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Football Manager 26 news & patch notes

Full Steam announcements and update articles for this title.

Tips for International Management in FM26

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

7d ago

International management has arrived in FM26. With the FIFA World Cup™ officially licensed in the game, there’s never been a better time to manage a national team.

To help you out, we’ve put together some top tips on how you can guide your nation to glory.

Choose your Starting Point

If you decide to start a new save managing a nation for FIFA World Cup 2026™, you'll have two potential quick start options available.

You can take charge at the end of the domestic European season and select your 55 player preliminary squad before narrowing it down to your final squad. If you'd rather focus on the big games, you can take charge just a few days before the opening game and lock in with the official tournament rosters.

Once the tournament is over, you can decide to return to club management or take a dual role alongside your national team. If the national team wants to keep you, that is.

Match Preparation

When it comes to international football, your squads have a lot less time together than club sides, making your time on the training field limited.

Ahead of each fixture, the Match Preparation focus lets you decide what you want to work on for In Possession, Out of Possession and for Set Pieces. The news item will land in your emails at the same time as the Opposition Report, allowing you to use the information from the scouts to inform the preparation.

As an example, I can see my upcoming opponents have had a mixed start to the tournament and have lost their first game. However, they're good in the air and have a solid midfield. Based on that, I decided that our Match Preparation Training for the game should be focused on build-up play and breaking down the opposition's midfield with a mid-block training. I also set a focus on Set Pieces to minimise aerial threats where possible.

For the first time as a national team manager in FM, you can hire a Set Piece Coach. Pairing a good set piece coach with the focus in training can give my team marginal gains which are so important in tournament football.

The National Pool & Dual Nationality Scouting

The National Pool is super easy to find, living in the top navigation bar, and feels similar to your Club Recruitment hub.

Within the first menu, you have a few different options; the full database of eligible players, your Shortlist, Scouting, Squad Planner and then your Squad and any player recommendations from your scouts.

Now, before I talk too much about the pool and shortlists, I want to talk about Scouting Focuses in-game. These are super valuable, especially for those of us who are managing smaller nations, or nations with big second-nationality populations. Your Scouting Focuses can be brilliant for finding those players who are eligible for you but potentially want to wait for their 'bigger' nation to call them up.

You can find those players by making sure you've ticked "include undeclared players" in your scouting focuses.

From here, some players will pop up who are eligible for you, but might not yet have accepted the callup; you can right-click on them, and 'Ask to Represent Nation'.

You can also add them to your National Pool, even if they've not accepted a call-up yet, and get notifications from your scouts about their upcoming matches.

The National Pool itself is a useful screen too; here you'll find every player you've found who is eligible for your nation, and the 'Player Discovery' view is a really nice addition, where you can track their club form, scout rating, and what their expectations are for your next squad:

I found this really helpful when I was picking my squads, as you're better able to predict who's going to kick off about being left at home, who's expecting to get called up, and who's not really fussed. That can be really useful for building out the depth in your squad; I found I had a couple of useful players who would just be happy to be there, so keeping everyone happy during the tournament itself would be easier.

Squad Selection and the Squad Planner

Finally, I want to talk a little about the changes to the squad registration, and some useful things to think about here. In prep for the FIFA World Cup™, you'll be asked to pick up to 55 players for a provisional squad, which you then cut down to your tournament 26 later down the line.

The squad selection screen gives us some more useful information, including the media's opinion on players, and whether their form is deserving of a callup. The Squad Planner now lives in the squad selection screen, making it easier to jump in and see what you're missing.

It's easy enough to make changes to the planner and I can add players here and then call them up directly. I did most of my squad planning and picking through this screen then just used the squad selection screen to confirm it all.

Now, if you excuse me... I've got a FIFA World Cup™ to win!

Football Manager 26 News & Patch Notes | SteamScope

Steam news

Football Manager 26 news & patch notes

Full Steam announcements and update articles for this title.

Tips for International Management in FM26

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

7d ago

International management has arrived in FM26. With the FIFA World Cup™ officially licensed in the game, there’s never been a better time to manage a national team.

To help you out, we’ve put together some top tips on how you can guide your nation to glory.

Choose your Starting Point

If you decide to start a new save managing a nation for FIFA World Cup 2026™, you'll have two potential quick start options available.

Once the tournament is over, you can decide to return to club management or take a dual role alongside your national team. If the national team wants to keep you, that is.

Match Preparation

When it comes to international football, your squads have a lot less time together than club sides, making your time on the training field limited.

The National Pool & Dual Nationality Scouting

The National Pool is super easy to find, living in the top navigation bar, and feels similar to your Club Recruitment hub.

You can find those players by making sure you've ticked "include undeclared players" in your scouting focuses.

From here, some players will pop up who are eligible for you, but might not yet have accepted the callup; you can right-click on them, and 'Ask to Represent Nation'.

You can also add them to your National Pool, even if they've not accepted a call-up yet, and get notifications from your scouts about their upcoming matches.

Squad Selection and the Squad Planner

Now, if you excuse me... I've got a FIFA World Cup™ to win!

9 Nations to Manage at FIFA World Cup 2026™ in FM26

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

37d ago

International Management has arrived in Football Manager 26 as the world’s greatest football tournament kicks off across USA, Mexico and Canada. Take charge of your nation on football’s biggest stage and chase glory at FIFA World Cup 2026™.

From previous tournament winners to first-time qualifiers, here are 9 nations to consider taking charge of and leading to success.

Argentina

There’s only one place to start, the reigning champions…

Argentina's squad is packed with talent and experience, led by captain Lionel Messi and supported by the likes of Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez and Enzo Fernández. Emerging talents Nico Paz and Matías Soulé also add creativity and excitement to the group.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez remains a key figure, with his penalty-saving heroics in 2022 helped Argentina lift the World Cup serving as a reminder of his ability to deliver in the biggest moments.

Can you lead Argentina to become the first men's national team in over 60 years to successfully claim back-to-back FIFA World Cup™ victories and cement their place in football history?

Germany

For the first time in Football Manager history, the German national team is licensed in FM26. The four-time world champions have underwhelmed at the last couple of tournaments, exiting at the group stage on both occasions.

The Germans boast a star-studded squad with the likes of Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Leroy Sané as well World Cup debutants Lennart Karl and Aleksandar Pavlović.

The biggest question will be who will provide the goals? Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade are competing for the main forward role, who would you choose?

Canada

One of three host nations at FIFA World Cup 2026™, The Canucks will fancy their chances of qualifying from Group B as they face Bosnia & Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland.

2026 is their second consecutive FIFA World Cup™ appearance and only their third ever at the tournament. With star players such as Stephen Eustáquio, Jonathan David, Tajon Buchanan, Ismaël Koné and captain Alphonso Davies, this latest generation of Canadian stars give them an additional edge. And that’s before considering that all three of their group fixtures will be played on home soil in Toronto and Vancouver.

Can you make it a World Cup to remember for Canada and help them emerge from the group stage for the first time in their history?

Norway

The Scandinavian side stormed through qualification to reach their fourth FIFA World Cup™ finals, their first since 1998 when they finished second in the group stages before exiting at the hands of Italy.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland will be their main star with the forward scoring sixteen goals in 8 matches during qualification.

Alongside Haaland, eyes will certainly fall on captain Martin Ødegaard who lifted the Premier League trophy with Arsenal in May. Add to this the flair and technical ability of players like Oscar Bobb, Antonio Nusa and Jens Petter Hauge, not to mention the added goal threat of Alexander Sørloth and Norway are a force to be reckoned with this summer.

Netherlands

The Netherlands have come close to football’s ultimate prize, finishing as runners-up on three occasions without lifting the trophy.

Built around a rock-solid spine, the Netherlands boast a defence led by Virgil van Dijk and Micky van de Ven, while Frenkie de Jong, Ryan Gravenberch and Teun Koopmeiners provide quality, control and intelligence in midfield. Looking further up the pitch, much of their attacking threat is likely to come from the in-form duo of Donyell Malen and Cody Gakpo.

Can you be the manager that gets the Netherlands over the line to make history lifting the trophy?

Morocco

Morocco will be a team to watch this summer as a side on the up who are now ranked eighth in the FIFA World Rankings.

The Lions head into their seventh FIFA World Cup™ finals appearance encouraged by their best-ever finish at the previous tournament, reaching the semi-final stage and finishing fourth place.

They are led by captain Achraf Hakimi, widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in world football. The attacking firepower of Brahim Diaz and Bilal El Khannouss will be key along with World Cup debutants Ayyoub Bouaddi and Neil El Aynaoui.

South Korea

Only five nations have qualified for every FIFA World Cup finals since 1986. One of those is South Korea, playing in their 11th consecutive tournament this summer.

The Reds sent shockwaves around the globe when they finished 4th at the World Cup on home soil in 2002, beating several European giants along the way before their exit at the semi-final stage.

Their squad boasts numerous players who achieved title success with their club side this season including Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in and Yang Hyun-jun. National team veterans Hwang Hee-chan and Son Heung-Min provide excellent leadership. Meanwhile, Jens Castrop adds a fresh dynamic to the team, offering energy and technical quality in midfield.

No Asian side has ever reached the final, can you change this and write your name into the football history books?

Curaçao

Having qualified for their first ever World Cup, Curaçao arrive as the smallest nation ever to reach football’s biggest stage.

This small Caribbean island nation has assembled a squad packed with eligible dual nationals, many of them Dutch-born or of Curaçaoan heritage, including Jürgen Locadia, Leandro Bacuna, Sontje Hansen and Tahith Chong.

To celebrate, we’ve partnered with FIFAe to bring you the Curaçao Challenge. Take your place in the dugout and lead the Caribbean nation on a journey to glory. At the end of the challenge, the player with the best save will win a once‑in‑a‑lifetime trip to Curaçao.

Can you guide the Caribbean underdogs to the greatest upset football has ever seen and lift the World Cup trophy?

England

The Three Lions have been on an upwards trajectory in international football over the last decade. They got to semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and finished runners-up twice in their continental competition.

They boast one of the strongest teams in terms of quality and depth. A world-class midfield in Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, the creativity and threat of Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford, plus rising stars like Nico O’Reilly, Morgan Rogers and Elliot Anderson. Their main star and all-time leading goalscorer, Harry Kane, is looking to take home his third international Golden Boot.

Are you the manager that can finally stop the years of hurt and lift a trophy for the first time since 1966?

There you have it, nine nations to manage at FIFA World Cup 2026™. There's no better time to step into the dugout and take charge of a national team.

Let us know which nation you chose to take over and lead to glory on our socials @FootballManager

Chase FIFA World Cup 2026™ Glory: International Management arrives in FM26

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

71d ago

International management arrives in FM26 ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026™ in the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer.

New tools and game upgrades prime you for glory on football’s biggest stage, elevated by our first-ever licensing agreement with FIFA.

Let’s dive into what you can expect from May 26th.

Dive right into the action

The first thing you’ll see when loading up FM26 following this update is a new quick start option allowing you to dive straight into FIFA World Cup 2026™ action*.

You can kick off your campaign on May 11th in-game, giving you two final friendlies to run the rule over your players and complete your squad selection ahead of the summer’s action.

In a subsequent game update in June, there’ll also be an early June start date available. So, you’ll step right into the into the dugout before the first game of FIFA World Cup 2026™. The final 26-man squad all set, ready for your opening match day and the next step on their path to glory.

