FIFA controls stay consistent each year, with one or two subtle changes being made for players to master.
For those of you who are new to FIFA or are returning via FIFA 21, here are the controls that you need to know to get to grips with the latest title.
The first section deals with the most popular controller setting, Classic, with the following sections looking at the other controls on offer in FIFA 21.
In this FIFA 21 controls guide, R and L refer to the right and left analogue on either console controller. The buttons R3 and L3 refer to the pressing of the right or left analogue to trigger the action. Up, Right, Down, Left signify the buttons on the d-pad of either console controller.
FIFA 21 Classic Controls
The Classic controls setting is aptly named as it’s the default setting and the most popular among players. For those who played FIFA in previous years, the chances are that these are the settings that you’re used to using.
FIFA 21 Movement Controls
| Action | PS4 / PS5 Controls | Xbox One / Series X Controls |
| Move Player | L (direction) | L (direction) |
| Sprint | R2 (hold) | RT (hold) |
| First Touch / Knock-On | R2 + R (direction) | RT + R (direction) |
| Stop and Face Goal | L + (no direction) + L1 | L + (no direction) + LB |
| Strafe Dribble | L1 + L | LB + L |
| Agile Dribble | R1 + L | RB + L |
| Stop the Ball | R2 + (no direction) | RT + (no direction) |
| Jostle (Ball in the Air) | L2 | LT |
| Skill Moves | R | R |
| Slow Dribble | L2 + R2 + L (direction) | LT + RT + L (direction) |
FIFA 21 Defence Controls
| Action | PS4 / PS5 Controls | Xbox One / Series X Controls |
| Change Player | L1 | LB |
| Manual Change Player | R (direction) | R (direction) |
| Tackle / Push or Pull (when chasing) | O | B |
| Hard Tackle | O (press and hold) | B (press and hold) |
| Instant Hard Tackle | R1 + O | RB + B |
| Slide Tackle | Square | X |
| Quick Get Up (after a slide tackle) | Square | X |
| Clearance | O | B |
| Contain | X (hold) | A (hold) |
| Teammate Contain | R1 (hold) | RB (hold) |
| Shield / Jockey | L2 (hold) | LT (hold) |
| Running Jockey | L2 (hold) + R2 (hold) | LT (hold) + RT (hold) |
| Shoulder Challenge / Seal-Out | L2 (tap) | LT (tap) |
| Engage Shielding Opponent | L2 + L (towards shielding dribbler) | LT + L (towards shielding dribbler) |
| Pull and Hold (when chasing) | O (hold) | B (hold) |
| Rush Goalkeeper Out | Triangle | Y |
| Goalkeeper Cross Intercept | Triangle + Triangle (press and hold) | Y + Y (press and hold) |
FIFA 21 Attack Controls
| Action | PS4 / PS5 Controls | Xbox One / Series X Controls |
| Protect Ball | L2 | LT |
| Ground Pass / Header | X | A |
| Driven Ground Pass | R1 + X | RB + A |
| Lofted Ground Pass | X + X | A + A |
| Pass and Go | L1 + X | LB + A |
| Pass and Move | X + R (direction, hold) | A + R (direction, hold) |
| Flair Pass | L2 + X | LT + A |
| Lob Pass / Cross / Header | Square | X |
| Through Ball | Triangle | Y |
| Lofted Through Pass | Triangle + Triangle | Y + Y |
| Threaded Through Ball | R1 + Triangle | RB + Y |
| Lob Through Ball | L1 + Triangle | LB + Y |
| Driven Lobbed Through Pass | L1 + R1 + Triangle | LB + RB + Y |
| High Lob / High Cross | L1 + Square | LB + X |
| Driven Lob Pass / Driven Cross | R1 + Square | RB + X |
| Ground Cross | Square + Square | X + X |
| Whipped Cross | L1 + R1 + Square | LB + RB + X |
| Driven Ground Cross | R1 + Square + Square | RB + X + X |
| Fake Pass | Square then X + direction | X then A + direction |
| Flair Lob | L2 + Square | LT + X |
| Dummy a Pass | L + (no direction) + R1 (press and hold) | L + (no direction) + RB (press and hold) |
| Shoot / Header / Volley | O | B |
| Timed Shot | O + O (timed) | B + B (timed) |
| Chip Shot | L1 + O | LB + B |
| Finesse Shot | R1 + O | RB + B |
| Low Shot / Downward Header | L1 + R1 + O (tap) | LB + RB + B (tap) |
| Fake Shot | O then X + direction | B then A + direction |
| Flair Shot | L2 + O | LT + B |
| Flick Up for Volley | R3 | R3 |
| Disguised First Touch | R1 (press and hold) + L (towards the ball) | RB (press and hold) + L (towards the ball) |
