Football Manager 26

About

Football Manager 26 is a single player and multiplayer sport game. It was developed by Sports Interactive and was released on November 4, 2025. It received negative reviews from players.

Football Manager 26 redefines football management with a reimagined interface and an immersive match day experience that brings every moment to life. Enhanced player movement and detailed animations deliver unmatched tactical realism and drama. Build your squad with advanced transfer tools and craft your unique football philosophy to conquer the Premier League and beyond.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Skip User Reviews

34%

Audience ScoreBased on 11,761 reviews

graphics262 positive mentions

stability962 negative mentions

The graphics in Football Manager 26 have significantly improved, with enhanced match visuals and animations that make gameplay more enjoyable.
The new tactics system adds depth to the gameplay, allowing for more strategic management and flexibility in formations.
Despite some issues, the core gameplay loop remains addictive, with players enjoying the process of building their squad and navigating the football world.

The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustrating navigation and detracting from the overall experience.
The game is plagued with bugs and performance issues, including crashes, stuttering, and long load times, making it feel unfinished.
Many players feel that the emotional connection and storytelling aspects of the game have been diminished, leading to a lack of immersion and engagement.

graphics
1,260 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
72%
7%
The graphics in Football Manager 26 have received a significant upgrade compared to previous iterations, with many players noting improvements in match visuals, animations, and overall presentation. However, despite these enhancements, the graphics still fall short of modern gaming standards, often described as outdated and lacking polish. Additionally, the new user interface has been criticized for being clunky and unintuitive, detracting from the overall experience, which has left many long-time fans feeling disappointed.
- “The new graphics engine is a big step forward, and I was really enjoying watching the games in the new engine.”
- “The match graphics are a huge improvement and the new tactics system is great.”
- “The graphics have improved a lot, and the tactics system is excellent.”
- “I've given it a real shot but the UI is terrible and while the match graphics have improved, it still needs a lot of work and isn't enough to keep me interested.”
- “They gave us less features with slightly 'prettier' graphics and called it an improved version, which might have had a good public reception if the damn game actually worked, which it doesn't.”
- “The graphics are a massive step-up compared to the last few games; however, I do believe the fans could be better done.”
stability
976 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players describe the user interface as clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustrating navigation and frequent freezes, particularly during matches. Despite some improvements in gameplay mechanics, the overall experience is marred by the game's unfinished state, prompting many to recommend waiting for patches before purchasing.
- “Menus, processing, and matches all feel snappy, and the game runs great on my PC.”
- “The match engine is nice — no glitches noticed so far; actually, I think it’s the best part of the game.”
- “Yes, the base game is clearly not perfect, but with a few mods and a decent skin, it runs well, has been bug free so far, and is enjoyable.”
- “The game is plagued with bugs: players entering the pitch in tracksuits, strange UI glitches, frequent crashes, and general instability.”
- “The game is a buggy mess and the UI is a failed attempt at making the game more console-friendly.”
- “The game is incredibly buggy, with menu lags, visual glitches, and crash-dumps that break any sense of immersion.”
gameplay
391 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
71%
12%
The gameplay of FM26 has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant bugs and a clunky user interface that detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the improvements in the match engine and tactical depth, others feel that core gameplay mechanics have been simplified or broken, leading to frustration and a lack of immersion. Overall, the game shows potential but suffers from technical issues and design choices that have left long-time fans disappointed.
- “The gameplay is much improved, the new animations, roles, and flexibility on formations do feel like it makes a difference.”
- “Matches feel more fluid and realistic, and tactical tweaks genuinely impact gameplay.”
- “The core gameplay loop remains as addictive as ever: building your squad, managing tactics, and navigating the drama of the football world.”
- “The game still has many bugs even after release, some of them serious enough to break normal gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is horrific and not good enough.”
- “The gameplay is ridden with bugs and the interface is beyond clunky—a skeleton of the franchise.”
optimization
227 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
58%
32%
The optimization of Football Manager 2026 has received significant criticism, with users reporting poor UI design, slow navigation, and numerous performance issues such as stuttering, long load times, and crashes. Many players feel that the game is unoptimized for PC, often resembling a mobile port, and lacks essential features that were previously accessible, leading to a frustrating user experience. While some users noted improvements in graphics and match engine performance, the overall consensus is that the game feels unfinished and requires substantial optimization and bug fixes to meet player expectations.