You can still manage national teams and clubs simultaneously in FM26, including with the FIFA World Cup 2026™ specific start dates. If you opt to begin in May or June, your club’s season will simulate in the background ahead up to the point of your start date.

You'll also be able to load your existing FM23 and FM24 saves and continue your national team saves. If you have started a club save in FM26, international management will be seamlessly integrated into your save file. You'll be able to start a new save game or have international management brought into your existing save game, it's entirely up to you.

Squad Building and Squad Selection

Before you get to those all-important Match Days, you’ve got to answer one of international football’s age-old questions: who makes your final squad?

Inspired by insights from managers in the professional game, we’ve reworked the squad registration flow to make it more intuitive.

You’ll discover a new Provisional Squad selection system, allowing you to call-up a wider selection of players before whittling it down to your final squad for your next friendlies, continental qualifiers or title tilt.

The Squad Planner is now better embedded in the squad selection process, with new functionality allowing you to pick your Provisional Squad directly from your Squad Planner.

These changes to squad registration are connected to wider adaptations of the National Pool and the National Shortlist, all designed to better equip you for international success.

The National Pool is now one of the six headers used in the top navigation bar. Within that you’ll discover a refreshed National Shortlist that now functions similar how your shortlists work at club level.

The National Shortlist includes new displays, such as the Player Discovery view that provides a clear indication of each player’s recent club form. Alongside that, there’s a column clearly outlining their international expectations, ranging from none through to those expecting to be the first names on your team sheet.

Giving you more visibility of these expectations works in conjunction with a range of new interactions you can have with your players.

There are now more ways to let a player know whether they are likely to be picked or not, inform them they’re moving from the youth to senior teams or encourage them to reconsider retirement.

That’s not all. To help you look for dual nationals that could yet declare for you or exciting young players for your nation’s future, we’ve also added Scouting Focuses.

Similar to Recruitment Focuses at clubs, you can adjust these searches across several variables, and your national team scouts will look at identifying players outside of your existing national shortlist to bolster your options.

These changes to squad registration and player identification improve the way information is presented to you, allowing you to make smarter decisions who’ll be leading you to glory.

Be mindful that more tools for selecting and speaking to your players comes with greater media scrutiny, as we’ve added a range of new press conference questions to probe more into who is and isn’t in your squads.

New Tools

It’s not just in Squad Selection and Squad Building that we’ve given you new tools as a national team boss in FM26.

Before every match, you’ll be prompted to select Match Preparation training focuses for your team. Here, you can set specific In Possession, Out of Possession and Set Pieces priorities for each match to try and get the edge on the opposition.

We’ve also made several under-the-hood changes to player condition to ensure that players recover better during international tournaments, so they’re able to play more consecutive matches.

To fine tune your preparations, you’re now able to recruit Set Piece Coaches for your national teams. To give you the full picture, the Data Hub also now provides you with team-level data for national teams.

Football’s grandest stage

Official FIFA World Cup 2026™ licensed assets elevate your experience throughout the competition in-game.

To give you that tournament feel, there’s a bespoke branded header in the Portal and a themed background as you navigate your pre-match preparations.

Match Days are where the licence really comes to life. You’ll discover new cutscenes, broadcast graphics, teamsheets, kits** and the official Adidas Trionda match ball.

And to crown the moment you claim world glory, you’ll see your captain lift the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Trophy in a new, authentic trophy lift sequence.

There’s plenty more for you to discover too when International Management returns to FM26 from May 26th, including the ability to manage women’s national teams for the first time in FM history. It’s nearly time to step into the international dugout.

*At the initial launch of this feature, 47 of the 48 qualified nations for FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be playable. We will provide further updates should that status change in future updates.

**While we previously indicated that official kits would be included as part of the international management feature, licensing approvals are still ongoing. As a result, not all FIFA World Cup 2026™ team kits will be available upon launch of the feature and some may be added at a later date.

13 New Save Ideas for Football Manager 26

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

107d ago

FM26’s latest update is now live across platforms, including updated squads following the January transfer window and thousands of player rating changes based on performances over recent months.

Those new squad dynamics and the stories from world football so far this season make it the perfect time to dive into a new adventure. To help you choose where to start, we’ve pulled together a selection of our favourites that offer a variety of challenges.

Parma Calcio 1913

Parma hold a special place in the heart of a certain generation as one of Italy’s most iconic teams. Their instantly recognisable home kit, their big signings and their performances in Europe – all of them bring fond memories.

The last two decades have proved challenging off the pitch but the Gialloblu are back on the up. With a well-built international squad, Parma have fielded the third youngest side across Europe’s top five leagues this season and have been thoroughly competitive in Serie A.

In real life they’ve given a first opportunity to a young manager. Why not let them do the same for you in FM26 and repay their faith with a first-ever Scudetto?

Aston Villa

Over the course of 2025, Aston Villa had the third-best record in the Premier League and ended the year with a club record 11 consecutive wins in all competitions.

That run was testament to the quality squad they’ve built, their excellent tactical coaching from Unai Emery and their impressive ability to battle back from behind.

While Arsenal currently lead the table looking to end their 22-year title drought, Villa’s wait goes all the way back to 1981. Based on their performances this season, and the contributions from in-form stars like Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia, they’re not far away.

TSG Hoffenheim

One of the stories of the Bundesliga season so far has been the return to form of TSG Hoffenheim.

15th last time out, the club from Germany’s south-west had huge squad turnover in the summer and it’s paid off so far as they sit 3rd at the time of writing – on track for their highest finish since 2018.

Their outstanding performances this campaign mean that their squad is one of the most improved in the latest update, led by talismanic Dutch midfielder Wouter Burger who has five goals and nine assists in 20 games. Stronger from the off, they’re now a very exciting prospect for you to take over.

Club América

The most successful club in Mexican football history, Club América are fully licensed for the first time in FM history in FM26.

Their squad is packed with experienced internationals from Mexico, Uruguay, Chile and the USA, spearheaded by captain and striker Henry Martín.

Step into the dugout in the Mexican capital, build a legacy and push the team on, while also battling for continental bragging rights in the Leagues Cup and North American Champions Cup.

West Ham

It’s not really gone to plan for West Ham since that joyous day in 2023 when they won the UEFA Europa Conference League final.

This season they’ve struggled in the Premier League at both ends of the pitch but took steps to remedy that in January by adding Axel Disasi at the back and a hat-trick of new attacking players in Adama Traore, Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe.

With those new players at your disposal, you can rewind the clock and bid for a stronger top-flight campaign in the 2025/26 season. From there, smart recruitment will be essential if you’re to capture more European success and deliver football the way their fans demand.

Widzew Lodz

The Ekstraklasa is one of Europe’s fastest growing leagues, with the increased UEFA Club Competition spots boosting Polish football financially and competitively.

Unlike other similarly-sized nations, there’s currently not one dominant force and that makes it perfect for you to head there for your next save and build a dynasty. Our recommendation is Widzew Lodz.

Based in the centre of Poland, Lodz are four-time Ekstraklasa winners but have been relegated three times since winning their last top-flight title in 1997. Now in their fourth season back in the top tier, it’s over to you to help the Widzewiacy re-establish themselves atop Polish football.

Motherwell

The William Hill Scottish Premiership has been drama-filled this season, with typical powerhouses Celtic and Rangers going through managerial changes and Hearts emerging as genuine title contenders.

That’s perhaps led to Motherwell’s incredible season under Jens Berthel Askou going under the radar. By early February they’d almost matched their 2024/25 points tally, having lost just three of their first 25 games.

Form like that explains why their squad is one of the most upgraded in the latest FM26 update, with headline Current Ability increases for Premiership top scorer Tawanda Maswanhise and midfielder Elliot Watt.

RAAL La Louviere

The Belgian leagues have long been popular with FM fans for being a hotbed of exciting Wonderkids and young prospects. Without doubt the most interesting team from the Jupiler Pro League to manage in FM26 are RAAL La Louviere.

Since initially forming in 2009, RAAL have had a few changes of name but over the last decade they’ve enjoyed a remarkable rise. Led by Frederic Taquin, they’ve achieved four promotions in eight years to reach the top division.

With a new stadium built in time for the 2025/26 season, we think it’s time for you to take on the baton to see how you can continue their fairytale. Your first goal will be avoiding relegation and claiming the bragging rights over local rivals Charleroi. After that, the possibilities are endless.

Shrewsbury Town

Several Sky Bet League Two side were busy in January but few have seen more immediate rewards than Shrewsbury Town.

The Shropshire side had endured a tough start to the campaign, winning just one of their first 11 league games and staring down the barrel of successive relegations. A January managerial change coincided with seven new arrivals, headlined by Brentford loanees Matthew Cox and Iwan Morgan, and they’ve since won five on the spin to pull away from the relegation zone.

That recent form shows what might have been for The Shrews this season – and that’s where you come in. Take over in the New Meadow dugout and see whether you can have them thinking about an immediate return to Sky Bet League One instead and even more to follow.

FC Augsburg

Having never played in the Bundesliga before 2011, this season is FC Augsburg’s 15th consecutive campaign in the German top tier.

Although they continue to fill up the WWK Arena for every home game, it’s now a decade since they made their UEFA Club Competition debut and finished in the top half of the Bundesliga table.

It’s time for you to change that and elevate the Bavarian club, building around their exciting young players like Mert Kömür, Noahkai Banks, Uchenna Ogundu and Fabian Rieder.

Macclesfield

Of course we had to include Macclesfield FC on this list after that cup win in January. But that’s just part of their story.

The Cheshire club have been constantly newsworthy since forming as a phoenix club in 2020, attracting notable managers, having their fortunes documented in a TV series and achieving three promotions in four seasons.

Although replicating an upset of the magnitude of their win over Crystal Palace might be challenging in your first season, joining the 6,000 other managers who’ve continued their momentum and got them promoted from the Enterprise National League North (and more besides) is well within your reach.

Briton Ferry Llansawel FC

Close and competitive, the Adran Premier is a great way for you to familiarise yourself with the arrival of Women’s Football in FM26 and develop your skills.

After 14 games, the league splits in two, with the top four teams contesting the Championship Conference and the bottom four competing in the Plate Conference to avoid relegation.

We’ve picked out Briton Ferry Llansawel because taking over the South-West Wales side will be a challenge. Battling established clubs like Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham and TNS won’t be easy but achieving success against them will be the product of your tactical and recruitment abilities.

FM26 brings more playable nations, leagues and clubs than ever before.

These clubs offer you a range of possibilities but the choice is yours. Wherever you start, share your journey with us on our socials @FootballManager.

FM26 Update (26.3) Out Now

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

120d ago

FM26 Update (26.3) is now available on Steam, Epic, and Microsoft Store.

This update introduces a new full-screen Youth Setup Overview, quality of life improvements to the User Interface, and Database changes from transfer windows including China, Türkiye, and the USA. *

This update should take effect automatically but if you have any issues, please visit our dedicated FAQ.

An update for FM26 Console on PlayStation and Xbox is also available, with the respective changelist available here.

FM26 Touch on Apple Arcade and FM26 Mobile will follow later this week.

Today’s full changelist is available below.

*To experience the data and competition changes in this update, you will need to start a new career. While the game version is being updated to 26.3, the database version will remain named as 26.2.