| Set Up Touch | R1 + R (hold in a direction) | RB + R (hold in a direction) |
| Directional Runs | L1 (tap) + R (flick in any direction) | LB (tap) + R (flick in any direction) |
| Trigger Teammate Run | L1 | LB |
| Call for Support | R1 | RB |
| Cancel Foul Advantage | L2 + R2 | LT + RT |
| Hard Super Cancel | L1 + R1 + L2 + R2 | LB + RB + LT + RT |
| Player Lock | L + R | L + R |
| Switch Player Lock | L (flick in any direction) | L (flick in any direction) |
| Let Ball Run | R1 (hold) + L (away from the ball) | RB (hold) + L (away from the ball) |
FIFA 21 Goalkeeper Controls
| Action | PS4 / PS5 Controls | Xbox One / Series X Controls |
| Switch to Goalkeeper | TouchPad | View |
| Drop Ball | Triangle | Y |
| Drop Kick | O or Square | B + X |
| Throw / Pass | X | A |
| Pick Up Ball | R1 | RB |
| Driven Throw | R1 + X | RB + A |
| Driven Kick | R1 + Square | RB + X |
| Move Goalkeeper | R3 (press and hold) + R | R3 (press and hold) + R |
| Goalkeeper Cover Far Post | R3 (press and hold) | R3 (press and hold) |
FIFA 21 Free Kick Controls
| Action | PS4 / PS5 Controls | Xbox One / Series X Controls |
| Aim | L | L |
| Move Kick Taker | R | R |
| Time Your Shot | O + O | B + B (timed) |
| Curled Shot | O or R (hold downwards) | B or R (hold downwards) |
| Apply Curl During Run Up | R | R |
| Driven Shot | L1 + O | LB + B |
| Ground Pass | X | A |
| Lob Pass / Cross | Square | X |
| Wall Jump | Triangle | Y |
| Wall Charge | X | A |
| Move Wall | L2 or R2 | LT or RT |
| Select Kick Taker | R2 | RT |
| Add Kick Taker | R1 or L1 | RB or LT |
| Move Goalkeeper | Square or O | X or B |
| Call 2nd Kick Taker | L2 | LT |
| 2nd Kick Taker Curled Shot | L2 + O | LT + B |
| 2nd Kick Taker Layoff Pass | L2 + X | LT + A |
| 2nd Kick Taker Layoff Chip | L2 + Square | LT + X |
| 2nd Kick Taker Run Over Ball | L2 + O then X | LT + B then A |
| Call 3rd Kick Taker | R1 | RB |
| 3rd Kick Taker Curled Shot | R1 + O | RB + B |
| 3rd Kick Taker Run Over Ball | R1 + O then X | RB + B then A |
FIFA 21 Corners and Throw-ins Controls
| Action | PS4 / PS5 Controls | Xbox One / Series X Controls |
| Lob Cross (Corners) | Square | X |
| Pass (Corners) | X | A |
| Aim Kick | L | L |
| Apply Kick Power | Square | X |
| Turn Aim Indicator On/Off | Up | Up |
| Display Corner Tactics | Down | Down |
| Run Far Post | Down then Up | Down then Up |
| Edge of Box Run | Down then Right | Down then Right |
| Crowd the Goalkeeper | Down then Left | Down then Left |
| Run Near Post | Down then Down | Down then Down |
| Move Along the Line (Throw-ins) | L | L |
| Short Throw-in | X | A |
| Manual Short Throw-in | Triangle | Y |
| Long Throw-in | Square or X (press and hold) | X or A (press and hold) |
| Fake Throw | Square + X or X + Square | X + A or A + X |
FIFA 21 Penalties Controls
| Action | PS4 / PS5 Controls | Xbox One / Series X Controls |
| Aim | L | L |
| Shoot | O | B |
| Move Kick Taker | R | R |
| Stutter | L2 | LT |
| Sprint | R2 | RT |
| Finesse Shot | R1 + O | RB + B |
| Chip Shot | L1 + O | LB +B |
| Select Kick Taker | R2 | RT |
| Turn Aim Indicator On/Off | Up | Up |
| Goalkeeper Move Side to Side | L (direction) | L (direction) |
| Goalkeeper Dive | R (direction) | R (direction) |
| Goalkeeper Gestures | X / O / Square / Triangle | A / B / X / Y |
FIFA 21 Tactics Controls
| Action | PS4 / PS5 Controls | Xbox One / Series X Controls |
| Display Attacking Tactics | Up | Up |
| Get in the Box | Up, Up | Up, Up |
| Attacking Full Backs | Up, Right | Up, Right |
| Hug Sideline | Up, Left | Up, Left |
| Extra Striker | Up, Down | Up, Down |
| Display Defending Tactics | Down | Down |
| Striker Drop Back | Down, Up | Down, Up |
| Team Press | Down, Right | Down, Right |
| Overload Ball Side | Down, Left | Down, Left |
| Offside Trap | Down, Down | Down, Down |
| Change Game Plan | Left or Right | Left or Right |
| Quick Substitutes | R2 | RT |
FIFA 21 Volta Football Controls
These are the additional controls that you need to know to master the Volta Football game mode on FIFA 21.
