FIFA 22 Best Central and Defending Midfielders Tier List (July 2022)

Want to know who the best CMs and CDMs are in FIFA 22? You’ve come to the right place

FIFA 22 screenshot — Image via Electronic Arts

In FIFA 22, the central midfielders (CM) and the central defensive midfielders (CDM) are the core that holds up the middle of the field. With the CDMs being positioned just in front of the defense, and the CMs located directly in the middle of the field. Both of these positions play a pivotal role in helping to protect the defense as well as be the link between defense and the attacking midfielders or forwards.

As a result of their immense amount of responsibility, having a sound group of central and defending midfielders could make all the difference. So, to help you get started, we’ve created a FIFA 22 tier list ranking all of the best players in these positions.

FIFA 22 Best Central and Defending Midfielders Tier List (July 2022)

Central defensive midfielders (CDMs) tend to have similar attributes to center backs, in that they must be strong, aggressive and defensive minded. Whereas central midfielders (CMs) are a little bit more versatile due to their multi-faceted role on both offense and defense. Even though their roles are slightly different, they could be used interchangeably depending on the player and formation.

Without further ado, here is our FIFA 22 best central and defending midfielders tier list.

S Tier Players

Kevin De Bruyne, CM (91), Manchester City/Belgium
N’Golo Kante, CDM (90), Chelsea/France
Joshua Kimmich, CDM (89), Bayern Munich/Germany
Casemiro, CDM (89), Real Madrid/Brazil
Toni Kroos, CM (88), Real Madrid/Germany
Leon Goretzka, CM (87), Bayern Munich/Germany
Luka Modric, CM (87), Real Madrid/Croatia
Frenkie De Jong, CM (87), FC Barcelona/Netherlands
Paul Pogba, CM (87), Manchester United/France
Marco Verratti, CM (87), PSG/Italy
Sergio Busquets, CDM (86), FC Barcelona/Spain
Fabinho, CDM (86), Liverpool/Brazil
Marcos Llorente, CM (86), Atletico de Madrid/Spain
Perejo, CM (86), Villarreal CF/Spain
Rodri, CDM (86), Manchester City/Spain
Thiago, CM (86), Liverpool/Spain

A Tier Players

Jorginho, CM (85), Chelsea/Italy
Ilkay Gundogan, CM (85), Manchester City/Germany
Wilfred Ndidi, CDM (85), Leicester City/ Nigeria
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, CM (85), Lazio/Serbia
Koke, CM (85), Atletico de Madrid/Spain
Nicolo Barella, CM (84), Inter Milan/Italy
Georginio Wijnaldum, CM (84), PSG/Netherlands
Marcel Sabitzer, CM (84), Bayern Munich/Austria
Franck Yannick Kessie, CDM (84), AC Milan/Ivory Coast
Jordan Henderson, CDM (84), Liverpool/England
Marcelo Brozovic, CDM (84), Inter Milan/Croatia
Youri Tielemans, CM (84), Leicester City/Belgium
Fernando, CDM (84), Sevilla FC/Brazil
Merino, CM (83), Real Sociedad/Spain
Paulinho, CM (83), Al Ahli/Spain
Fererico Velverde, CM (83), Real Madrid/Uruguay
Canales, CM (83), Real Betis/Spain
Thomas Partey, CM (83), Arsenal/Ghana
Allan, CDM (83), Everton/Brazil
Axel Witsel, CDM (83), Borussia Dortmund/Belgium
Arthur, CM (83), Piemonte Calcio/Brazil
Mateo Kovacic, CM (83), Chelsea/Croatia
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, CDM (83), Tottenham Hotspur/Denmark
Fernandinho, CDM (83), Manchester City/Brazil
Emre Can, CM (82), Borussia Dortmund/Germany
Rodrigo Javier De Paul, CM (82), Atletico de Madrid/Argentina
Saul, CM (82), Chelsea/Spain
Tomas Soucek, CDM (82), West Ham United/Czech Republic
Ever Banega, CDM (82), Al Shabab/Argentina
Campana, CM (82), Levante UD/Spain
Manuel Locatelli, CDM (82), Piemonte Calcio/Italy
Fabian, CM (82), Napoli/Spain
Marten De Roon, CDM (82), Atalanta BC/Netherlands
Ivan Rakitic, CM (82), Sevilla FC/Croatia
Ruben Neves, CM (82), Wolverhampton Wanderers/Portugal
Idrissa Gueye, CDM (82), PSG/Senegal
Palhinha, CDM (82), Sporting CP/Portugal
Miralem Pjanic, CM (82), FC Barcelona/Bosnia and Herzegovina
Florian Neuhaus, CM (82), Borussia Monchengladbach/Germany
Declan Rice, CDM (82), West Ham United/England
Christian Eriksen, CM (82), Inter Milan/Denmark

