tier class, but it had enough ability to fill the gaps in existing classes.

Among the classes released in 2019, the ones with the most presence were TC, ICON, 19TOTS, and HOT. TC was used to boost the overall power of the squad with slightly enhanced abilities compared to existing ones, and HOT, which appeared in August, became a top-tier class that replaced TT. ICON established itself as the highest-tier class, offering both performance and sentiment, and some players from TOTS, which featured the season's best performers, also reached top-tier positions. Other classes like COC, OTW, and 19NG were released with clear concepts, but since the performance of HOT, which consisted of legends from major clubs, was so superior, they were mostly seen as cards that simply widened the range of choices.

From 2020, a full-scale generational shift in classes began. Starting with 20TOTY in January, we saw the 19UCL class in February, which added the fun of being linked to real-world football. In particular, 19UCL was a class that applied Live Performance, which generated significant buzz and subsequently began to be released regularly in February. In March, TKL, LH, and 20KL joined. LH, which gathered national team legends, was evaluated as a major class and top-tier choice representing the first half of 2020. It had everything: name value, sentiment, and performance.

Following 20TOTS, Liverpool Ambassador, MOG, VTR, and 20NG, the MC class arrived and took the second half of 2020 by storm. With the addition of MC to LH, which had been responsible for squad quality in the first half, squads began to change. MC is a class composed of players who have experienced winning in various leagues. It was a time when it was fun to compare LH and MC and strengthen squads by combining them appropriately. Even after being pushed out of the top tier, LH and MC had such excellent performance that they were still chosen for their cost-efficiency. In December, 20KB and a Live class update also took place.

The year 2021 also began with TOTY. Then 20UCL appeared, and UP, NTG, 21KL, and 21TOTS filled the first half. In 21TOTY, Ronaldo and Son Heung-min were greatly loved. Including them, the 21TOTY top-tier players showed high preference for quite a long time. Among the classes released in the first half, NTG, which included a large number of legendary players, drew a lot of interest. David Beckham and Fernando Torres wore the NTG jersey.

In the second half, starting with K21 and 12KH, which added strength to Korean concept teams, E21, EBS, and Chelsea Ambassador were added. 12KH, composed of players who achieved 3rd place in the Olympics, received a positive response from managers running Korean teams, and EBS, which appeared based on performances in European international tournaments, also received quite good reviews. The CAP and BTB classes that followed also left a strong impression. With the successive releases of EBS, CAP, and BTB, managers' squads underwent a major upheaval. Among the three, BTB seemed to have the most destructive power. For reference, CAP was themed around national team captains, and BTB was based on players with consecutive winning records in major leagues and European tournaments.

The addition of new classes in 2022 also started with TOTY. Son Heung-min had excellent performance in this TOTY as well, recording the highest market price among general classes excluding ICON. Besides Son Heung-min, Lewandowski, Mbappe, and others also formed significant price ranges. In February, 21UCL appeared, and in March, 21NG, 22HR, and 22KL were released, but they were not powerful enough to clearly surpass existing classes. FA, LOL, and 22TOTS were added subsequently. HR (Heroes), composed of players who performed outstandingly in their leagues, has been joining every year since 2022.

In August, LN was added. Composed of players representing each jersey number, LN had performance that could be evaluated as a major class; there were even players with higher salaries than ICON. Following this, 2022 was filled with SPL, WC22, BWC, K22, 22KB, and 22NG. SPL and WC22, which were composed mainly of active players, were useful for club and national team users. BWC was composed of players who left a strong impression on the World Cup stage and, along with LN, was positioned as a top-tier class in 2022. It was also interesting that legendary players who had not been seen in the game before were included.

In 2023, starting with 23TOTY in January, 22UCL, 23HR, RTN, and HG joined. A point to note is the ICON TM class that appeared in May. It is the highest-tier class that came out at a time when the value of ICON was becoming ambiguous as general classes began to surpass the performance of the existing ICON class that appeared in 2019. They had high salaries, but they guaranteed clear performance. There were also players who benefited from being two-footed, not just in stats. Following ICON TM, we were able to see 23TOTS in June.