Rosters for certain licensed leagues whose seasons run to the calendar year will only be reflective up until the end of the 2025 season and will not include incoming and outgoing transfers made for 2026. 

FM26 (26.3) Changelist (Non-Exhaustive)

Database

More than 1 million Database changes

Updated Transfers for China, Türkiye, the USA, and other select leagues

Boca Juniors are now a licensed team

Technical Issues

Crash fixes & stability improvements

Fixed an issue causing keyboard shortcuts to activate when using the global search function

Fixed an issue that would cause Navigation focus boxes to appear after using the global search function

User Interface (UI)

Redesigned the Youth Setup Overview to be full screen

Sort functionality has been restored for transfer value, ability and potential columns in Recruitment > Shortlist

Attributes being trained now highlight in Orange within the Individual Training screen

The Fixtures and Result Report will remember your filters should you leave and return

The Competition > Transfers card will remember your filters should you leave and return

The Recruitment > Transfer History Card will remember your filters should you leave and return

If the player attribute polygon graph is selected, it will remain visible while cycling through other players

Match Stats bars are now correctly equal when values are zero for both teams

Added Transfer Fees to the Career Stats tile

Fixed an issue preventing the user to view past seasons in Stages card for select competitions

Set Piece/Penalty taker lists will now properly reflect the real-time current squad

Removed empty space appearing in Scout World Knowledge card

Viewing the Tactical Analysis no longer omits certain players incorrectly

Fixed an issue causing form indicators to sometimes appear inaccurately on the Competitions page

League tables which feature a ‘split’ now better display the split in teams

Tactics within the save folder now correctly display if attempting to overwrite them

Team form will now display oldest to newest (left to right) in all game areas

Fixed an issue that could sometimes cause Partnership lines to appear misaligned on the Tactics screen when first opened

Fixed an issue causing the Passing Completed, Crosses Completed, and Clear-Cut Chances stats to display incorrectly during the match day

Gameplay

Staff not at the user’s club no longer display ‘unknown’ personalities

Added a ‘Automatically open a must respond message’ preference option

Added Cash/Claused Transfers, Free Transfers, Part Exchange Transfers and Player Trials filters when on the Transfer History card

Fixed an issue causing ‘Grey’ players that have been offered contracts to display attributes over 20

Goalkeepers are now only compared to other goalkeepers on the player comparison screen

Club vision ambitions have been tweaked to prevent certain objectives being contradictory of one another

Improved supporter reactions to some players performances within Squad Feedback

Fixed an issue where the ‘approach to sign’ action was not generating when the users club exited a transfer embargo

Match, Art & Animation

Added a new Premier League match ball

Fixed an issue where players would sometimes kick ball out of play straight from kick off

Fixed an issue causing offsides lines to be missing during the replay for a goal disallowed by offside

The Dugout and Live Scores/Table will remain expanded even after highlights occur

Fixed a rare issue with substitutes flickering on the 2D pitch tile

In-Game Editor (IGE) / Pre-Game Editor (PGE)

Further crash fixes and stability improvements

Fixed an issue where verified rule files with a database were not valid with that same database in a new game setup (PGE)

Fixed an issue causing non-playing history to appear blank for non-players with edited history (PGE)

Competition and Rule Groups

Belgium

Added the RWDM Brussels points deduction

Brazil

Updated a number of formats, schedules and rules of various Brazilian competitions

Updated VAR rules for various Brazilian competitions

China

Updated schedules for the Chinese Super League, Chinese National First Division, and the Chinese FA Super Cup

Updated Transfer Windows for the Chinese Super League and Chinese National First Division

Colombia

Updated the Colombian Cup Substitution Rules

England

Added the Leicester City points deduction

Europe

Updated the format for the UEFA Youth League

Fixed an issue where some Last 16 UEFA Champions League matches were scheduled on Thursdays

France

French Overseas Nationalities no longer count as foreign players in the French Cup

Germany

Updated the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 Squad Numbers rules

Greece

Fixed an issue causing there to be no TV matches appearing in Super League 1 after league split

Ireland

Updated the Irish Leinster Cup schedule

Indonesia

Updated the Substitution Rules for various Indonesian competitions

Latvia

B Teams no longer participate in the Latvian Cup

Lithuania

Updated the Lithuanian U18s Sorting Rules

North America

Updated the North American W Champions Cup Squad Registration dates

Portugal

Updated the Substitution Rules for the Portuguese Second League and Third Division

Russia

Updated the Russian First Division Loan Rules

Scotland

Updated the KDM Evolution Trophy Substitution Rules

Spain

Trialists are no longer allowed to participate in the Spanish Women's Super Cup

Switzerland

Fixed an issue causing youth players to be denied work permits after turning professional

Sweden

Updated schedules for various Swedish leagues/competitions

Uruguay

Updated the Uruguayan Transfer Window dates

Updated the Uruguayan First Division schedule

U.S.A

Fixed an issue causing players to incorrectly gain Green Cards/American nationality (NWSL)

Expansion teams no longer play matches prior to being formed (NWSL)

Wales

Updated the Nathaniel MG Cup Substitution Rules

14 Upgraded Players in FM26

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

136d ago

FM26 Update (26.2) for Football Manager 26 is now live, including all the big transfers from the January transfer windows.

This update also includes thousands of player Current Ability, Potential Ability and Attribute changes based on performances since we locked the launch database for FM26.

We’ve picked out some of the players with the biggest upgrades in this update, ready for you to manage, scout or sign. Let’s dive in…

Mateus Mane, Wolverhampton Wanderers

In what has mostly been a challenging campaign for Wolves, the emergence of Mateus Mane has been a real bright spark.

The 18-year-old attacking midfielder has established himself in the first team under Rob Edwards, becoming the club’s youngest-ever Premier League goalscorer and winning the club’s Player of the Month award for both December and January.

That breakthrough, and the huge interest he’s attracting from other clubs, warranted a big Current Ability increase in this update – and makes him someone to watch from the off in your latest saves.

Yan Diomande, RB Leipzig

After making a big money move from Spain last summer, Ivorian winger Yan Diomande has been the talk of the Bundesliga this season.

The 19-year-old has already more than doubled his value, recording 11 goals and seven assists in all competitions for RB Leipzig.

His Finishing Attribute has been upgraded accordingly in this update, with a wider improvement to his Current Ability recognising his emergence as a new star.

Eli Junior Kroupi, AFC Bournemouth

Bournemouth’s recruitment team appear to have struck gold once again with their addition of Eli Junior Kroupi.

Hugely prolific in France last season, the 19-year-old has quickly established himself in the Premier League with eight goals already to his credit.

His Finishing has been upgraded, making him even better-equipped to lead the line for you whether you take the reins at the Vitality Stadium or elsewhere.

Lennart Karl, FC Bayern München

A breakthrough star in FC Bayern’s UEFA Champions League campaign, 18-year-old Lennart Karl has been nothing short of a revelation.

The diminutive playmaker has repaid the trust shown in him by Vincent Kompany and his contributions to the first team against some of Europe’s best has seen his Current Ability significantly increased.

In terms of individual Attribute changes, his First Touch is the most notable mover, reflecting the excellent close control he’s shown on the biggest stages.

Antoine Semenyo, Manchester City

Already a quality operator, Antoine Semenyo has cemented himself as one of the Premier League’s elite attackers this campaign.

The Ghana international had 10 goals for Bournemouth at the mid-point of the season, leading to a big money move to Manchester City. He’s already found the back of the net four times for his new club and that finishing, as well as the all-round quality of his play, has led to an improvement in his Current Ability.

He’s not the only City to receive an upgrade, with fellow new arrival Marc Guehi, Rayan Cherki, Nico O’Reilly and Max Alleyne all recognised for their strong starts to the season.

Claudio Braga, Hearts

The standout of Hearts’ William Hill Premiership title challenge this season, Claudio Braga has rewarded the faith the club put in his underlying data in Norway.

The Portuguese attacker has scored 15 and assisted six in 35 appearances across all competitions for the Jambos.

Braga’s Heading is now up to 14, meaning he’ll be primed to nod home from the crosses put in by similarly upgraded teammates like Jordi Altena, Michael Steinwender and Alexandros Kyzridis.

Viktor Dadason, FC Kobenhavn

FC Kobenhavn’s young players have long proved popular with FM players and we think Viktor Dadason is set to be the latest to join that list.

In October, the teenage striker scored for the Danish side in the UEFA Champions League. That made him the third youngest goalscorer in competition history, a milestone he then improved on in November when he became the youngest player to score twice in the tournament.

That rapid emergence for the Icelander has seen him receive one of the biggest upgrades in this update, and makes him a significant one to watch in your latest saves.

Reyes Cleary, Barnsley FC

Another young player to have really stepped up this season is Barnsley’s winger Reyes Cleary.

Winner of the EFL Young Player of the Month award in November, Cleary has recorded a total of 21 goal involvements in 37 games in all competitions this season and currently sits as Sky Bet League One’s top assister.

In terms of his Attributes that have been improved, it’s really no surprise to see his Flair go up after that 60-yard worldie against Bradford City.

Yael Trepy, Cagliari Calcio

A newer name on this list, Yael Trepy is likely to be a very popular signing in FM26 moving forward.

The 19-year-old striker made his Serie A debut in January and scored just four minutes after coming off the bench – making him the first French under-20 player to score on their debut in a top four league this century.

Tall, athletic and physical, Trepy has all the makings of a modern forward and now he can contribute more to your teams from the off after a significant Current Ability upgrade.

Romeo Vermant, Club Brugge

Things keep getting better and better for up-and-coming Belgian striker Romeo Vermant.

Having scored a match-winning brace in last year’s Belgian Cup final, Vermant is now a fully-fledged Belgian international and has cemented himself as Club Brugge’s leading man up front.

He’s up to 11 goals this season in all competitions at the time of writing and it’s his all-round play that has impressed most, with his Anticipation Attribute receiving a significant upgrade in this update.

Aaron Drinan, Swindon Town

Sometimes it all just comes together for a player and that’s very much been the case this time around for Irish forward Aaron Drinan.

The 27-year-old is enjoying the best season of his career for Swindon Town, finding the back of the net 25 times in 35 games for Ian Holloway’s men.

He’s a key part of their Sky Bet League Two promotion push and with a three-point upgrade to his Finishing Attribute in this update, he can do the same for you.

Pia Vlok, Wellington Phoenix

One of the biggest upgrades in this update belongs to exciting young Pia Vlok.

The 17-year-old signed with Wellington Phoenix at the start of the season and has looked right at home ever since.

She scored her first goal in November, became the first Phoenix player to score a hat-trick in the Ninja A League Women in February and has now been called up internationally by New Zealand. She’s got a very bright future ahead.

Danny Ormerod, AFC Fylde

We wrap up this list by heading to another prolific forward in the shape of AFC Fylde’s Danny Ormerod.

The 19-year-old has been electric for the Enterprise National League North promotion-chasers, scoring 26 times and assisting six in 31 league appearances.

His clinical finishing, ability to lead the line and ability to stand up to the rigours of a very physical league have led to a big Current Ability increase in this update – and the potential for much more in your saves.

These are just a select few of our favourite players for you to keep an eye on after the latest FM26 update, with thousands of changes waiting for you to discover. Let us know who you scout, sign or manage on social @FootballManager.

