Sports Interactive has released a detailed update addressing the state of Football Manager 26 following its turbulent launch, acknowledging ongoing issues while outlining plans for regular patches and major improvements across all platforms.
In an official statement made on the SI forums, the studio thanked fans for their “unprecedented” feedback, noting that over 2.5 million players have already tried Football Manager 26 through its Advanced Access Beta and full release. However, SI admitted that the game “isn’t currently reflecting [its] usual polish level,” even after several post-launch updates.
Sports Interactive Promises More FM26 Updates
The team at SI explained that the massive Beta feedback period — reaching nearly half a million users — led to five separate updates before launch. That workload delayed a traditional Day One patch and contributed to early dissatisfaction and lower review scores.
Despite that, stability has reportedly improved since the November 6 update, with crash rates “brought more under control.” Console users will receive a new update today, November 12, focusing on match lag and further crash fixes.
Looking ahead, Sports Interactive says weekly (or near-weekly) updates will roll out, subject to QA and submission, focusing on two key areas:
- Stability and performance
- Quality of life and polish
Among the most-requested changes, the upcoming public beta on Steam will restore the legacy spacebar function to advance messages — something longtime fans have been requesting since launch. The patch will also include over 200 additional fixes.
The studio is also responding to widespread complaints about the new UI design, which players have criticized for requiring too many clicks and hiding essential information. Future patches will aim to make navigation smoother and more intuitive.
The Long-Term Vision For Football Manager 26
Sports Interactive emphasized that FM26 represents the start of a new era for the series, built on technology that will allow deeper evolution in future installments. While some controversial design decisions are here to stay, the team confirmed it is re-evaluating certain features, including the possible return of Pass Maps in a future update.
“Enhancing immersion remains at the heart of our goal for the series,” the statement concluded. “We remain fully committed to refining and improving FM26 throughout the cycle.”
