Is There Still Hope for FM26?

Following Sports Interactive’s recent announcement on their future roadmap, we asked our resident FM expert about the current state of the game. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

 

Football Manager over the last month has felt like it has been stuck in a downward spiral. The controversial release seems to have soured a lot of fans and with player numbers dwindling, it has started to feel like even with the patches they have released, they are just throwing buckets of water out of a sinking ship.

But what if I told you there is still hope for the franchise. We may yet see positive momentum return, and FM26 might not be dead just yet.

Post-Christmas patterns

Historically, Football Manager games tend to get a second wind over the holiday period. FM23 and FM24 both hit their all-time peak player numbers in early January, driven by Christmas sales, new players, and returning fans with time off work.

FM24, for example, climbed from around 86k concurrent players in November 2023 to roughly 89k in January 2024. FM23 followed a similar pattern, peaking in January 2023 at around 83k. These late boosts were fuelled by fresh players picking the game up over Christmas and lapsed fans finally finding the time to sink into a new save.

That same opportunity still exists for FM26. If Sports Interactive can land the changes they have promised, there is a version of the game here that is enjoyable and contains the features FM fans know and love. Right now, the mood around the game is overwhelmingly negative, but that can flip just as quickly. If word starts to spread that the game is actually fun again, positive momentum can build in exactly the same way.

 

They say they are going to fix the main issue

The biggest problem for me is still the lack of immersion, and to their credit, Sports Interactive have acknowledged it. In their latest update outlining plans for 2026, they said:

“We’re also rolling out tweaks to media and additional features to improve immersion. Pass maps are nearly there, and we’re also looking at more areas that will enhance that ‘connected world’ feeling.”

If immersion improves in a way that is obvious and immediately noticeable, public opinion will shift quickly. This next part is also genuinely interesting:

“We are also aware of recent community discussions about additional game modes. While we’re not ready to reveal details just yet, you can expect a separate announcement on future initiatives shortly, which signals our ongoing commitment to further development in this area.”

If they can significantly improve immersion while also introducing a headline grabbing additional game mode, that could be enough to swing opinion back in their favour and generate positive momentum heading into the latter half of the FM26 cycle and even FM27.

 

Reviews are getting better

There is no sugar coating how bad the launch reviews were. In FM26’s opening weeks, Steam reviews were overwhelmingly negative, dipping as low as 20 percent positive. Since then, sentiment has slowly improved as patches have landed, with the recent review score now sitting at mixed, around 45 percent positive.

That is still poor by Football Manager standards, but the trend matters. Recent reviews being noticeably better suggests the game does have the potential to dig itself out of the hole it created. The Football Manager community is incredibly loyal. Give people signs of genuine improvement and a game that feels good to play, and they will grab onto that optimism very quickly.

 

What we need

For Football Manager to regain real momentum, it needs positive word of mouth after Christmas and a genuinely huge patch. That does not mean the recent updates have been bad, because they have not. But if Sports Interactive want to properly turn the tide, they need something that cuts through on social media.

The return of shouts was a smart move. It was an easy win, something almost everyone likes, and perfect for clips, screenshots, and discussion online. Improving immersion will also go a long way with the hardcore fans who feel the most let down by FM26 so far.

I am not fully convinced they can completely reverse the momentum, but I also have not lost all hope just yet.

Make sure you check out our Feature Articles section for more FM26 updates and tips.