FM26 Update (26.2) Now Live

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

141d ago

FM26 Update (26.2) is now live across platforms.

This update contains transfers from the January Transfer Window, Current Ability, Potential Ability and Attribute changes for thousands of players and staff, as well as several game additions and upgrades.

For PC players, this update sees a change to make the Fixtures and Results card full-screen and introduces the ability to change player roles from the Tactics Visualiser.

These changes will apply to all existing save games. To experience the data and competition changes in this update, you will need to start a new career*.

The full changelist is available below, alongside platform-specific updates.

This update should take effect automatically but if you have any issues, please visit our dedicated FAQ.

The update is scheduled for release on March 10th for FM26 Mobile (Netflix). A larger update for FM26 Touch (Nintendo Switch) will follow later in the month, subject to the submissions process.

* Rosters for certain licensed leagues whose seasons run to the calendar year will only be reflective up until the end of the 2025 season and will not include incoming and outgoing transfers made for 2026.

FM26 - 26.2 Changelist (non-exhaustive)

Database

Five million+ database changes since the initial release of FM26

Updated licenced headshots

Technical Issues

Various Crash and Stability fixes

Game no longer soft locks when attempting to progress to a penalty shootout in certain competitions

Improved the User Interface (UI) responsiveness in Online Lobbies with large number of users

User Interface (UI)

Redesigned fixtures & results page to be full screen

Added a preference for the Fixtures and Results screens to be automatically shown before and after matches in competitions the user is participating in

User is now able to change Player Instructions & Roles from the Tactics Visualiser

User is now able to view the Tactics Visualiser from the Team Shape tab from within the In and Out of Possession tabs

Fixed an issue causing the opposition formation visuals to inaccurately reflect the actual formations on the pitch after the AI makes a formation change during a match

Added Club Profile and Best XI tabs on the club Welcome Pack

Tactics - Quick Pick will no longer include players who aren’t in First Team unless you have a filter selected

Tactics – Fixed an issue causing injury indicators to remain after clearing the position

Tactics – "Hide players" option no longer filters out empty slots

Tactics - Tactic name no longer overlaps with the overall Familiarity if the name of the tactic was too long

Opposition Instructions screen will now default to Predicted Lineup instead of All Positions

Player listed in the Squad Registration screen are now sorted by position by default

User can now sort the personality column on the Squad page

You are now able to sort players by Squad Number on the Squad Numbers screen

Resolved an issue where the user could duplicate the spoken languages selected during the Manager Creation process

Fixed an issue causing the hierarchy induction pyramid graphic to display in low resolution

The text displayed in the ‘last club’ column is no longer too large when on the Squad screen

Gameplay

Increased the prominence of AI manager sackings being shown on the News screen

Players should no longer illogically get upset with manager when a transfer was cancelled due to work permit issues

Fixed an issue preventing the Director of Football to sign players that were recently on trial with the club

Fixed an issue causing some News items to incorrectly display a capital “S” after the player's name

Fixed a rare issue where some players would illogically be considering options at the end of their contract when playing at the lower levels in England

Resolved a very rare issue where playing highlights from a past match would sometimes show the wrong match

Art & Animation

Implemented Dynamic Aging for Newgen Portraits

Fixed an issue causing distorted models to appear at the start of a match

Resolved a rare issue causing the weather to snow during matches played in Saudi Arabia

Players under armour should now always match the colour of their kit shorts

Under pitch heating should now work when on Low and Very Low graphics settings

Lowered the brightness of the pitch when playing matches at Night

Changes and improvements to manager hairstyles

In-Game Editor (IGE) / Pre-Game Editor (PGE)

Various Crash and Stability fixes

Added Kit Editor tile to the Club Edit card (IGE)

Flamboyancy and Goalkeeping non-player attributes can now be edited (PGE)

Non-Playing History staff roles no longer appear in the Staff History and Biography as a Player role (PGE)

Functionality of the duplicate button has been fixed (PGE)

Resolved an issue causing data edits from edit files not affecting the database information during manager creation (PGE)

Competition and Rule Groups

Africa

Updated rules & format for the African World Cup Qualifying

Women’s Africa Cup of Nations expanded to 16 teams

Argentina

Updated the participants of the Copa Argentina

Australia

Updated format rules for the Australian Cup

Austria

Updated the schedules for the Austrian Premier Division

Asia

AFC Champions League – Resolved an issue where the Winter Registration window would never open

AFC Women's Champions League – Updated the Schedule for 2026/27 season

China will now host the Under 20 Asian Nations Cup in 2027

Belgium

The Belgian First National Amateur Division no longer appears in game

Adjustments made to the starting times of matches on Saturday and Sunday in the Jupiler Pro League Season 25/26

Brazil

Updated a high number of formats, schedules and rules of various Brazilian State Championships

Updated the Brazilian Cup and Super Cup for the 2026 season

Updated the format, schedule, and rules for Brazilian U-20 Championship, and added the Brazilian U-20 Second Division

Canada

Updated salary cap information

Chile

Updated format rules for the Chilean Cup & Chilean Super Cup

Updated the Chilean First Division & Chile Cup Revenue

Updated the Chilean First Division and First Division B Match & Sorting Rules

Updated the Chile Cup Substitution rules

China

Various teams given Points Deductions and Fines

Removed the 100% transfer fee tax

Updated the Chinese FA Cup Match Rules

Colombia

Updated format & match rules for the Colombian First & Second Division

Updated the Colombian First Division Discipline Rules

Updated Colombian Second Division Semi Final Draw Rules

Updated Colombian First and Second Division TV Deals

Czechia

Updated the match rules for various Czech domestic competitions

Denmark

A-Liga squad numbers can now be assigned from 1-99

Updated the format for A-Liga - 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons

Europe

Countries who play in different nations will now have the correct flag displayed alongside their name

Updated the Hosts for Euro 2032

Updated the Hosts for European U19 Championships (2027, 2028, 2029)

Updated the Hosts for Women's European Football Championship 2029

Updated the Nation and Club Coefficients for women’s football

Egypt

Updated the match rules for the Egyptian Premier League

England

Resolved an issue causing some Premier League Fixtures occurring at the start of an international break

Updated Premier League Prize Money

Updated the substitution rules for FA Cup qualifying rounds & FA Youth Cup

Updated the format rules for U21/U18 Premier Division Cup & U18 Division 3 Cup

Resolved non-cat 1 English U21 clubs incorrectly qualifying for the U21 International Cup

U21 Premier Division International Cup - English teams will now correctly only play at home

WSL & WSL2 - Trialists no longer allowed to play

Finland

Updated substitution rules for all league divisions, the Finnish Cup & the Finnish League Cup

Updated format rules for the Finnish First Division Championship League Cup

Updated the 2025/26 Transfer Windows dates

France

French Women's Cup - Reserve Teams will no longer participate

Germany

3. Liga - added rule where clubs get an automatic 9-point deduction if they enter administration

Updated the substitution rules for German Women's Cup

U21 Frauen Bundesliga players no longer need to be registered

Hong Kong

Updated format rules for the Premier U22 League

Indonesia

Added VAR to the Indonesian Super League & Indonesian Championship

Updated the Indonesian League Two Schedule

Removed the Piala President Cup

Israel

Updated VAR rules for various competitions across Israel

Italy

Resolved an issue where trophy celebration would wrongly trigger in Serie A if teams were tied on points for first place when instead a playoff game should decide the champions

Removed Extra Time from the Italian Super Cup

Removed Extra Time from the Italian Serie C Cup (except in the semifinals and final)

Added VAR to the Serie BKT & Italian Serie C

Updated VAR Rules to the Serie A Women Athora

Italian Serie C - Various clubs given points deductions

Updated the number of teams for Italian Serie C/B in 2025/26 due to Rimini being excluded from the league

Updated the Squad Rules for Serie A Femminile eBay

Updated the Schedule for the Italian U20 Primavera 3

Japan

Updated the J1/J2/J3 League Schedule

Updated substitution rules for the J1/J2/J3 Special Tournament playoff stages

Malaysia

Updated the Malaysia Transfer Window dates

Updated the Malaysian Super League Squad Registration Rules

Updated the Malaysian Super League & Malaysian Cups Schedules

Updated the format rules for Malaysian Super League & Malaysian FA Cup

Updated the Malaysian A1 Semi-Professional League Transfer and Match Rules

Removed the Malaysian Football League Cup

North America

Updated the format for the North American W Champions Cup

Updated the schedule for the North American Champions Cup

Northen Ireland

Added the NIFL Charity Shield Competition

Extra Time added to the North West Senior Cup

BetMcLean League Cup correctly renamed to BetMcLean Cup

Updated the Sports Direct Premiership & Bet McLean Cup Scheduling

Updated substitution rules for various competitions & cups

Peru

Peruvian First Division Prize Money is now correctly distributed

Updated the Peruvian First Division Squad Registration Rules

Updated the Peruvian First Division Match Rules

Portugal

Updated the Loan Rules for all divisions

Updated the format rules for the Portugal Championship & Portuguese U19 First Division

Updated the Portuguese League Cup Match Rules

Resolved an issue causing teams in Portuguese Third Division Championship Groups to incorrectly start with bonus points

Poland

The Polish FA Cup Final now has the correct date

Romania

VAR added to the Romanian Cup & Romanian Super Cup

Russia

Updated the Russian Premier League Match Rules

Updated substitutions rules for the Russian Cup

Scotland

Hamilton Academical given 15-point deduction

Serbia

Updated scheduling for all leagues

Spain

Updated the Spanish Women's Divisions and Cups Match Rules

Updated the Spanish Women's First/Second Division Squad Number rules

Singapore

Updated the Singapore Cup Schedule

Added VAR to the Singaporean Premier League/Singapore Cup/Singaporean Community Shield

Slovenia

Updated the league formats due to a team going bankrupt

Spain

Updated the match and squad number rules for several Spanish women’s competitions

Sweden

Hammarby TFF are now correctly able to get promoted

IFK Goteborg now play in the correct stadium

Updated the Men's & Women’s Transfer Window Dates

Updated Women's Football Contract Rules

Updated the Swedish Second Division Norrland Format

Updated the OBOS Damallsvenskan Match Rules & Schedule

Updated the Elitettan Schedule

South America

Updated the Copa Sudamericana Knock Out Play Off Round seeding format

Updated the Copa Libertadores Draw Dates

Updated the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana finals host cities (2026 and 2027 seasons)

Updated the U20s Copa Libertadores 2025 and 2026 schedules.

Updated the U20s Championship Schedule

South Korea

Updated the Hana Bank K League 1 and 2 Match & Squad Registration Rules

Updated the Korea Cup Match Rules

Turkey

Updated Match & Squad rules for all divisions

Updated the Turkish Super Cup dates for future editions

Uruguay

Updated the Uruguayan Cup Format & Schedule

Updated the teams featured in the Uruguay Reserve Division 2025

Wales

The New Saints no longer appear as an English club

Updated the Cymru Premier Match Rules

Updated Adran Premier Contract Rules

Aberystwyth Development, Berriew Development & Barry Town Linnets are now correctly ineligible to participate in Welsh Women's Cup

World

Updated Substitution rules for the Club Intercontinental Championship

Updated the men’s World Cup kickoff times

Updated the format of ‘pairing’ 1-4 seeds for the men’s World Cup

Updated the European/South American Super Cup date and venue for the 2026 edition

World Cup Playoff-Tournament hosts have been updated

Transfer Market Top Tips in FM26

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

158d ago

Just as in real life, getting pre-season right is essential in Football Manager 26. As well as training hard and playing friendlies, buying and selling the right players is crucial to a flying start.