B Tier Players

Arturo Vidal, CM (81), Inter Milan/Chile
Jordan Veretout, CDM (81), Roma FC/France
Adrien Rabiot, CM (81), Piemonte Calcio/France
Konrad Laimer, CDM (81), RB Leipzig/Austria
Hector Herrera, CM (81), Atletico de Madrid/Mexico
Thomas Delaney, CDM (81), Sevilla FC/Denmark
Giovani Lo Celso, CM (81), Tottenham Hotspur/Argentina
Lucas Paqueta, CM (81), Olympique Lyonnais/Brazil
Carlos Soler, CM (81), Valencia CF/Spain
Leandro Paredes, CDM (81), PSG/Argentina
Maximilian Arnold, CDM (81), VfL Wolfsburg/Germany
Piotr Zielinski, CM (81), Napoli/Poland
Houssem Aquar, CM (81), Olympique Lyonnais/France
Donny Van De Beek, CM (81), Manchester United/Netherlands
Fred, CDM (81), Manchester United/Brazil
Benjamin Andre, CDM (81), Lille OSC/France
Pizzi, CM (81), SL Benfica/Portugal
Kalvin Phillips, CDM (81), Leeds United/England
Danilo Pereira, CDM (81), PSG/Portugal
James Ward-Prowse, CM (81), Southampton/England
Pedri, CM (81), FC Barcelona/Spain
Kevin Kampl, CM (81), RB Leipzig/Slovenia
Lucas Leiva, CDM (81), Lazio/Brazil
Renato Sanches, CM (80), Lille OSC/Portugal
Denis Zakaria, CDM (80), Borussia Monchengladbach/Switzerland
Scott McTominay, CDM (80), Manchester United/Scotland
Corentin Tolisso, CM (80), Bayern Munich/France
Gerson, CM (80), Olympique de Marseille/Brazil
Roberto Pereyra, CM (80), Udinese/Argentina
Ismael Bennacer, CM (80), AC Milan/Algeria
Marek Hamsik, CM (80), Trabzonspor/Slovakia
Francis Coquelin, CM (80), Villarreal CF/France
Lucas Torreira, CDM (80), Fiorentina/Uruguay
Rafinha, CM (80), PSG/Brazil
Teji Savanier, CM (80), Montpellier/France
Enzo Perez, CDM (80), River Plate/Argentina
Remo Freuler, CM (80), Atalanta BC/Switzerland
Xavier Schlager, CDM (80), VfL Wolfsburg/Austria
Charles Aranguiz, CDM (80), Bayer Leverkusen/Chile
Joan Jordan, CM (80), Sevilla FC/Spain
Sergio Oliveira, CM (80), FC Porto/Portugal
Joao Mario, CM (80), SL Benfica/Portugal
Naby Keita, CM (80), Liverpool/Guinea
Aaron Ramsey, CM (80), Piemonte Calcio/Wales
Boubacar Kamara, CDM (80), Olympique de Marseille/France
Joao Moutinho, CM (80), Wolverhampton Wanderers/Portugal
Stefano Sensi, CM (80), Inter Milan/Italy
Iniesta, CM (80), Vissel Kobe/Spain
Diego Demme, CDM (80), Napoli/Germany