In the second half, CC, 23HW, and the FC class followed. CC, composed of players with over 100 A-match appearances, widened the options, and players like Ronaldo were evaluated as clear Tier 1. FC has symbolic significance as it coincides with the transition period from FIFA Online 4 to FC Online. And DC, which came out in November, is based on players who have been with one club for over 10 years. It became an opportunity for new legend-level players to join, and the performance of some players also drew attention. Some were even evaluated as comparable to ICON TM. With the addition of 23KB, 23NG, 24HR, and K23, the class lineup for 2023 was completed.

2024 also started with 24TOTY in January. Then, the 23UCL update took place in February, and JNM was added in March. In April, UT and LD joined. Among them, UT was one of the most notable classes in the first half of 2024. New seasons of existing popular players were added in large numbers, making season comparisons active, and some players were evaluated as threatening existing top-tier seasons. LD was also a class that stimulated legends and career sentiment. The theme of UT, players who faced sudden transfers, and the theme of LD, meaning 'Last Dance,' were also quite interesting.

In May, ahead of Euro 2024, EU24 and 24KL were added, and 24TOTS appeared in June. EU24 received attention in line with the actual tournament atmosphere, but its performance was somewhat ambiguous and supply was not high. Afterward, MDL, CU, and 24EP were added sequentially, but overall interest was formed around a few viable players. CU, which has the concept of being based on performances in European club tournaments, was evaluated as a top-tier class that captured both romance and performance.

In the second half of 2024, BLD, BDO, and GRU joined. Among them, BDO was a class that put the symbolism of the Ballon d'Or at the forefront, so the name alone was enough to attract interest. It was a concept that football fans couldn't help but react to, and the seasons of players with name value were compared immediately after release. BLD, which appeared together, also had excellent performance, leading to an increase in managers looking to update their squads. In December, 24KB and GRU joined, and they gained popularity by having an advantage in terms of cost-efficiency and a composition with many players that are actually good to use.

The flow at the beginning of 2025 is similar. TOTY and TOTY-N appeared, and we were able to see 24UCL in February. Subsequently, 25HR and WB joined sequentially. In May, No7, LE, and 25KL were added. Interest in No7, which has the strong symbolism of the number 7 jersey, was high, and LE, which joined at the end of May, provided new options for managers utilizing club team colors.

In the second half of 2025, CH, DCB, 25IM, WS, FSL, 25DP, and FAC appeared sequentially. Among them, 25IM was a class connected to the 2025 Icon Match. In particular, in the second half of 2025, the options for managers operating single team colors expanded. 25DP, composed of active players who dedicated themselves to the team during the season, and FAC, composed of cup tournament winners, helped with team color utilization by bringing club-based themes. CH, filled with winners of continental national tournaments, was also good for receiving national team colors. It helped in building sufficiently good squads based on team colors, rather than just building a team based on names.

Now, let's take a light look at the classes released this year. 26TOTY and 26TOTY-N appeared in January, and 25UCL joined in February. In 26TOTY, Mbappe is receiving a lot of attention. Excellent performance is a given, and since it can also be used for Real Madrid team colors, the transfer market transaction price is significant. It is the overwhelming number one among classes excluding ICON. Now that various factors other than stats are considered in player recruitment, the influence of TOTY seems to have decreased compared to the past, but it is still consistently producing top-tier players.

Following this, 26HR, WG, KHD, TK, PTG, SH, and 26KL landed one after another. Among them, WG includes many legendary players who can revive memories as players who performed in past World Cups are included, and many are well-received for their performance. Ronaldo is the second most expensive general class player after 26TOTY Mbappe. The 30-player TK class and 564-player PTG class that joined most recently are also settling into FC Online. TK includes Korean legend players with better performance, and PTG is composed of active players who performed in the World Cup qualifiers. In the case of PTG, Live Performance is applied depending on the results of the finals in the future.

We have taken the time to look back at the classes that have appeared from the launch of FC Online in 2018 to May 2026. Looking at them one by one slowly, it brings back memories of those days, and it's surprising that eight years have already passed. And since June has started, I have high expectations that we will be able to see a new TOTS soon. Although it has become difficult to choose players because the types of classes have become diverse, finding and comparing players that suit me is also one of the fun parts, so I hope to be able to meet classes with various concepts and themes in the future.