Here, we show how you can maximise FM26’s new recruitment tools in pre-season to set your club up for success in every career.

Making a Plan

One of the first things you should do in every save, wherever you manage in FM26, is review your squad.

Work out where you’re strong and where you’re weak, and what that means for your tactical tinkering. With those insights, you can develop a real plan of action for the transfer market.

In this example, we’ve taken over at Manchester City. Having reviewed the squad, we’ve created a simple tactic that lines the club up 4-2-3-1 in possession and 4-4-2 out of possession.

Pulling this together shows where we’re strong and where we can look to add more depth to the squad.

For example, Rico Lewis is a fantastic talent but at 20 years old it’s a lot to expect him to be first-choice for every game, particularly when we’ll be competing in four competitions throughout the season. Here, adding in an experienced player to rotate with him can only make the squad stronger.

Up front, we’ve got the world’s best striker in Erling Haaland. Very few players can match his all-round ability but to make sure we get the most from him, we’ll need to rotate him to try and avoid any costly injuries. Another striker here, a backup, would be a good depth addition.

We also have to consider potential departures here. For example, we have four goalkeepers in the first-team squad, so we should look to move one of them on.

Getting Started

With those three tasks in mind, head over to the Recruitment tab in the top navigation bar.

If you need to adjust your transfer budget, there are two initial steps you can take. The first is adjusting your wage budget/transfer budget split, and the second is selling off any existing transfer clauses. This isn’t always the best strategy long-term, but as a quick fix it can be invaluable. Towards the bottom of the recruitment overview there’s a summary of the clauses you have.

Having done some tinkering in this Manchester City save, we have £76m available to us to evolve our squad.

Making Moves

To start identifying transfer targets, head to the Player Recommendations tab from the sub-menu.

The Scouting department will have already done some work but to hone in on the needs we have, setting up Recruitment Focuses and TransferRoom Requirements will be priorities.

Recruitment Focuses

An existing feature from previous FMs, Recruitment Focuses are a useful tool to guide our scouts to a specific position, league or age group of interest.

In this example, we’ve created one to identify a starting quality right-back. You can keep the search parameters as simple as just the position, or you can add in additional elements like specific In and Out of Possession roles.

To give a broader range of candidates in the quickest time, we’ve kept ours simple and set it as a Top Priority within Europe. You can also at this stage assign specific staff to work on this but as City’s recruitment team is very strong, we’ve left it for them all to work on.

TransferRoom

One of the new features of Football Manager 26 is an enhanced relationship with TransferRoom. This includes the introduction to the game of Requirements and Pitch Opportunities, otherwise known as TransferRoom (In) and TransferRoom (Out).

While our recruitment focus finds us some potential new right-backs, we can use the TransferRoom tools available to do our other business.

Requirements allow you to announce to every club in the game the type of player you are looking to sign, in the hopes that they will have such a player available to offer to you.

This time, I have set a particular role. It’s not practical to think that we can find a forward as complete as Erling Haaland. So instead we want somebody specifically to come on and run the channels and stretch tired defences.

Pitch Opportunities

Pitch Opportunities are the inverse of Requirements. Rather than telling other clubs what we need, we can show them what we have to offer. This is a little more hands-on than setting a Requirement, but clubs will be listed with the profile of player they are looking for. This can be filtered if you have an idea of who you’d like to move on.

A member of staff, in this case our Director of Football, will also be on hand to point out squad members who could potentially suit each club’s requirements.

We don’t currently have any players that look like they might suit other club’s needs, but we can use the Loan tab to get some of our young players some senior experience. Specifically, we’re interested in offering Jahmai Simpson-Pusey to 1 FC. Köln.

This will open the Transfer Offer screen, where we can set the terms of the loan deal and see if an agreement can be made.

Offer via TransferRoom

There are two more options available to us – the first is offering players out via TransferRoom. This is helpful to try and generate interest in players who other clubs might not think are available, or to make sides think about upgrading an area of their side while the opportunity is there.

I’m going to offer Stefan Ortega out on loan via TransferRoom, in the hopes of getting him regular football.

Hire an Intermediary

The last proactive move we have is to try and move players on by hiring an intermediary to actively move a player on. This would generally be more of a last resort measure, as offering players out through intermediaries can upset them if they don’t wish to leave the club.

Whichever route you go down, remember that several recruitment screens can be accessed from the new Bookmarks feature. If there are some that you find yourself constantly going back to, why not set them as a Bookmark and have them to hand.

By assessing our squad, making a plan of action and using the tools available to us, we primed Manchester City for a successful season.

Getting recruitment right isn’t always easy, and plans may need to be adapted from time to time, but with the tools available in Football Manager there are more ways than ever to master your squad-building.

FM26 (Update 26.1.3) now live

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

167d ago

An FM26 update (26.1.3) is now available via Steam, Epic and Microsoft Store. This includes the re-introduction of Pass Maps (both in-match and within the Data Hub), as well as various Match AI improvements and a fix to a Hotseat mode-related crash.

For queries about how to update on these platforms, please review this FAQ.

The update is also available for FM26 Console, which includes all applicable improvements from the PC and Mac changelist. You can find more details, here.

For clarity, recent transfers from the January Transfer Window and other data changes will form part of the next game update in early March.

The changelist for today’s update is provided below.

FM26 Mobile and FM26 Touch (Nintendo Switch)

The next FM26 Mobile and FM26 Touch (Nintendo Switch) updates are scheduled for release in March. Further details will follow closer to the time.

FM26 (26.1.3 Changelist (non-exhaustive)

Technical Issues

Various Crash and Stability fixes

Fixed a Crash on Hotseat Mode after finishing the 1st match of the day

Fixed Crash on Tactics screen when rapidly switching between In & Out Possession

Fixed an issue causing a black screen appearing for several seconds when entering second match as hot seat manager

Match Engine (Changes include but are not limited to)

Lowered the frequency of rain in matches across all leagues

Defensive improvements against strikerless formations

Tweaks to the frequency that AI managers make substitutions during matches

Improvements to how players react to shots that hit the post

Improvements to short goal kick decisions from GK

Improvements to wide player pressing logic

Improvements to marking decisions from midfielders during pressing situations

Improvements to marking of runs made from deep

Improved dribbling logic to allow dribbler to perform 180-turns where appropriate instead of running into a dead end

Improvements to how 'trap inside' instruction affects team shape when opposition has a goal kick

Fixes to wide midfielders sitting too deep in 442 OOP formation in high press setups

Channel Midfielder at CM now correctly rotates into AM strata after build-up phase

Added ability for players to control the ball with their head in certain situations to bring the ball down

Adjustments to OOP tactical positions of Wide AMs to now keep width better

You are now able to select more than one player in a match to bring up the player’s name with Ctrl/Alt, Left Click

Fixed an issue where VAR captions would sometimes display over a goal replay

Fixed an issue where league trophy celebration wouldn’t trigger in certain leagues

Assortment of animation fixes

Increased the quality of the 2D Discs when on 2D Classic View

User Interface (UI)

Added Pass Maps to the Last Match section in the Data Hub

Added Pass Maps to the Match UI in the Formation carousel and Half Time/Full Time Reports (Full Time shown below)

Added Pass Maps as Dugout advice

Added icons next to the shout instructions on the Shouts dropdown menu

Added latest scores and live league table to in-highlights tile that opens from pressing the ‘stats' button at the top right

Improvements made to Club League History Graph

Fixed an issue where Latest Scores/Dugout event would inform user about a goal before it happened

Users team is now clearly labelled on both the Tile and Card in Data Hub visuals

Striker's shirt is no longer cutoff in Tactics tile on Match Day screen

Player name no longer appears at the top of the sub bench when subbed off

Fixed an issue causing Subs to display out of order in a match

Penalties scored during a match are now visible within Post Match News

Fixed an issue causing the Past Winners card being empty for certain competitions

Added a formations tile in the Past Match - Match Report card

Added a scroll bar to Tactical Styles on the Training Schedules card

Added a carousel on the medical centre tile so users can view U21 or U18 injuries

Fixed an issue where the incorrect Out of Possession Role tile could appear on Player Instructions > Out of Possession

Fixed an issue causing low-res images to be present on Set Pieces screen

Choosing Clean Slate on Tactics creator will now correctly take you to the fully populated "All" tab

B-Team ability and potential is now correctly displayed on Squad & Player Report screens

Resolved an issue where ‘Grey’ players in subs list could cause player positions to display incorrectly in the squad bar menu

Fixed a very rare issue making the user unable to enter matches after using Clear Squad or Quick Pick

The hierarchy column within Squad > Dynamics > Happiness will now sort correctly

No longer able to select a player as a vice captain if they’re out on loan

Gameplay

Fixed an issue where B-Team staff weren’t joining the club after they were recruited

Fixed an issue where some transfers would not display within Transfer History tool

Staff search now displays comparable ratings to Staff Report

Fixed a rare issue where the Board would be delighted about an objective being completed that occurred before user took over at the club

Agents no longer illogically suggest to ‘Make an Offer Now’ alongside ‘Wait for Contract Expiry.’

Young players with Training Targets won’t become unhappy after a loan offer is accepted for them

Scouted players will now appear in the Squad Comparison section of the Shortlist tool

Tweaks to Saudi clubs making repeated lowball offers for a star player

Teams should no longer take excessively long to appoint a new manager

Fixed an issue within Match Meetings that would state that the team could 'qualify for the Premier League' when it should be referencing the Champions League.

UAE clubs now have a more realistic number of first team players

Advice button no longer shows when users manager is unemployed

Tweaked the AI logic to ensure when you use the Ask Assistant button to select an MLS squad it will no longer breach the salary cap

Recruitment Transfer History > Appearance column will now specify if appearances were starts or substitutions

User will now receive a message that a requested coaching course is confirmed/rejected by the board

User is now able to manually select coach assignments for Reserve/Youth teams

If a player is deemed ‘Not for Sale’, the fee cited in the Media Speculation News Item will no longer display as £226m

News articles will now make reference to a player's previous stint at the same club if they’re a former player, rather than treating them like a brand-new signing.

Player Biographies should no longer have any inaccurate information

Set Transfer Status action is now correctly disabled for Non-Contract Players

The agreed transfer fee now displays correctly on Transfer Activity screen if user has negotiated a deal with an intermediary

User will now get a summary news item about recent press conferences if media responsibilities have been delegated

Fixed an issue causing Women's Football news story to appear under Men's News classification

Tweaked the number of injuries occurring at AI controlled clubs within Women’s Football

NWSL Clubs are no longer given sponsorship deals with relegation clauses within Women’s Football

Adjustments made to female player wage demands in the Australian League

In-Game Editor (IGE)

The Editor icon is now correctly enabled when on the First Team card

In-game currency will no longer change if user edits financial information with the IGE tools

Nation information now visible on lists when moving a player using the IGE

Hidden columns on 1-20 scale are now correctly colour coded

User can now add multiple Club Affiliations to a player

“Move to my club” option now showing on all unemployed staff

Added confirmation dialog when moving a person to a role that is taken or maxed out

Fixed ‘Become Unsackable’ incorrectly appearing as right-click action when multiple players were selected

FM26 (26.1.2) Update Out Now

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

190d ago

2026's first FM26 update (26.1.2) is now available via Steam, Epic, and Microsoft Store.

