Football Manager 26 New Patch Hotfixes & What Fans Want In the Next FM26 Patch

The Football Manager 26 Advanced Access Beta was intended to ring in a new era for the long-running football management sim, primarily built upon the foundation of the new Unity engine. Sports Interactive (SI) had positioned FM26 as a generational leap, featuring a completely reinvented user interface (UI) designed to streamline exploration for all players. While the developers acknowledged that seasoned players might require time to acclimatise to the significant UI alterations, the expectation was that the new structure would ultimately deliver a smoother and more enjoyable experience.  

However, the launch of the beta was met with a immediate community backlash across social media and forums. Core players, many of whom have engaged with the franchise for decades, swiftly labeled the initial beta state as the “worst FM ever released” and characterised the UI as “a mess”.  This disappointment was amplified by technical issues; reports of frequent, varied crashes were widespread, occurring during critical moments like match simulation, staff contract negotiations, and even basic training activities. Platforms like Steam made exceptions for refunds even after players exceeded the typical two-hour grace period – not a great sign for SI when your partners are offering refunds outside of their usual T’s & C’s for your poorly functioning game.

 

Below are all of the specific details of each patch update/change, but if you want to deep dive in to the previous patches and what they fixed, we have got you covered on that too!

Fixes Implemented in Previous FM26 Hotfixes

Hotfix Version	Category	Hotfix Details
26.0.0.2226107	Stability	Various crash fixes, including a specific fix for users missing their 'Pictures' folder.
26.0.0.2226107	UI/Interface	Fixed Captain/Vice-Captain icons being reversed on the Captains tile.
26.0.0.2226107	UI/Interface	Corrected the wrong column label appearing on the Recruitment -> Contracts screen.
26.0.0.2226107	Match Prep	Added Opposition Instructions, Set Pieces, and Penalties links to the pre-match Team Selection screen.
26.0.0.2226107	Workflow	Resolved an issue where the 'X' button on the Fitness card could not be closed when accessed from Tactics or Squad screens.
26.0.0.2226107	Online/Multiplayer	Fixed the inability to make transfer offers while the host player is engaged in a match.
26.0.0.2226107	Online/Tactics	Fixed an issue where changing tactics would result in the Team Selector being empty.
26.0.0.2226107	AI Logic	Fixed some Italian managers having an illogical In Possession/Out of Possession (IP/OOP) requirement in Transfer Room Out.
26.0.0.2226107	Data Display	Implemented UI improvements to the season stats panel on a player’s profile.
26.0.0.2224769	Stability	Various stability fixes were deployed.
26.0.0.2224769	Stability	Fixed crashes that occurred when creating a new save game or using Player instructions.
26.0.0.2224769	Stability/Login	Fixed a soft lock that occurred after creating a new FMFC account and attempting to sign in.
26.0.0.2224769	Stability/Match	Fixed an occasional crash when using any team talk option after a match.
26.0.0.2224769	UI/Workflow	Ensured the filter on the tactics screen works in all resolutions.

New Patch Details

On Wednesday 29th October a new FM26 patch dropped in the evening available on Steam and Epic. The Patch Update details are as follows:

New FM26 Patch Details

Various Crash and Stability Fixes

Fixed club logos for unlicensed teams appearing in low res.

Fixed issue where players that were set to be bald in the database, had hair when playing matches

Fixed Player Report attributes not alphabetically listing when changing languages

Fixed screen corruption on staff report when in mid or low resolution

Fixed issue where player names overlap with each other in Opposition Instructions

Fixed issue where Bans had an empty state display

Fixed an issue where the match sometimes would pause when changing instructions.

Fixed issue in matches where shirt icons were misaligned when a player was subbed, scored or assisted

Fixed issue where the wrong symbol was used for red cards on the full-time report

Added missing club logos on home screen when loading the game

Do It button in pre-match flow now works as expected

Red card icon now appears on the match events tile when a player is sent off after a second yellow

Key attributes for staff now highlighted when role is selected

Windowed mode not working on Mac now fixed

Fixed soft lock when offering a player for a trial

Fixed soft lock when adding youth player to first team training units

SI will hope that the response to this new patch is more positive and they can slowly work through the laundry list of valid complaints about their new game. While the Beta has launched to a negative response, maybe if they fix enough issues the official launch of the full game on November 4th will be more of a success!

