Football Manager 26 Review (Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Android, iOS & PC)

After taking a whole year off, Football Manager 26 finally returns, rebuilt from the ground up with a promise of a bold new direction for the series. Sports Interactive called this entry a “fresh start,” powered by a brand-new engine and a redesigned interface featuring the long-awaited debut of women’s football. Undoubtedly, it sounds like a massive step forward for one of the most respected franchises in gaming.

And in some ways, it really is. Football Manager 26 introduces more brilliant tactics, improved visuals, and a more immersive management experience. But it also arrives with a handful of early frustrations that stop it from being the perfect comeback fans hoped for. This is a prettier and more ambitious Football Manager, but it’s also one that occasionally stumbles over its own changes. Let’s take a deeper dive in this review.

Build Your Dream Club

Football Manager has always been about freedom, the chance to build your dream club exactly the way you want. That spirit is alive and well in Football Manager 26. Notably, this football game still caters to all types of players, from the kind of player who obsesses over youth academies, scouting data, and wage budgets, to those who just want to chase trophies and sign world-class stars. 

From the first matchday, that old Football Manager magic hits. You start out fine-tuning your tactics, scouting for that one undervalued wonderkid in South America, and watching as your decisions play out across a long, unpredictable season. There’s nothing quite like it. The satisfaction of seeing a new signing blossom under your system or a risky tactical switch pay off never gets old.

But this year, getting to those moments takes more effort. The redesigned layout tries to simplify how information is presented, but in practice, it makes everything feel busier. The new “Portal Page” is meant to bring key updates, inbox messages, training feedback, and scouting reports together in one hub. Instead, it clutters your screen with too much at once. You’ll often find duplicate information, repeated notifications, and more clicking around than before.

That’s the strange thing about Football Manager 26: the depth and flexibility remain as brilliant as ever, but the game now asks for more patience from players. It’s still endlessly rewarding, it just takes longer to find your rhythm.

Smarter Tactics, Better Football

If there’s one area where Football Manager 2026 truly shines, it’s tactics. Sports Interactive has overhauled how formations and instructions work. Surprisingly, the result is one of the most flexible tactical systems the series has ever seen.

Instead of sticking to one rigid setup, players can now define how their team behaves in and out of possession. That means your side might attack in a 4-3-3 but drop into a compact 5-4-1 when defending. It sounds like a small change, but it completely transforms how matches play out. You’re no longer just setting up a team; you’re shaping a dynamic football philosophy.

Additionally, the added depth makes experimenting much more rewarding. You can test new build-up shapes, pressing triggers, and defensive transitions, and then watch those changes come alive on the pitch. It finally feels like your ideas are having a real impact instead of being hidden behind sliders and numbers. That said, the complexity can be intimidating for newcomers. The tutorials do a solid job explaining the basics, but it’s easy to get lost in the sea of tactical instructions early on. Still, for those who love digging deep, Football Manager 26 offers a level of control that’s unmatched in any sports sim.

Matchdays Looking Better Than Ever

For the first time in the series’ history, Football Manager 26 runs on the Unity engine, and that change is immediately noticeable. Matches look cleaner, player animations are smoother, and stadiums feel more alive. Similarly, lighting effects and camera angles add a sense of spectacle that was sorely missing before. You can see players gesturing, crowds waving scarves, and more natural goal celebrations.

Of course, this isn’t suddenly competing with EA Sports FC 26 in terms of graphics. Football Manager will always prioritize simulation depth over visual flash. But compared to past entries, it’s a huge leap forward. The new physics system also adds realism. Players move with more weight, collisions look less robotic, and goals feel more organic. Watching your team execute a tactical plan and score from a perfectly built attack has never been more satisfying.

However, not everything is perfect. Goalkeepers sometimes behave oddly, and player AI occasionally slips into strange patterns, like defenders standing still during counterattacks. But these are minor issues in what’s otherwise a major improvement. If there’s one disappointment, it’s the lack of atmosphere. Stadium audio still feels flat, no crowd chants, no commentary, no emotion. It’s a quiet experience that feels oddly lifeless at times. A bit of audio flair could have elevated matchdays even further.

Women’s Football

Football Manager 26 introduces women’s football as one of its most exciting additions, handling it with care and authenticity. Sports Interactive has spent years collecting real-world data to ensure accuracy, and it pays off. From player attributes to tactical tendencies, it feels rather distinct from just a reskin of the men’s game.

You can now take charge of a women’s club or national team, and the experience feels equally detailed. The AI manages rosters realistically, scouting networks are well-integrated, and there’s a genuine sense that this is the start of something special. It’s not perfect yet; the depth isn’t quite at parity with the men’s leagues, but it’s an important step toward making Football Manager more inclusive and reflective of the real football world.

It’s refreshing to see this commitment. Women’s football is growing rapidly worldwide, and Football Manager 26 gives it the respect it deserves. One thing: you can anticipate Football Manager 26 expanding even further in the next few editions

The Clunky UI

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, the new user interface. Sports Interactive clearly wanted to modernize the look and feel of Football Manager, but the result is a mixed bag. The new design is sleek and minimalistic, with sharp fonts and cleaner menus. At first glance, it looks great, more like a high-end sports analytics dashboard than an old-school spreadsheet simulator.

However, once you start managing your club day-to-day, the problems become obvious. The interface feels cluttered and inconsistent. Essential tools are buried behind extra menus, and simple tasks like checking match stats or player morale can take twice as many clicks as before. Veteran players, in particular, will find their muscle memory completely disrupted.

Scouting is a perfect example. It’s still one of the best parts of the game, finding the next Erling Haaland or developing your youth academy prospects, but now, the process feels clunkier. You’ll spend more time navigating screens than making meaningful decisions. It’s not that the system itself is bad; it’s just poorly organized.

Ultimately, in Football Manager 26, style seems to have been prioritized over function. The developers have already acknowledged the backlash, though, so there’s hope future updates will fix what’s broken. Until then, expect to wrestle with the UI more often than you’d like.

Transfers and Training

Outside of tactics, Football Manager 26 sticks to what it does best: that irresistible loop of scouting, signing, developing, and winning. It’s still the most rewarding management sim on the market, and it continues to deliver that “just one more match” feeling that every Football Manager player knows all too well.

Transfers remain deeply satisfying. The AI is smarter this year, clubs will actually fight harder for players, agents are more demanding, and rival managers show a bit more personality in negotiations. It feels closer to the messy reality of modern football’s transfer market, where egos, budgets, and timing all collide.

Scouting has also improved. Reports are more detailed and faster to access, while the recruitment focus feature makes it easier to hunt for the exact player type you need. Meanwhile, training finally gets a touch of polish. You can now set clearer development paths for young players and customize sessions with more control. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s cleaner and more satisfying than before.

Verdict

So, where does that leave Football Manager 26? It’s a fascinating mix of ambition and imperfection. The new engine, tactical depth, and inclusion of women’s football mark real progress. But the confusing interface, occasional bugs, and lack of atmosphere hold it back from true greatness.

This is still the most detailed football management simulation on the planet; no other game even comes close to matching its depth or authenticity. It captures the thrill of long-term planning, the agony of last-minute defeats, and the pure joy of building something lasting from the ground up. That addictive loop, just one more match, one more transfer window, remains as powerful as ever.

Yet, Football Manager 26 also feels like a team caught between eras. It’s evolving, but not quite there yet. Once the UI is fixed and the match engine refined, this could easily become the foundation of a new golden age for the series. Until then, it’s a promising but slightly uneven return.