This update includes a wide range of improvements, with key changes including global navigational enhancements, a new-look Stages screen, functionality fixes to column sorting and a host of stability fixes.

FM26 Console and FM26 Touch

Updates for FM26 Console and FM26 Touch (Apple Arcade) will follow later this week. We’ll confirm via FMAssist once they’re live.

An update for FM26 Touch (Nintendo Switch) is scheduled for early February, containing all applicable FM26 Touch fixes to date.

FM26 Mobile

The latest FM26 Mobile update containing save and crash related fixes was released on 15th January. FM26 Mobile’s next update is due in late February.

Our Next Update

The next update for FM26 is scheduled for 2-3 weeks’ time as previously outlined. Pass Maps are scheduled to return then, subject to passing QA checks and approvals.

The changelist for today's update is available below.

FM26 (26.1.2) Changelist (non-exhaustive)

Technical Issues

Various Crash and Stability fixes
Fixed game freezing when using Instant Result during hotseat mode
Stadium size now displays correctly regardless of the graphics quality set
Transition speed preference no longer resets upon game restart
Continue Game Timeout preference option now functions as intended

User Interface (UI)

Redesigned ‘Stages’ tile to be full screen (shown at the end of the changelist)
Redesigned ‘Season Preview’ tile to be full screen
Further navigation enhancements, including additional drop-down options in the main and secondary nav bars
Improved functionality of customising/rearranging column placement on the first team squad view
Fixed an issue where the Squad Registration for continental competitions would appear as closed despite the deadline yet to pass
The squad list now updates in real-time if making changes while the ‘Pkd’ column is selected
Fixed ‘At Club Since’ column showing random numbers instead of years
‘Knowledge’ column can now be added on the Shortlist screen
Fixed issue where the 'Set Pieces' and 'Opposition Instructions' buttons were greyed out in the Pre-Match Team Selection screen
Fixed functionality for comparison between Coaching, Recruitment, and Medical staff when on the Club Site screen
Staff attribute colouring remains constant when scrolling
Filtering players by dates (such as contract expiry) now functions as intended within the Player Search
Latest season is now selected to display by default within the player Career Stats
Fixed issue causing the Play/Pause button to stop working as intended if skipping a replay
Added a scroll bar to Team/Player Analytics within the Data Hub
Viewing Past Seasons within the Stages card now functions correctly
When signing multiple players who are eligible to be sent on an intensive language course, the player names are now better displayed to highlight who is being sent
“Set for Next Match” button now highlights when selected within the Tactics screen
Fixed an issue that was causing a cut off on the inbox items when continuing with the New tab selected
Reasons given for certain achievements not yet unlocking has been reworded to prevent any ambiguity
Squad depth will now display when requesting a team report from an AI club
XG in the player form tile now reflects the true figure
Removed duplicated responses within conversation with Agent if asking about player availability
League history graph no longer defaults to any specific team initially

Gameplay

Tweaks to the amount of money spent on ageing players by Premier League/High Profile clubs
Tweaks to player reputation boosts following matches
When offering a player out via an Intermediary, users should receive more appropriate offers from AI Clubs
Tweaks to AI player asking prices
Outgoing transfers now total correctly within Potential Transfer/Wage Budget Impact
Fixed an issue preventing user from offering wage that was previously agreed to by the player agent
Fixed an issue causing a players displayed value to drop drastically with no logical cause
Transfer fees are now correctly allocated in the NWSL when conducting a player for cash trade
Wages will now correctly display in accordance with the preference set (weekly, monthly, annually)
WSL Awards no longer get given to players not deemed to be eligible in the first instance
Number of transfers in/out now correctly displays on saves ported from previous editions of FM
Fixed an issue where the Loan Offer message would say there has been an optional fee of £0 agreed, if no loan fee was set
Staff will now better action Opposition Instructions if set to do so via Staff Responsibilities
Player Milestones now better reflect their actual achievements
Tactics Induction now correctly gets prompted if user joins a new club via Apply for Job
Fixed an issue where news item would discuss the teams last game at their current stadium, despite the match taking player at a neutral venue
South America - Copa Libertadores – Resolved winner from incorrect year qualifying for Intercontinental Cup

In-Game Editor (IGE) / Pre-Game Editor (PGE)

Various Crash Fixes
Tweaks made to improve functionality of the Scroll Bar
Making changes to stadium details now updates in real-time within the IGE
Fixed an issue preventing Continental/International rules from verifying despite being set up correctly within the PGE
Stopped the game progressing to a Player report card when clicking attributes on the Player Edit tile
Added new editable fields to show OOP tactics data for AI managers
Improvements to colour select field
Improvements to when the IGE button is disabled and enabled

New Stages screen

Top Tips for Youth Development in FM26

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

205d ago

Developing your own superstars is one of the most satisfying parts of any Football Manager save — especially for long-term careers. Few feelings compare to watching an academy graduate light up the biggest stages for your first team.

What’s the best way of bringing these young players through? InvWingbacks is here to help, providing a list of top tips for youth development in Football Manager 26.

Setting some general principles

How you approach youth development will vary based on the club you’re managing, the league you’re in and how good the team are for the level. Every stage of a club’s evolution demands something slightly different from your youth system.

For example, if you’re managing in the lower leagues, you’ll often look to your youth team to provide depth for your first-team squad. Physical attributes matter more here — they’ll need strength, stamina and pace so they can meet the demands of lower league football and the volume of games they'll be playing.

It’s important to set yourself some general principles for developing your youngsters. That means thinking about whether you focus on physical or technical ability, what percentage of minutes you want your youth prospects to play, which cups/league games they'll have opportunities in and how you make decisions on who gets loans and permanent moves.

Technical and Physical Development

Player development happens in stages. Game time and general training will lead to most players evolving their Physical and Technical Attributes, with Mental Attributes typically improving more as they get older.

From this writer’s experience, your decisions on whether to prioritise technical or physical development should be based on their age, position and level of experience.

Generally speaking, when a player is between the ages of 15 and 17, you should prioritise their physical development. This can be done with an individual focus on their Physical Attributes and work in their position – so defender, midfielder or attacker – rather than a specific role.

Then, unless they’re an obvious superstar, the ages of 18 to 21 are when you should focus on rounding out some of their technical deficiencies and priming them for their role in their squad. Training should evolve to Technical Attribute-focused at this stage with a preferred role assigned based on how their profile is shaping up and where you want them to fit in. It’s also at this stage that you should consider loan moves at an appropriate level.

From 21 onwards, the player should be pushing for a first-team place or be a candidate for you to sell in the transfer market. In terms of their training at this point, you should alternate your focuses between Mental and Technical Attributes and also begin to think about incorporating Traits that you want them to adopt in their game.

Youth Training in FM26

To set up individual focuses on FM26, first head to Squad and Youth Setup, then pick the youth player you want to set up training for. You’ll find the training tab at the bottom of their player profile. This will take you into the familiar individual training screen and from there, you can set up not only this individual player's training, but also the rest of the youth squad.

This year, individual training looks a little different. Because there are in and out of possession roles, you can set up focuses for both phases of play, as well as an additional focus.

In the example below, I've got a player who I want to play as a Defensive Midfielder in possession, but a Full-Back out of possession:

You will see that from this one screen, you can also swap the players' training units, see their progress, and tweak their individual focuses. This player is under 18, so the focus should be more on physical development; the IP and OOP focuses will hit a lot of the key Technical Attributes he needs to develop, so working on Agility and Balance will bring more benefit than 'double training' the Technical Attributes.

Many youth players don’t develop their physical attributes evenly. Some stats climb quickly, others hardly move.

That’s why it’s worth checking their training plans every few months and tweaking their individual focuses. These small adjustments help keep their physical development balanced.

Building a Development Pipeline

Training your players is only one aspect of their development – you need to have a pipeline and plan in place for them to move from your Under-18s through to your first-team squad.

You can’t get a full scope of a player’s potential at Under-18 level, so at this stage it makes sense to keep a broad, deep squad as long as you’ve got the coaching staff to handle the workload. Give them focused individual training to work on their physical development and aspects of their general position (defence, midfield, attack). When they hit 18, take stock of how they've developed and what their potential next step is.

When a player reaches 18, gametime starts to become more important. If they're at an appropriate level, you can start to think about loaning them out to clubs playing in competitive leagues. The key is to find clubs and divisions where they'll receive quality game time and will perform well; minutes and rating are both important at this stage. There are a few ways to achieve this, including via affiliate clubs in different leagues. The new Opportunities feature introduced from TransferRoom is another great way to source a suitable move.

There will be youngsters that you struggle to find good moves for. For some, this will be because they're simply not good enough. For others, the challenge isn’t quality but timing; even good players can struggle to find a loan when clubs don’t need their position. In this situation, you need to ensure they’re getting regular minutes for your Under-21 side or put them in your first-team squad for rotation and cup minutes wherever possible. For most 'big' clubs, your youth teams will be playing semi-regularly, and especially continental youth tournaments still boast a good range of valuable minutes for youngsters.

The key here is not to have too many players left at the club, so that those in your Under-21s get a good share of minutes, with your most promising taking rotation minutes in your first team where possible.

By the time a player reaches 21, you should have a relatively clear idea of whether they have a future at your club. The Squad Planner is a great resource for this - you can pull players into your squad planner from the youth system, to see where they fit in your squad in terms of ability and position. If you can give them minutes, then that is the perfect outcome, and they can start to form part of your first team squad.

However, at 21, a lot of youngsters hold a lot of value, often beyond their actual ability, so this can also be a good time to sell them on and reinvest that money in more youngsters to run through the pipeline.

The most important thing is to try to develop a system which means you're never blocking or stagnating a player's progress during their time with your club. A well-run youth system is key to developing, sustaining and achieving success on Football Manager.

For more like this, head over to The Dugout.

FM26 Update (26.0.6) Out Now

Jimmy Wongsteam_community_announcements

246d ago

After initially rolling out yesterday onto the Steam Public Beta Track, we’re pleased to say that update 26.0.6 is now available for FM26 on Steam, Epic, and Microsoft Store. The update includes more than 250 fixes and tweaks, including: tweaks to player wage demands, the option to select an FPS limit within ‘Preferences’, and the reintroduction of the training calendar for youth teams. A full changelist can be seen below. For queries about how to update on these platforms, please review this FAQ. For Steam Public Beta track users, please consult the FAQ for any questions about reverting to the retail version and save game compatibility.