- “The database is bigger than ever, incredibly detailed, and performance is surprisingly stable even with such a massive setup.”
- “Fast loading and match performance.”
- “The move to the Unity engine brings smoother gameplay, better visuals, and faster performance.”
- “The game feels unoptimized; the UI feels like it was made for console and then backported to the PC version of the game.”
- “Performance is abysmal — stutters, frame drops, long load times, and random crashes on systems that should handle this game easily.”
- “The performance is terrible — slow, clunky, and full of bugs.”
grinding
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is overwhelmingly tedious, with many players expressing frustration over the cumbersome user interface and excessive clicking required to perform basic tasks. The lack of quality-of-life features and intuitive navigation has transformed what should be an engaging experience into a chore, leading to a sense of disconnection and dissatisfaction with the gameplay. Overall, the game feels more like a grind than an enjoyable simulation, with many players longing for a more streamlined and user-friendly experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Honestly, I bought this game to simulate seasons since I find actually playing this franchise boring and tedious. I wish there was a button that would skip all the crap and just jump to matches.”
- “The game is missing numerous quality of life features that make some information impossible to gather, or some tasks too tedious to bother doing.”
- “Navigating this game feels less like managing a football club and more like grinding through a dead-end 9-to-5 job, complete with the owners of Watford breathing down your neck ready to fire you at any moment.”
story
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
77%
11%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of engaging narratives and immersive storytelling that characterized earlier installments. While some appreciate the potential for personal story creation through gameplay, others criticize the convoluted interface and diminished depth, which detracts from the overall experience of building a football career. Overall, the game seems to struggle with balancing its simulation elements and storytelling, leaving players longing for the rich narratives that once defined the series.
- “I have really enjoyed playing this game; it's been so much fun getting back into a proper career and building that story over time.”
- “The biggest attraction I have to Football Manager is the ability to create my own football world, with engaging storytelling through the news updates, my football club's ups and downs, and the players I create stories with and help develop from the youth academy.”
- “To summarize, Football Manager 26 does feel like a game that is still in the final sprint of development, with some things to be improved and issues to be addressed, but the core feeling of managing your club, writing your story, and developing your players remains untouched.”
- “Hours spent just looking at numbers, the 'story' part of the game mostly taking place in your head... that is not the best recipe for success in our fast-paced digital world.”
- “It's all in the imagination and the ability for each of us to create and tell our own story, but instead this has been designed with no plot, no depth, no twists.”
- “Every ounce of storytelling seems to have been removed.”
emotional
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional response to the game is overwhelmingly negative, with many long-time players expressing heartbreak over the removal of features that fostered connection and immersion, such as touchline shouts and engaging UI elements. Users feel that the game has lost its soul, reducing the emotional investment that once defined the franchise, leading to disappointment and a reluctance to continue playing. Overall, the emotional aspect of the game has been significantly diminished, leaving players feeling unenthusiastic and disconnected from their experience.
- “I was waiting for this game like a kid waiting for Christmas, and man... it actually almost made me cry.”
- “It’s heartbreaking to see a franchise that once defined football simulation lose its soul like this.”
- “Football manager isn’t sustained by its systems or algorithms alone, but by the emotional relationship each player has built with it.”
monetization
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
20%
72%
The monetization strategy of Football Manager 26 has drawn significant criticism, with many users labeling it a "cash grab" due to its reliance on microtransactions and gacha mechanics, particularly in the console versions. Players express disappointment over the game's lack of depth and polish, feeling that it prioritizes profit over quality and fan satisfaction. Overall, the sentiment suggests a growing concern that the series is shifting towards exploitative practices, alienating its core fanbase.
- “However, it will be free to play but use microtransactions with gacha.”
- “Si still feels like a studio that genuinely cares about its fanbase instead of chasing microtransactions or short-term profit.”
- “It's a shallow simulation, having lost many core aspects and sacrificing others just for the sake of monetization.”
- “Instead of rewarding smart decisions and patience, it leans into shortcuts and microtransactions.”
- “The depth is gone, the polish is missing, and the game feels more like a cash grab than a true evolution of the series.”
- “It's been ruined in a cash grab selling out its most loyal fans for a short attention span click click click brigade.”