Related: FIFA 22 Best Fullbacks Tier List (July 2022)

C Tier Players

Geoffrey Kondogbia, CM (79), Atletico de Madrid/Central Africa
Mateus Uribe, CM (79), FC Porto/Columbia
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, CM (79), Liverpool/England
Abdoulaye Doucoure, CM (79), Everton/France
Aurelien Tchouameni, CM (79), AS Monaco/France
Alexandr Golovin, CM (79), AS Monaco/Russia
Mousa Dembele, CM (79), Guangzhou R&F/Belgium
Jude Bellingham, CM (79), Borussia Dortmund/England
Ander Herrera, CM (79), PSG/Spain
Renato Tapia, CDM (79), RC Celta/Peru
Yves Rissouma, CDM (79), Brighton/Mali
Blaise Matuidi, CDM (79), Inter Miami CF/France
Teun Koopmeiners, CDM (79), Atalanta BC/Netherlands
Sergi Darden, CM (79), RCD Espanyol/Spain
Nemanja Gudelj, CDM (79), Sevilla FC/Serbia
James Milner, CM (79), Liverpool/England
Rafael Carioca, CDM (79), Tigres UANL/Brazil
Mahmoud Dahoud, CM (79), Borussia Dortmund/Germany
Bruno Guimaraes, CDM (79), Olympique Lyonnais/Brazil
Yann M’Vila, CDM (79), Olympiacos FC/France
Kerem Demirbay, CM (79), Bayer Leverkusen/Germany
Jonas Hofmann, CM (79), Borussia Monchengladbach/Germany
Taras Stepanenko, CDM (79), Shakhtar Donetsk/Ukraine
Julian Weigl, CM (79), SL Benfica/Germany
Nemanja Maksimovic, CDM (79), Getafe CF/Serbia
Manu Trigueros, CM (79), Villarreal CF/Spain
Illarramendi, CDM (79), Real Sociedad/Spain
Tiemoue Bakayoko, CDM (79), AC Milan/France
Granit Xhaka, CDM (79), Arsenal/Switzerland
Iborra, CDM (79), Villarreal CF/Spain
Nemanja Matic, CDM (79), Manchester United/Serbia
Mauro Arambarri, CDM (79), Getafe CF/Uruguay
Montoro, CDM (79), Granada CF/Spain
Christoph Kramer, CDM (79), Borussia Monchengladbach/Germany

D Tier Players

Nicolas De La Cruz, CM (78), River Plate/Uruguay
Uros Racic, CM (78), Valencia CF/Serbia
Ryan Gravenberch, CM (78), Ajax/Netherlands
Seko Fofana, CM (78), RC Lens/Ivory Coast
John McGinn, CDM (78), Aston Villa/Scotland
Moussa Sissoko, CDM (78), Watford FC/France
Rodrigo Bentancur, CM (78), Piemonte Calcio/Uruguay
Eduardo Camavinga, CM (78), Real Madrid/France
Fredrik Midtsjo, CM (78), AZ/Norway
Thiago Mendes, CDM (78), Olympique Lyonnais/Brazil
Luis Milla, CDM (78), Granada CF/Spain
Youssouf Fofana, CM (78), AS Monaco/France
Giacomo Bonaventura, CM (78), Fiorentina/Italy
Roman Zobnin, CDM (78), Spartak Moscow/Russia
Benjamin Bourigeaud, CM (78), Stade Rennais/France
Fransergio, CM (78), Bordeaux/Brazil
Matias Vecino, CM (78), Inter Milan/Uruguay
Ruud Vormer, CM (78), Club Brugge/Netherlands
Amadou Haidara, CM (78), RB Leipzig/Mali
Mario Pasalic, CM (78), Atalanta BC/Croatia
Andres Guardado, CDM (78), Real Betis/Mexico
Yangel Herrera, CM (78), RCD Espanyol/Venezuela
Bryan Cristante, CDM (78), Roma FC/Italy
Boubakary Soumare, CDM (78), Leicester City/France
Dennis Praet, CM (78), Torino/Belgium
Maxence Caqueret, CM (78), Olympique Lyonnais/France
Ashley Westwood, CDM (78), Burnley/England
Denis Suarez, CM (78), RC Celta/Spain
Wataru Endo, CDM (78), VfB Stuttgart/Japan
Florian Grillitsch, CM (78), TSG Hoffenheim/Austria
Jonas Hector, CDM (78), FC Koln/Germany
Etienne Capoue, CM (78), Villarreal CF/France
Baptiste Santamaria, CDM (78), Stade Rennais/France
Dani Garcia, CM (78), Athletic Bilbao/Spain
Miguel Veloso, CM (78), Hellas Verona/Portugal
Hans Vanaken, CM (78), Club Brugge/Belgium
Julian Baumgartlinger, CDM (78), Bayer Leverkusen/Austria
William Carvalho, CDM (78), Real Betis/Portugal
Guido Rodriguez, CDM (78), Real Betis/Argentina
Steven Nzonzi, CDM (78), Roma FC/France
Oriol Romeu, CDM (78), Southampton/Spain