Match Engine

Further to today's update, work is underway to provide a new Match Engine version in December. We can now share some of the scheduled changes, which will include:

Tweaks to the frequency of players shooting at the near post from tight angles
Improvements to defender reactions against opposition dribbling
Tweaks made to the line defenders hold when defending in their own box
Improved logic to defenders' decision-making with headers when not under pressure
Improved attacking movement of players during counter-attacking transitions
Various other AI tweaks

FM26 Update (26.0.6) - Changelist (non-exhaustive)

Further extensive polish and refinement done to the User Interface.
Further extensive crash and stability fixes.
Further fixes to freezes at Half-Time during Human vs. Human Online Matches.
Further improvements made to in game translations.
Fixed freeze issue in Online Games when using Large Custom Databases.
Fixed soft lock while trying to view a past match.
Fixed issue preventing user from accessing/making changes to the youth teams Training Calendar.
Added preference option for user to select their desired FPS setting, or to match that of their monitor refresh rate.
Tweaks made to the general screen flow.
Preference added to adjust the quality of the crowd.
Fixed an issue where the incorrect amount of European co-efficient points would be added following a result in the 2nd leg of knockout round stage matches.
Fixed issue where Association Coefficients weren't being correctly allocated for the qualifying and playoff stages of European competitions.
Fixed issue that caused current season co-efficient total to display as zero until end of season.
Improved logic behind youth player wage demands.
Improved logic behind player wage demands in the lower leagues.
Fixed issue where player condition would always display full.
Tweaked frequency of rain occurring during matches.
Snow will now appear on the outside of stadiums, not just on the pitch.
Fixed crash when continuing with club from United Arab Emirates (UAE) during Advanced Game Setup.
Loading a tactic within a match now functions as intended.
Fixed issue preventing user from assigning shirt number to players out on loan.
Fixed issue where home shirt icon would always display in the in-match Tactics Planner, regardless of the kit worn on the day.
Data Hub > Last Match > Summary will now display data from the correct match.
Fixed Place of Birth functionality within Manager Creation.
Clicking ‘Apply’ when selecting which attributes to filter between on the Player Search now takes you back to the correct landing page.
Fixed issue where all subs would display as “S1” on team talks.
Fixed issue where Ligue 1 trophy image would display regardless of the competition.
Fixed an issue where the Prize Money portal message would incorrectly state that the user had drawn.
Added a Recruitment Budgets tile to the Finance Summary.
Fixed an issue allowing the user to create a Recruitment Focus for a Women’s competition despite managing a Men’s team, and vice versa.
Refined AI logic of Saudi based clubs when it comes to buying players.
Fixed functionality when making a sub via the dropdown menus within the in-match Tactics Planner.
Match highlights should now be in sync for users playing in Online saves.
Passing Risk player instruction will now display correctly locked as “Take More Risks” for a Midfield Playmaker role.
Fixed issue where the sub keeper would display in an outfield kit in the in-match Tactics Planner.
Fixed issue allowing for ineligible players to sometimes be registered.
Fixed issue where Team Leaders meeting would include the very player the meeting is about.
Fixed an issue allowing user to renegotiate transfer/loan fee despite contract terms already being agreed.
Improved squad building logic of top clubs.
Players will more appropriately decline entering contract negotiations upfront if there is a large discrepancy between the desired wage and the max wage the club can offer.
Fixed issue where Finance Graph would always display in USD.
Club > Finances will now display the correct data for Income and Expenditure.
In match Opposition Instructions will now correctly reflect any substitutions that have been made.
Fixed issue preventing the Sponsorships card in Finances from being opened.
Fixed issue where sponsorship end date would display as 1/1/1900.
First team players no longer wear a substitutes bib during pre-match team talk.
Tweaks to how a player’s current reputation is processed following a match.
Fixed issue preventing user from leading of all required team talks if they are in charge of multiple teams.
USA – Adjust Cap Impact bar will now function correctly.
Player Comparison polygon graph will now display the correct attribute points.
IGE
Fixed the functionality of editing a player that is also a staff member at the same club with the In-Game Editor (IGE).
Corrected the functionality when editing the Stadium Condition field in the IGE.
Editing the Foreground/Background colour of a club within the IGE will now correctly save state.
Fixed issue causing the IGE icon/menus to appear even if user had chosen to turn feature off within save.
Maximising Existing Familiarity within the IGE will now update instantly.
Fixed crash in the IGE when editing the contract expiry date of a non-player.

FM26 Update 3 Available Now via Steam Public Beta Track

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

250d ago

We can confirm that the next update to the Steam Public Beta Track is now live.

For instructions on how to access and download the update, please visit our guide, here.

This update will contain the 200+ fixes communicated on Tuesday (18th November) as well as some additional tweaks and changes we brought forward while the knock-on issue reported yesterday was being resolved. You can view the full change list below:

Steam Public Beta Track Change List (non exhaustive)

Further extensive polish and refinement done to the User Interface.
Further extensive crash and stability fixes.
Further fixes to freezes at Half-Time during Human vs. Human Online Matches.
Further improvements made to in game translations.
Fixed freeze issue in Online Games when using Large Custom Databases.
Fixed soft lock while trying to view a past match.
Fixed issue preventing user from accessing/making changes to the youth teams Training Calendar.
Added preference option for user to select their desired FPS setting, or to match that of their monitor refresh rate.
Tweaks made to the general screen flow.
Preference added to adjust the quality of the crowd.
Fixed an issue where the incorrect amount of European co-efficient points would be added following a result in the 2nd leg of knockout round stage matches.
Fixed issue where Association Coefficients weren't being correctly allocated for the qualifying and playoff stages of European competitions.
Fixed issue that caused current season co-efficient total to display as zero until end of season.
Improved logic behind youth player wage demands.
Improved logic behind player wage demands in the lower leagues.
Fixed issue where player condition would always display full.
Tweaked frequency of rain occurring during matches.
Snow will now appear on the outside of stadiums, not just on the pitch.
Fixed crash when continuing with club from United Arab Emirates (UAE) during Advanced Game Setup.
Loading a tactic within a match now functions as intended.
Fixed issue preventing user from assigning shirt number to players out on loan.
Fixed issue where home shirt icon would always display in the in-match Tactics Planner, regardless of the kit worn on the day.
Data Hub > Last Match > Summary will now display data from the correct match.
Fixed Place of Birth functionality within Manager Creation.
Clicking ‘Apply’ when selecting which attributes to filter between on the Player Search now takes you back to the correct landing page.
Fixed issue where all subs would display as “S1” on team talks.
Fixed issue where Ligue 1 trophy image would display regardless of the competition.
Fixed an issue where the Prize Money portal message would incorrectly state that the user had drawn.
Added a Recruitment Budgets tile to the Finance Summary.
Fixed an issue allowing the user to create a Recruitment Focus for a Women’s competition despite managing a Men’s team, and vice versa.
Refined AI logic of Saudi based clubs when it comes to buying players.
Fixed functionality when making a sub via the dropdown menus within the in-match Tactics Planner.
Match highlights should now be in sync for users playing in Online saves.
Passing Risk player instruction will now display correctly locked as “Take More Risks” for a Midfield Playmaker role.
Fixed issue where the sub keeper would display in an outfield kit in the in-match Tactics Planner.
Fixed issue allowing for ineligible players to sometimes be registered.
Fixed issue where Team Leaders meeting would include the very player the meeting is about.
Fixed an issue allowing user to renegotiate transfer/loan fee despite contract terms already being agreed.
Improved squad building logic of top clubs.
Players will more appropriately decline entering contract negotiations upfront if there is a large discrepancy between the desired wage and the max wage the club can offer.
Fixed issue where Finance Graph would always display in USD.
Club > Finances will now display the correct data for Income and Expenditure.
In match Opposition Instructions will now correctly reflect any substitutions that have been made.
Fixed issue preventing the Sponsorships card in Finances from being opened.
Fixed issue where sponsorship end date would display as 1/1/1900.
First team players no longer wear a substitutes bib during pre-match team talk.
Tweaks to how a player’s current reputation is processed following a match.
Fixed issue preventing user from leading of all required team talks if they are in charge of multiple teams.
USA – Adjust Cap Impact bar will now function correctly.
Player Comparison polygon graph will now display the correct attribute points.
IGE:
Fixed the functionality of editing a player that is also a staff member at the same club with the In-Game Editor (IGE).
Corrected the functionality when editing the Stadium Condition field in the IGE.
Editing the Foreground/Background colour of a club within the IGE will now correctly save state.
Fixed issue causing the IGE icon/menus to appear even if user had chosen to turn feature off within save.
Maximising Existing Familiarity within the IGE will now update instantly.
Fixed crash in the IGE when editing the contract expiry date of a non-player.

FM26 Update 26.0.5 Out Now

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

257d ago

Following a successful rollout of the update via the Steam Public Beta Track, we’re pleased to confirm that update 26.0.5 is now available on Steam, Epic, and Microsoft Store.

For queries about how to update on these platforms, please review this FAQ.

For Steam Public Beta track users, please consult the FAQ for any questions about how to revert to the retail version and save game compatibility.

Included in today's update you’ll find over 200 bug fixes, namely; gameplay fixes, UI polish, stability improvements, and a preference to use the space bar to navigate through messages.

As part of our planned approach for updates in FM26, coming up next - alongside our commitment to continue improving stability and polishing the User Interface - you can expect a host of gameplay fixes, as well as a reintroduction of the training calendar for youth teams.

Change list 26.0.5 (non-exhaustive)

Added legacy preference option to continue through messages via the space bar. This can be found at Preferences > Detailed > Processing.

Numerous tile/card polish and alignment fixes.

Numerous further fixes to translations.

Substantial amount of other crash and stability fixes (some specific ones listed below).

Fixed a crash when adding Club Affiliation via the Pre-Game Editor (PGE).

Fixed a crash when user tries to move players or staff using the In-Game Editor (IGE).

Fixed an issue in IGE where Transfer and Wage Budget edits wouldn’t take effect.

Fixed an issue where Move to Club/Move to Other Club wouldn't work for free agents using the IGE.

Fixed a soft lock when selecting off of the Move to Other Club list on the IGE.

Fixed a crash on M1/Intel Macs when attempting to start a match.

Further fixes to Matches freezing during single player and online matches.

Fixed slowdown in match when on 2D overview screen.

Scroll bar will now save state when leaving and returning to a tile/card.

Added Save Team Selection and Clear Squad/Subs options within Tactics.

Fixed “Auto-size all Columns” leaving a large space to the right of the table.

“Sort Attributes Using English Language Sorting” preference will now function correctly.

Japan - Match Rules – Fixed foreign player limits having incorrect rules set.

England – Fixed rare issue where season wouldn’t begin due to incorrect scheduling of the National League Playoff Final.

USA – Updated Designated Player path rule to better reflect real life.

Fixed an issue preventing user being able to sort by Role Ability in Player Selector during a match.

Star Ratings widget has been added within Squad Planner.

Body language of players will now correctly update during meetings.

Global Search bar now closes when a hyperlink is pressed.

Fixed an issue where club badges would be switched in Cup Final news items when venue was neutral.

Acting on Opposition Instruction advice will now function correctly.

Fixed an issue where Recruitment Focus would display as completed if cancelled.

Fixed an issue where some clubs would be shown to have 0 people on the season ticket waiting list.

Fixed an issue where NXGN award wouldn’t be handed out.

Fixed an issue preventing the Place of Birth field to populate during manager creation.

Fixed save game prompt appearing on screen causing an overlap during the Portal tutorial.

Fixed an issue where clubs in Saudi Arabia wouldn’t renew player contracts often enough.

Fixed issue where the ‘i’ profile preview would appear for non-players who shouldn’t be accessible.

Agent feedback will now correctly display when prompted if user asks within “Ask Agent About Market Interest” dialogue option.