humor
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often derived from its numerous glitches and oddities, such as comically bad player models and bizarre scenarios, which can be both amusing and frustrating for players. Many users find the game's bugs—like players being suggested for English courses or absurdly mismatched player heights—hilarious, highlighting a sense of irony in the game's design choices. Overall, while some aspects of the humor stem from genuine enjoyment, others reflect a shared frustration with the game's shortcomings, making the experience a mix of laughter and annoyance.
- “The funny thing is, the graphics run at a perfect 60fps 100% of the time for me.”
- “It's hilarious how bad the interface is.”
- “Another funny thing is missing hair physics, which is fine for males with short hair, but women with long ponytail or loose long hair look like somebody actually put a wet blanket over their heads and backs.”
replayability
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
74%
11%
Overall, the game's replayability has improved significantly following recent patches, making it more playable than at launch. However, many players still express concerns about the game's balance and user interface, suggesting that it may not offer the same level of replay value as its predecessor, FM24. While some users are optimistic about future updates and mods enhancing the experience, others recommend waiting for further improvements before diving back in.
- “After the last update, the game is way more playable.”
- “And even though I initially wrote it off, since the beta launched, the devs have been busy hotfixing a lot of the known issues and the game has certainly become more playable.”
- “As always, FM26 shines in replayability.”
- “I'll keep playing it for another 40 or so hours but I doubt there will be much replay value and I'm pretty disheartened that FM has to be added to the list of amazing things killed off by greedy developers.”
- “Unfortunately, I can't return the game due to the hours, but I know I just won't play this as much as FM24, which was replayable for the full 2 years. For someone who is maybe thinking about it for Christmas, I would just skip it for this year; FM24 is much more customizable and you can download transfer and club updates for this year.”
- “Update: the game has now had a couple of big patches to address the bugs and crashes, so pleased I can revise my review to be slightly less negative. There are still features that need to be re-added and still bugs that need fixing, but the game is in a much more playable state now than it was on release.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
50%
33%
The atmosphere in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over a lack of excitement and realism, particularly in crowd reactions and match ambiance. While some appreciate the improved visuals and match engine, others find the overall experience dull and repetitive, with issues like crowd sounds dropping out and unrealistic player interactions contributing to a negative atmosphere. Despite some promising features, the game's atmosphere feels flat and unengaging for many players.
- “The positive is the match gameplay and atmosphere/stadium is more convincing now.”
- “Games give a tense feeling often between the ref whistling for fouls and the fans crying in outrage, it has a great atmosphere.”
- “The new features add depth without feeling forced, the match engine feels more alive, and the overall atmosphere during matches and media interactions is improving.”
- “Disappointed after waiting 2 years, for me it's all about the match engine and it doesn't feel advanced at all. The main aspect for me is the crowd atmosphere; there is none. It just feels like I am playing a friendly all the time, very dull and boring. I've played 5 hours and I am already bored.”
- “Played another 10 hours since the above comments. The UI is still quite frustrating as it seems hard to follow. Also, during games, there is a sound every time someone kicks the ball, and the crowd sound just stops at some point every game. So I just hear 'whack whack whack' of the football being kicked and no atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and repetitive.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The music aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting a lack of music in menus and during gameplay, leading to a silent gaming experience. While some appreciate the licensed tracks for major competitions, the overall sound design is considered minimal and not a significant part of the game, often prompting players to mute it and play their own music instead. Despite these issues, the matchday experience has seen improvements, though the audio quality remains inconsistent.
- “The matchday experience is greatly improved with new graphics and the new pre-game music for competitions such as the Champions League and Premier League, although you do start skipping them at some point just to get to the match faster.”
- “It is cool having the licensed music for some of the bigger competitions, but all in all it’s a very niche part of the game that doesn't leave a lasting impact.”
- “The sound design is minimal but effective, though most players will likely mute it and play their own soundtrack (as usual).”
- “Also, I don't know if this is just a my end thing, but the menu doesn't have music, so... silent gaming except during matches, lol.”
- “For some reason, I don't have any music at all or any menu sound effects, but I still get stadium/crowd sounds during matches.”
- “Ui had no sound, there's a 'music' button in the preferences, but I never had any music, and sound in matches is basically a copy-paste from FM24, but it manages to sound even worse from time to time.”