A few days after the reveal of the new graphics of Football Manager 2026, there has been even more revealed about the latest edition of FM, as we now know what the UI will look like and also when the game will be available to play.
When will the game be released, and how much will it cost?
The game will be released around the same time as usual, with the official release date set for November 4th on various platforms. It can be purchased on Steam, Epic Games, the Windows Store, Xbox, and PlayStation. The game will be released slightly late on the Nintendo Switch, in the form of the Touch version. In the past, the game had always come out in late October or early November.
The game’s price has also been revealed, with it now officially costing £49.99, although it can be bought for £44.99 if you pre-order it from the official Steam store. The slightly higher price for the game is maybe to compensate SI for the fact that the company lost lots of money on the cancelled FM25.
A fresh look for Football Manager 2026
As we all know, the latest edition of Football Manager has been a long time coming. The original work for the game’s foundations was for the ill-fated FM25. The game wasn’t up to scratch, but from the ashes of FM25 came what looks like an improved game, with a far fresher UI showcased in the latest reveal.
The fresh look is primarily due to the new game engine, powered by the Unity Engine. From the available screenshots, it appears that the game is taking an exciting new direction, featuring a new UI. The new UI has been designed with feedback from the FM community.
The game also promises more realism than ever before, with more fluid movements during gameplay and even smoother transitions between screens. A new UI aimed to make info quicker to access, resulting in the need for less clicking and more time actually on the screens you wish to view.
SI describes the new system for displaying personnel as ‘Tiles’, which open up to reveal more player data than in previous default skins. This means you get a better understanding of the players in question, which is obviously a positive.
The Portal is your new home screen, which appears to have far more available information without requiring you to click on other screens. This is a positive as it saves time and eliminates the hassle of navigating to another screen to access specific data, which once again saves time.
Looks impressive on screenshots
I have said for a while now that I am optimistic about FM26. The fact that FM25 got shelved meant that SI needed to produce a highly impressive edition for 2026 in order to lose some of the fanbase.
From the latest and previous screenshots of FM26 gameplay, I believe it looks highly impressive. Hopefully, the gameplay is as sharp as the new UI. There will be some Football Manager fans who won’t be impressed by the changes being made to the game. Some have claimed that SI are suddenly catering more to the tastes of the console players.
In truth, though, FM24 wasn’t perfect, and at times, the previous versions of the franchise have seemed clunky and almost outdated. SI may have realised that and decided to move the game into a more modern era with the changes.
For me, one of the most welcome changes is that the Premier League is officially licensed in FM26. This saves the hassle of having to mod the game to put players’ faces, clubs’ badges and kits into the game.
Instead, we can start the game with everything already included, which is fantastic for somebody who primarily plays in the English game.
Whether all these new features will add up to make the game a success, only time will tell. However, the early signs of the latest edition to the series are certainly promising.
Like many Football Manager players starved of a new edition of the game, I can’t wait to play the game, hopefully in October, if SI continue to give early access for those who pre-order the game.
Are you encouraged by the FM26 reveals so far?