E Tier Players

Weston McKennie, CM (77), Piemonte Calcio/United States
Lukas Provod, CM (77), Slavia Praha/Czech Republic
Mady Camara, CM (77), Olympiacos FC/Guinea
Nahitan Nandez, CM (77), Cagliari/Uruguay
Petr Sevcik, CM (77), Slavia Praha/Czech Republic
Djibril Sow, CM (77), Eintracht Frankfurt/Switzerland
Gedson Fernandes, CM (77), SL Benfica/Portugal
Tomas Holes, CDM (77), Slavia Praha/Czech Republic
Sandro Tonali, CDM (77), AC Milan/Italy
Juraj Kucka, CM (77), Watford FC/Slovakia
Leander Dendoncker, CM (77), Wolverhampton Wanderers/Belgium
Unai Lopez, CM (77), Rayo Vallecano/Spain
Petros, CM (77), Al Nassr/Brazil
Fernando Gorriaran, CDM (77), Santos Laguna/Uruguay
Adel Taarabt, CM (77), SL Benfica/Morocco
Valentin Rongier, CM (77), Olympique de Marseille/France
Jonathan Dos Santos, CM (77), LA Galaxy/Mexico
Matteo Guendouzi, CDM (77), Olympique de Marseille/France
Melero, CM (77), Levante UD/Spain
Jean-Philippe Gbamin, CDM (77), Everton/Ivory Coast

F Tier Players

Exequiel Palacios, CM (77), Bayer Leverkusen/Argentina
Sebastian Rode, CDM (77), Eintracht Frankfurt/Germany
Luis Montes, CM (77), Club Leon/Mexico
Dani Ceballos, CM (77), Real Madrid/Spain
Ellyes Skhiri, CDM (77), FC Koln/Tunisia
Andre Gomes, CM (77), Everton/Portugal
Edson Alvarez, CDM (77), Ajax/Mexico
Oier, CDM (77), CA Osasuna/Spain
Joshua Guilavogui, CDM (77), VfL Wolfsburg/France
Stanislav Lobotka, CM (77), Napoli/Slovakia
Harry Winks, CDM (77), Tottenham Hotspur/England
Roberto Gagliardini, CDM (77), Inter Milan/Italy
Celso Ortiz, CDM (77), CF Monterrey/Croatia
Oliver Torres, CM (77), Sevilla FC/Spain

That concludes our FIFA 22 tier list ranking all of the best central and defending midfielders in the game. Before you go, be sure to check out some of our other FIFA content here at Gamer Journalist. Like the top wonder kids to sign in Career Mode for FIFA 22 or all new leagues, stadiums and teams in FIFA 23.