The FM26 UI/UX Complaints:

The most urgent and important demand emanating from the veteran PC FM base is more simple bug reporting; it is a request for a fundamental course correction with the game’s user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design philosophy. The consensus among long-time players is that the new UI, while graphically modernised, sacrifices the efficiency and speed that are hallmarks of the PC FM simulation experience.

Menu Issues:

Players criticise the new layout for being “extremely cluttered” and requiring “so many extra clicks” to access critical data that was readily visible or centralized in previous versions. For users accustomed to decades of rapid, keyboard-shortcut-driven data consumption, this new click-heavy pathway drastically slows down the pace of the game. 

This flow impediment is compounded by significant performance issues within the interface itself. Users report the UI “needing a second to load when you do anything” even for minimal actions like changing a single player in the tactics screen.

Prioritising Cross-Platform Appeal Gone Wrong?

The  feeling among the veteran PC player is that the pivot towards console and mobile platforms has done the game a disservice. The new design philosophy is perceived as prioritising simplified, large-format layouts suitable for controller or touch input over the dense, customisable streams favored by PC managers.

This perspective is fueled by specific examples, notably the Tactics screen. Players find the new layout confusing, particularly noting that dragging players into empty positions or subs results in those slots being randomised, a process that is far slower and feels distinctly designed for simplified console interaction compared to the efficiency of prior PC iterations.  

The general sentiment is that the new design choices prioritize a universal, cross-platform appeal at the expense of the efficient, detail-oriented workflow expected by the PC platform’s core audience. The failure to deliver an experience that maintains the PC version’s density and speed reinforces the belief that the game is moving away from its hardcore audience.

Lack of Modding/Customisation

The move to the new UI has also come with concerns regarding reduced modding/customisation ability for users. The most restrictive measure cited is the reported inability to implement custom skins this year, a long-standing feature that allows users to tailor the game’s appearance and information display to their preferences. The community has argued that instead of delivering a UI that attempts to dictate the preferred style of play, SI should have focused on creating a versatile and adaptable UI/UX framework. This versatile structure would allow both new players and core players to select the necessary level of detail and choose their method of information consumption. Hard to argue that the community is wrong on this one.

What FM Fans Want From Future FM26 Patch Updates:

The next patch has to focus on reinstating several seemingly minor features that are, in practice, essential quality-of-life components for players.

Visual and Display Fixes

The most consistent quality of life demand relates to attribute visualisation. The removal of the ability to change attribute colors is labeled as “ridiculous”. For managers, particularly those engaged in lower-league saves or mass scouting operations, custom attribute colors serve as a necessary visual filter for quickly assessing player capability. Its absence requires managers to read and mentally process every number, slowing down the rate at which large volumes of data can be absorbed and the speed you can get through a save. Not ideal. Some of us have day jobs!  

Furthermore, for the PC audience, the lack of support for ultrawide resolutions is described as “incredibly disappointing”. Football Manager has always allowed players to use large monitors and wide aspect ratios to view more data tiles simultaneously. Restoring ultrawide support is a crucial step in ensuring the PC experience retains its characteristic data-rich environment. 

Match Day Management Tools

The in-match experience has been a mess in FM26. Players are unable to click on specific players in the 3D match view to immediately see their names or details during highlights.

Managers are reporting that match day now feels more like spectating rather than full control managing, due to a lack of real-time data on the screen. There is a high demand for the reintroduction of advanced statistics, such as momentum bars, expected goals (xG), and other key data points displayed in real-time, allowing managers to make data-driven substitutions and tactical shifts during the game.

Workflow and Tactical Efficiency

The loss of foundational efficiency tools has been a disaster. The inability to save custom team selections is a serious omission, described as “bonkers” by the community, as it stops rapid squad rotation and pre-match planning. Similarly, the inability to save custom views prevents players from tailoring data tables to their preferences, requiring repetitive manual configuration. Data visibility issues persist, including numerical stats for staff being removed and key statistics, such as league top scorers, being unnecessarily buried in menu’s.

 Simulation Logic and Engine Stability Issues:

Beyond the immediate crisis with the new UI/UX, significant long-term concerns revolve around the integrity of the core simulation logic and the behavioral consistency of the game’s AI.

