Football Manager 26 Reviews
Football Manager 2026 arrives with big expectations. After years of incremental updates, the promise of a new engine and a broader, more inclusive football world had fans excited for a real leap forward. The result is a game that feels ambitious and polished in some areas but still rough around the edges in others.
Football Manager 2026 marks a bold step forward for the series with its new Unity engine, official Premier League license, and the long-awaited inclusion of women’s football. The tactical depth remains unmatched, offering incredible control over every aspect of management. However, technical issues, UI confusion, and missing features at launch prevent it from achieving perfection. Still, it’s the most ambitious and realistic entry yet — essential for dedicated football strategists.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Football Manager 26 was supposed to be a major reboot: new technical foundation, revamped match engine, modernized interface. What I experience in practice is a game that hardly delivers on its promises and feels like a clear step backward in everyday use.
Review in German | Read full review
Football Manager 26 is far from perfect and still doesn’t feel like a finished product, but this is just the start of the journey. I truly believe that Sports Interactive have laid solid foundations for what will become the future of the franchise. I’d urge new and old players to come into this experience with an open mind, as you won’t be able to use the muscle memory of the older titles. If you’re a PC player with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, then you’ll be able to download and play the full game there. You could even use this as a method to try before you buy if you’re on the fence this year. One thing is for sure, though: the magic of FM is still there for me. It still brings me the same joy and excitement of the previous games in this fresh new blanket; it just needs a bit more time to get truly comfy. Many thanks to SEGA PR for giving us access to the PC version of the game on Steam. Both the Steam & Xbox Game Pass versions of the game were played for this review.
Football Manager 26 delivers a bold reboot: a new Unity engine, revamped interface, and inclusion of women’s football all signal a major leap. The match visuals are sharper and clubs feel more alive. However, long-time fans may struggle with the unfamiliar navigation, the lighter hands-on control, and lingering odd animations. Overall it’s a promising foundation, even if it isn’t flawless yet.
Review in French | Read full review
It's difficult to judge Football Manager 26 in the short term, as the game doesn't yet seem to be in its final version. Rest assured, the studio isn't abandoning its project and is releasing numerous patches to fix bugs and listen to its community. For our part, we can't ignore the difficulty in fully immersing ourselves in the game due to a completely new and initially disorienting interface, which almost diminishes the addictive quality we experienced in previous installments. We also wonder why certain features have been removed (the last day of the transfer window, on-field instructions, etc.), but we can't overlook the major additions for this 2026 edition, such as the integration of women's football with its specific characteristics, a new engine that makes a significant difference even if it still needs work, and the new tactical system that requires game plans both with and without the ball, promoting greater immersion. Ultimately, although it provides a pleasant gaming experience, we find a game that may not be ready like the big teams in the Champions League, that is to say, in February… Wait and see.
Review in French | Read full review
With a completely revamped look and plenty of new content, Football Manager 2026 has ambitions as high as its potential. But despite being functional and familiar, much like a team at the start of the season, it still isn’t in its final form.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
What hurts the most is that, at its core, it’s still Football Manager, it’s still addictive as hell, and it’s still one of the most engrossing sports games out in the market. But in an attempt to modernize the franchise, in an attempt to take a few steps forward, Sports Interactive look half a dozen steps backwards.
Football Manager 26 is a bold rebuild that doesn’t quite get everything right, but you can feel it has the ambition and pieces in place to be something special. The revamped match engine and expanded tactical depth all show clear progress and push it in the right direction, even if the new UI and slower pacing do make it a tougher adjustment for veterans. There are rough edges, but beneath them lies the same endlessly addictive and rewarding experience that keeps us coming back season after season (after season after season… you get the point).
With a brand new but convoluted UI, slowdown and framerate drops during match highlights and a severe lack of polish overall, Football Manager takes a huge swing and unfortunately doesn't hit the mark this year. The fundamentals of what makes this series great are present, but buried under the weight of everything that needs to be fixed.
By introducing a confusing interface designed for controllers, Football Manager has lost the simplicity of earlier games. Moreover, by reducing features from previous installments, it has also harmed its authenticity.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
Significant improvements but also unexpected setbacks describe this year's edition of Football Manager. Wait for a few patches before buying.
Football Manager 26 is a rich, rich game - perhaps too rich. Sports Interactive has used its expertise to maintain the fundamental principles of the experience, while modernising it as much as possible; this has not always worked. In addition to the large number of bugs and technical issues of various kinds, the menu management will need to be reviewed again at SI. This will probably be addressed in FM27; for now, it remains the best management game on the market, but with many reservations due to the evolutionary leap.
Review in Italian | Read full review
'Football Manager 26' is a bold step forward, albeit one that's marred by a frustrating interface. The underlying simulation — the tactics, the depth, the data — remains as addictive as ever, and the move to Unity gives the series its first real visual upgrade in years. But the new UI design undercuts much of that progress, making the game feel flatter and less personal.
The two-year wait for the new FM entry proves to be half worth it. The remaining half will depend on how well future patches refine the experience after launch.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Football Manager 2026 is a robust and well-crafted new entry in the series, albeit one that comes with a few imperfections. The new in-game engine is a clear step forward, and the refreshed design injects a welcome sense of modernity. However, the stronger focus on consoles is noticeable, and some long-standing PC features no longer function as seamlessly as in previous iterations. Despite these issues, the game’s hallmark strengths — tactical depth, squad dynamics, and long-term engagement — remain as compelling as ever. Veterans of the series will once again find themselves immersed for months, while newcomers are greeted with an impressively intricate and authentic football management simulation. Minor shortcomings aside, Football Manager continues to embody a deep love for the sport. The series’ new direction is evident, yet it remains true to its core identity. That said, it is also clear that the team at Sports Interactive still has considerable work ahead to refine and fully realize this new era of the franchise.
Review in German | Read full review
Football Manager 26 is the new FM game, for better or worse. Sports Interactive spent its year away from the store converting years of databases and complex systems built up over the years to Unity rather than revamping the game from the ground up. The result, however, is a solid game, with some interesting new features (the off-the-ball setup is a must) and many familiar features, especially in its ability to captivate and keep players glued to the screen.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Sports Interactive's latest entry strips away beloved features, introduces a confusing UI clearly designed for consoles, and launches in an unfinished state that would make even the most patient manager consider resignation.
Football Manager 26 is a revolutionary change to a longstanding franchise that has more than enough great updates to overcome a few small warts. If Sports Interactive can iron those out over time, Football Manager 26 could easily go down as one of the best in the history of the franchise.
Football Manager 26 marks the iconic management sim’s return after two years off, but longtime FM players are going to struggle as it is a bit of a confusing mess.