| Action | PS4 / PS5 Controls | Xbox One / Series X Controls |
| Simple Skill Moves | L1 (press and hold) + L (direction) | LB (press and hold) + L (direction) |
| Simple Flicks | R3 + L (direction) | R3 + L (direction) |
| Taunts | L + (no direction) + R2 (pull and hold) | L + (no direction) + RT (pull and hold) |
| Change Mentality (Tactic) | Left or Right | Left or Right |
| Hard Tackle | Square | X |
FIFA 21 Be A Pro Controls
In Be A Pro, you’ll spend a lot of your time off of the ball when your team is in possession: in the table below, you can find all of the attacking off of the ball controls in FIFA 21 when you’re controlling one player.
Further down, you can find the additional goalkeeper controls on FIFA 21’s Be A Pro.
| Outfielder Action | PS4 / PS5 Controls | Xbox One / Series X Controls |
| Call for a Pass | X | A |
| Call for or Suggest a Through Pass | Triangle | Y |
| Suggest Shot | O | B |
| Call for Driven Ground Pass | R1 + X | RB + A |
| Call for Threaded Through Pass | R1 + Triangle | RB + Y |
| Call for Lobbed Through Pass | L1 + Triangle | LB + Y |
| Call for Far Lobbed Through Pass | L1 + R1 + Triangle | LB + RB + Y |
| Call for Cross | Square | X |
| Call for Ground Cross | R1 + Square | RB + X |
| Call for High Cross | L1 + Square | LB + X |
| Goalkeeper Action | PS4 / PS5 Controls | Xbox One / Series X Controls |
| Call for or Suggest a Pass | X | A |
| Suggest a Through Pass | Triangle | Y |
| Suggest a Cross | Square | X |
| Suggest a Shot | O | B |
| Toggle Camera Target | TouchPad | View |
| Dive | R (hold in direction) | R (hold in direction) |
| Automatic Positioning | L1 (press and hold) | LB (press and hold) |
| 2nd Defender Contain | R1 (press and hold) | RB (press and hold) |
Those are all of the controls that you need to know to play FIFA 21 in its usual matches as well as the Volta Football and Be A Pro game modes.
Looking for the best young players?
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Centre Backs (CB) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Strikers & Centre Forwards (ST & CF) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young LBs to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Right Backs (RB & RWB) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Central Midfielders (CM) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Defensive Midfielders (CDM) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Attacking Midfielders (CAM) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Goalkeepers (GK) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Right Wingers (RW & RM) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Left Wingers (LW & LM) to Sign
Looking for wonderkids?
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Centre Backs (CB) to sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Right Backs (RB) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Left Backs (LB) to sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Goalkeepers (GK) to sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Attacking Midfielders (CAM) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Central Midfielders (CM) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkid Wingers: Best Left Wingers (LW & LM) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkid Wingers: Best Right Wingers (RW & RM) to sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Strikers (ST & CF) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Young Brazilian Players to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Young French Players to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Young English Players to Sign in Career Mode
Looking for bargains?
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FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Centre Backs (CB) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Strikers (ST & CF) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Right Backs (RB & RWB) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Left Backs (LB & LWB) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Centre Midfielders (CM) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Goalkeepers (GK) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Right Wingers (RW & RM) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Left Wingers (LW & LM) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Attacking Midfielders (CAM) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Defensive Midfielders (CDM) with High Potential to Sign
Looking for the fastest players?
FIFA 21 Defenders: Fastest Centre Backs (CB) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21: Fastest Strikers (ST and CF)
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