Performance and Stability

While the hotfixes addressed critical crashes, persistent performance issues remain. Users, even those with high-end systems, report experiencing stuttering during 3D matches. Furthermore, the general sluggishness of the system leads to long loading times between inbox items. The continuous reporting of crashes tied to specific, diverse activities (staff contracts, training, in-match occurrences ) indicates that the stability problems are systemic.

AI Logic Issues

A major threat to the realism of the simulation is the reported flaw in managerial job security logic. Community reports indicate an extremely high volume of managerial sackings, sometimes referred to as an “epidemic.” One player reported observing 18 Premier League managers fired in a single season. This unrealistic volatility includes bizarre instances of highly successful coaches being dismissed, such as a manager being fired while “7 points clear at the top of the table” just before a key match. The foundation of the Football Manager franchise is the creation of an immersive and credible simulated world of football. When the AI managers behave illogically, such as firing successful coaches, the game is no longer working as intended and is not serving it’s greatest purpose. This behavioral defect requires deep code investigation to restore faith in the core simulation loop.

Training, Staff, and Youth Management Issues

The training and development modules require significant structural changes. The Training UI uses inefficient pop-up windows instead of a  full layout that allows for quick comprehensive viewing. Both the Individual Training screen and the process for setting up training schedules are tedious and require a full revamp. Compounding these workflow issues are concerns over “broken AI intensity logic” within training. An issue has also arisen in youth management: players report that the AI first-team manager inappropriately interferes with the youth team’s set-up, undermining the manager’s ability to control development pathways for young talent. 

Data Hub and Post-Match Analysis Issues

For managers relying on data for tactical diagnosis, the new data presentation is considered severely lacking. The Data Hub is reportedly “stripped back,” and the post-match analysis is “watered down” compared to previous iterations. Most critically, the fundamental tactical tools used by serious players—heat maps and pass maps (often called the chalkboard)—have been completely removed. The omission of these tools eliminates the means by which managers can diagnose tactical failures and player movements, confirming that the game has sacrificed analytical depth in favor of simplified visual presentation. 

Major Structural Criticisms:

Beyond bugs and user experience flaws, the community is critically scrutinising strategic development decisions that impact the game’s long-term appeal.

The International Management Issue

The most significant structural omission confirmed for FM26 is the removal of the International Management mode. The director of Sports Interactive explained this decision by claiming the mode was “not well received by users” and “wasn’t complete enough”. However, this rationale has been criticised as poor logic: the mode’s unpopularity resulted from SI not allocating resources to finish and improve it. By removing it entirely rather than committing to redevelopment, SI confirmed it did not care about this part of the game. This decision is viewed as poor timing, given that the next World Cup is approaching, which historically represents a prime period for engagement with international management saves.

Women’s Football Integration Issues

The debut of Women’s Football, which includes fully licensed leagues such as the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) is broadly recognized as a positive and essential step forward. However, the integration method has been criticised due to the structural issues of the new UI. Players who prefer to maintain a focus solely on the men’s game have complained that women’s football information is forcefully integrated into the already “cluttered UI”. These players argue that the design should allow users the choice to easily hide it if they so desire.

Recruitment and Transfer Room Refinement

The new recruitment features offer some structural positives, particularly the enhanced Transfer Room collaboration. Another significant improvement lauded by the community is the shift to much narrower and more realistic transfer value ranges for players.

Despite these improvements, refinement is still necessary. What fans want to know is whether the scouting system will continue to recommend players whose transfer fees and wage demands are wildly unrealistic for the managing club’s budget. Addressing this scouting issue will be key for the future of the game.

My Thoughts:

The current state of the Football Manager 26 beta is not in a good place but credit to SI they are cranking out hotfixes on a near daily basis. However, it is not the kind of momentum you want to carry in to the official launch of the full game. While Sports Interactive has demonstrated commendable speed in fixing critical, game-breaking bugs and visual errors (Hotfix 26.0.0.2226107), the success of the next update hinges on the studio’s willingness to address the core complaints surrounding workflow and simulation integrity.

 

Do not miss the most comprehensive list of wonderkids at every position in FM26 made by our resident FM expert!

Can Skins and Modding save FM26? Find out here!

Do not miss out our best tactics discovered so far in FM 26 article which will be updated weekly with more tactics!