EA reveals available Madden NFL 26 mascots, presentation details

Spectacle is part of the NFL's DNA and Madden NFL 26 seems to understand the assignment, as EA Sports has put a lot of effort into upgrading the series' presentation.

A significant item on the agenda is the reintroduction of mascots and their faithful recreation, for which EA has visited the Pro Bowl to conduct full-body scans. Some teams even sent their costumes to the dev team in Orlando for detailed scans, ensuring that the beloved characters will be at their best. At launch, fans will find 18 NFL mascots represented in Madden 26:

• San Francisco 49ers -- Sourdough Sam

• Chicago Bears -- Staley Da Bear

• Cincinnati Bengals -- Who Dey

• Buffalo Bills -- Billy Buffalo

• Denver Broncos -- Miles

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Captain Fear

• Arizona Cardinals -- Big Red

• Kansas City Chiefs -- K.C. Wolf

• Washington Commanders -- Major Tuddy

• Dallas Cowboys -- Rowdy

• Miami Dolphins -- T.D.

• Philadelphia Eagles -- Swoop

• Atlanta Falcons -- Freddie Falcon

• Jacksonville Jaguars -- Jaxson De Ville

• Detroit Lions -- Roary

• Los Angeles Rams -- Rampage

• Baltimore Ravens -- Poe

• Houston Texans -- Toro

Additional characters will join the fun in a post-launch update, EA confirmed. It's a similar case for the motion graphics used in teams' stadiums, of which 26 will be available at launch:

• San Francisco 49ers

• Chicago Bears

• Cincinnati Bengals

• Buffalo Bills

• Denver Broncos

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Arizona Cardinals

• Los Angeles Chargers

• Indianapolis Colts

• Washington Commanders

• Miami Dolphins

• Philadelphia Eagles

• Atlanta Falcons

• Jacksonville Jaguars

• Detroit Lions

• Green Bay Packers

• Carolina Panthers

• New England Patriots

• Los Angeles Rams

• Baltimore Ravens

• New Orleans Saints

• Seattle Seahawks

• Pittsburgh Steelers

• Houston Texans

• Tennessee Titans

• Minnesota Vikings

For Madden 26, EA has updated its sound library to replace outdated sound effects, including the Chargers' electric zap, and expand the available chants and crowd reactions. EA has worked with teams, NFL Films, and ESPN to get its hands on recordings, ensuring that only authentic sounds make it into the game.

The NFL is also a competition steeped in tradition, and many of these pre-game rituals will be represented in Madden 26, from Rob Gronkowski ringing the bell in New England as the Keeper of the Light to Greg Olsen returning to Carolina to bang the Keep Pounding drum. Additionally, full broadcast packages will elevate the gameday presentation in Franchise Mode.

Finally, EA has revealed that the likenesses of many fresh coaches and rookies will be in the game at launch. For the coaches, Ben Johnson, Brian Schottenheimer, Liam Coen, Pete Carroll, Mike Vrabel, Kellen Moore, and Aaron Glenn will be on the sidelines.

Here's a list of notable rookies that will be represented in the game with their likenesses:

• Ashton Jeanty

• Mason Graham

• Travis Hunter

• Jalon Walker

• Abdul Carter

• Tetairoa McMillan

• Kelvin Banks Jr

• Tyler Warren

• Tyler Booker

• Nic Scourton

• Mykel Williams

• Cameron Ward

• Luther Burden III

• Jihaad Campbell

• Josh Simmons

• Will Johnson

• Emeka Egbuka

• Shemar Stewart

• Omarion Hampton

• Jahdae Barron

• Jaxson Dart

• Malaki Starks

• Grey Zabel

• Matthew Golden

Similar to the mascots and other visuals, more likenesses are set to arrive throughout the season.