Key Highlights
- Football Manager 26 was released on November 4, 2025, after a year-long delay.
- The game includes improved match engine and in-possession/out-of-possession tactics.
- Despite improvements, the game is described as buggy with missing features from previous versions.
- Football Manager 26 introduces women’s football for the first time, though it lacks some traditional features.
The Delayed Release of Football Manager 26
After a year-long hiatus, Sports Interactive finally released Football Manager 26 on November 4, 2025. The long wait has been fueled by pre-launch hype that got out of control, leading to expectations of a full revamp for the series. However, the game was released despite evident issues, as Sports Interactive stated it had to meet contractual obligations.
Improvements and Bugs
The match engine in Football Manager 26 has received significant visual upgrades, making it look at least as good as a PlayStation 2 game on Unity. Match intros now feature league-specific cutscenes, player animations are more fluid, and the ball’s travel looks much more realistic.
However, these improvements come with a heavy burden of bugs and missing features. The game is still in beta, with countless glitches that affect both matchday experience and overall usability. Common issues include text ary problems, missing touchline shouts, and numerous other minor and major bugs.
Innovations and Features
A significant innovation in Football Manager 26 is the introduction of in-possession and out-of-possession tactics. For the first time in series history, players can use two different tactical approaches during a match: one for when they have possession of the ball and another for when they do not. This addition brings a new dynamic to strategic planning.
Additionally, the game includes 14 women’s leagues across 11 countries, a first in the series.
While this is a step forward in representation, it falls short of the depth seen in men’s league management modes. Sports Interactive has dedicated 40 researchers to focus on the women’s game, but the mode still lacks some of the comprehensive features found in traditional leagues.
Missing Features and User Experience
Despite these innovations, Football Manager 26 is criticized for missing many features from previous versions. These include international management, touchline shouts, squad depth tab, live cup draws, data hub, create-a-club mode, versus mode, challenge mode, transfer deadline day, end-of-season summaries/fanfare, advanced match stats, and the ability to save preset line-ups.
The game’s user interface has undergone significant changes to cater to console players, which is a step towards making Football Manager more accessible. However, these changes have been met with frustration from long-time PC users who find the new UI unintuitive and frustrating to navigate.
Expert Perspective
As a diehard player, Ford James notes that while Football Manager 26 is not perfect, it still offers improvements in key areas such as tactics and match engine. The game may be seen by veterans as a beta for Football Manager 27, but for those who appreciate the core experience of managing their beloved club, it remains an engaging product.
“Football Manager 26 is essentially a beta for Football Manager 27, and it should be treated as such,” James concludes. “It may not look quite as pretty during matches, and you’re forgoing slightly more in-depth tactical options, but 24 has far more features, and you’d be hard-pressed to find many bugs.”
Conclusion
While Football Manager 26 offers some promising improvements, the game is marred by numerous bugs and missing features. It serves as a reminder of what fans have been deprived of over the past year and highlights the challenges faced in modernizing an established franchise. Nonetheless, for long-time enthusiasts who are willing to overlook these issues, Football Manager 26 remains a compelling game with its core mechanics intact.