Realigned columns of Interested Clubs within Player Offers.

Fixed issue preventing user to return to the start screen if they deleted all managers present within the Manager Profiles tab.

Realigned Career Milestones.

Refined ‘Player Change in Registration’ card to fix cutoffs.

Fixed issue where a message would open by default if user selected one of the Messages tabs.

‘Arrange Friendly’ will now appear as intended when opening Fixture Schedule for the first time.

Pre-Match Lineups will now hide Form if there isn’t any data to show.

Future Transfers filter within Transfer History will now function as intended.

Change/Withdraw Transfer Offer action buttons will now function correctly immediately after user makes an offer.

Management Style box during manager creator flow will now correctly store previous role and how well known you were for it.

Mentality will now display correctly if updated within Match Tactics.

Reworked the positional familiarity colouring on the player position map.

The icon for ‘Really Good’ morale will now display properly.

Team Priorities card will now function correctly.

The Fixtures card will now properly distinguish between those that scored/missed during a penalty shootout.

AI Club Fixtures will now display correctly if user is unemployed.

Fixed issue displaying head coaches name during UEFA Women’s CL pre-match lineup graphic.

Finances > Summary will now display correctly for teams without FFP.

Recruitment > Player Database – Selecting a Role will now highlight the correct Key Attributes.

Fixed the Ability and Potential columns not populating with any data in the Recruitment Focus General Info view

Newly promoted teams should now receive a more reasonable wage budget reflecting new division and current financial state.

Agreed Playing Time column will now populate with correct data.

Multi-Select on “Available for U21/U18 match” portal item will now function correctly.

FM26 Update 2 Available Now via Steam Public Beta Track

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

258d ago

Following on from our announcement about how we’ll approach updates in FM26, we’re pleased to confirm the next update to FM26 PC & Mac is available via the Steam Public Beta track. For instructions how to access and download, please visit our guide, here.

Within the update you’ll find over 200 bug fixes, namely; gameplay fixes, UI polish, stability improvements, and a preference to use the space bar to navigate through messages.

Change list (non-exhaustive)

Added legacy preference option to continue through messages via the space bar.

Numerous tile/card polish and alignment fixes.

Numerous further fixes to translations.

Substantial amount of other crash and stability fixes (some specific ones listed below).

Fixed a crash when adding Club Affiliation via the Pre-Game Editor (PGE).

Fixed a crash when user tries to move players or staff using the In-Game Editor (IGE).

Fixed an issue in IGE where Transfer and Wage Budget edits wouldn’t take effect.
Fixed an issue where Move to Club/Move to Other Club wouldn't work for free agents using the IGE.

Fixed a soft lock when selecting off of the Move to Other Club list on the IGE.

Fixed a crash on M1/Intel Macs when attempting to start a match.

Further fixes to Matches freezing during single player and online matches.

Fixed slowdown in match when on 2D overview screen.

Scroll bar will now save state when leaving and returning to a tile/card.

Added Save Team Selection and Clear Squad/Subs options within Tactics.

Fixed “Auto-size all Columns” leaving a large space to the right of the table.

“Sort Attributes Using English Language Sorting” preference will now function correctly.

Japan - Match Rules – Fixed foreign player limits having incorrect rules set.

England – Fixed rare issue where season wouldn’t begin due to incorrect scheduling of the National League Playoff Final.

USA – Updated Designated Player path rule to better reflect real life.

Fixed an issue preventing user being able to sort by Role Ability in Player Selector during a match.

Star Ratings widget has been added within Squad Planner.

Body language of players will now correctly update during meetings.

Global Search bar now closes when a hyperlink is pressed.

Fixed an issue where club badges would be switched in Cup Final news items when venue was neutral.

Acting on Opposition Instruction advice will now function correctly.

Fixed an issue where Recruitment Focus would display as completed if cancelled.

Fixed an issue where some clubs would be shown to have 0 people on the season ticket waiting list.

Fixed an issue where NXGN award wouldn’t be handed out.

Fixed an issue preventing the Place of Birth field to populate during manager creation.

Fixed save game prompt appearing on screen causing an overlap during the Portal tutorial.

Fixed an issue where clubs in Saudi Arabia wouldn’t renew player contracts often enough.

Fixed issue where the ‘i’ profile preview would appear for non-players who shouldn’t be accessible.

Agent feedback will now correctly display when prompted if user asks within “Ask Agent About Market Interest” dialogue option.

Realigned columns of Interested Clubs within Player Offers.

Fixed issue preventing user to return to the start screen if they deleted all managers present within the Manager Profiles tab.

Realigned Career Milestones.

Refined ‘Player Change in Registration’ card to fix cutoffs.

Fixed issue where a message would open by default if user selected one of the Messages tabs.

‘Arrange Friendly’ will now appear as intended when opening Fixture Schedule for the first time.

Pre-Match Lineups will now hide Form if there isn’t any data to show.

Future Transfers filter within Transfer History will now function as intended.

Change/Withdraw Transfer Offer action buttons will now function correctly immediately after user makes an offer.

Management Style box during manager creator flow will now correctly store previous role and how well known you were for it.

Mentality will now display correctly if updated within Match Tactics.

Reworked the positional familiarity colouring on the player position map.

The icon for ‘Really Good’ morale will now display properly.

Team Priorities card will now function correctly.

The Fixtures card will now properly distinguish between those that scored/missed during a penalty shootout.

AI Club Fixtures will now display correctly if user is unemployed.

Fixed issue displaying head coaches name during UEFA Women’s CL pre-match lineup graphic.

Finances > Summary will now display correctly for teams without FFP.

Recruitment > Player Database – Selecting a Role will now highlight the correct Key Attributes.

Fixed the Ability and Potential columns not populating with any data in the Recruitment Focus General Info view

Newly promoted teams should now receive a more reasonable wage budget reflecting new division and current financial state.

Agreed Playing Time column will now populate with correct data.

Multi-Select on “Available for U21/U18 match” portal item will now function correctly.

Maximising your Match Days in FM26

Kyle Brownsteam_community_announcements

261d ago

In Football Manager 26, you’ll experience more realism when it comes to Match Day.

Every element of the experience is reimagined, from the environments you play in to every kick, cheer and tactical tweak during a game. Whether you’re chasing league glory or grinding out an upset in the cup, FM26 takes you closer to the action.

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll be able to savour from the dugout – spanning the first whistle, to the last.

Rebuilt Cutscenes

The moments just before kick-off are filled with palpable tension as you watch your players line up in the tunnel and take to the field.

In FM26, those moments are made all the more special by virtue of every in-game cinematic cut scene having been remade with the Unity engine. They’re even more special in the Premier League and UEFA Club Competitions, with the official branding and broadcast elements giving you the best seat in the house.

Each of these cutscenes immerse you deeper into the emotion, letting you feel the highs and lows of management beyond the touchline.

New Stadium Environments

In previous editions of Football Manager, stadiums often felt quite similar. With major improvements to how they’re created, FM26 makes each ground feel more distinct.

From lower-league terraces to elite global arenas, every stadium now has more personality in and out of the ground. You’ve got more definition and variation of stands, and far greater visual fidelity, depth and realism to the surrounding locations.

The crowds within the stadiums are much improved too. They don’t just look better but they act and sound better too. The roar of the fans builds with pressure, surges with goals, and adds genuine tension to the matchday. It’s the closest FM has ever come to putting you inside the stadium.

Improved Camera Angles, Improved Perspectives

Once the matches get underway, you’ll notice significant improvements that elevate the entire match day presentation.

There are default camera angles that offer something for every type of manager. If you’re focused on tactical battles, the Tactical View provides a high vantage point that allows you to analyse your formation and spot subtle shifts.

Alternatively, if you wanted a ground-level perspective that adjusts depending on where the action is unfolding, then Dynamic Sideline is perfect for you.

FM26 also brings a bunch of fantastic new angles. These are particularly notable for Set-Pieces, with new, unique perspectives for Corners and Free-Kicks ensuring you don’t miss a single detail when your work on the training ground becomes reality.

These angles also elevate replays. Now, the game chooses the best type of angle to show you based on the type of goal you scored, meaning you’ll get a fantastic view however your team’s strikes hit the back of the net.

Dynamic Highlight Mode

Whichever camera setting you choose, the best way to experience the action in FM26 is Dynamic Mode.

The mode reacts to the intensity and importance of your games, showing more highlights when the action heats up and fewer when you’re cruising to victory. Every moment feels tuned to the drama unfolding on the pitch.

This keeps every match engaging and perfectly tuned to the intensity of your story.

The New 2D Overview

FM26 introduces a 2D overview tile in the in-between highlights screen. This allows you to monitor player positions, tactical shapes, and game flow at a glance. It’s the perfect blend of old-school FM detail and modern immersive presentation.

What makes this feature even more powerful is its interactive functionality. Spot something interesting in the 2D Overview? Just click it, and the game instantly takes you to the matching highlight.

Smarter Staff Advice

In FM26, your backroom team has never been more valuable.

Staff advice during matches has been completely overhauled, providing more in-depth, context-specific insights as the action unfolds. From tactical tweaks to player performance observations, your assistant will now deliver clearer, more detailed feedback to help you make better decisions in the heat of the moment.

Whether it’s identifying a vulnerable opposition full-back or suggesting a change in mentality, your staff are more proactive and precise, giving you the edge in your pursuit of glory.

FM26 allows you to truly live the match day drama. With richer stadium environments, smarter highlights, new cut scenes, or cameras that put you right where you want to be, it’s never felt closer to the real thing.

Whether you’re battling relegation or chasing continental glory, one thing’s certain: FM26 makes every match matter.

For more like this, head to The Dugout - your home of exclusive Football Manager content.

Football Manager 26 news & patch notes

Choose your Starting Point

Match Preparation

The National Pool & Dual Nationality Scouting

Squad Selection and the Squad Planner

Football Manager 26 news & patch notes

Choose your Starting Point

Match Preparation

The National Pool & Dual Nationality Scouting

Squad Selection and the Squad Planner

Argentina

Germany

Canada

Norway

Netherlands

Morocco

South Korea

Curaçao

England

FM26 (26.3) Changelist (Non-Exhaustive)

Mateus Mane, Wolverhampton Wanderers

Yan Diomande, RB Leipzig

Eli Junior Kroupi, AFC Bournemouth

Lennart Karl, FC Bayern München

Antoine Semenyo, Manchester City

Claudio Braga, Hearts

Viktor Dadason, FC Kobenhavn

Reyes Cleary, Barnsley FC

Yael Trepy, Cagliari Calcio

Romeo Vermant, Club Brugge

Aaron Drinan, Swindon Town

Pia Vlok, Wellington Phoenix

Danny Ormerod, AFC Fylde

FM26 - 26.2 Changelist (non-exhaustive)

Making a Plan

Getting Started

Making Moves

TransferRoom

Pitch Opportunities

Offer via TransferRoom

Hire an Intermediary

FM26 (26.1.3 Changelist (non-exhaustive)

AS Monaco

Sampdoria

Setting some general principles

Technical and Physical Development

Building a Development Pipeline

Change list (non-exhaustive)

Rebuilt Cutscenes

New Stadium Environments

Improved Camera Angles, Improved Perspectives

Dynamic Highlight Mode

The New 2D Overview

Smarter Staff Advice

Steam news for Football Manager 26