Attempting to win the World Cup with England on FM26

June 10, 2026

I am slightly late to the game regarding the international and World Cup modes added to FM26 last month. This may be because I was enjoying my club save so much.

To be honest, I was never the biggest fan of international football on FM. However, with the World Cup less than a week away, I thought I would get into the spirit and try to win it in World Cup mode.

Trying to end 60 years of hurt with England

When it came to choosing my team, it had to be England. As an Englishman, it was hard to choose any other team, even if I am not the most patriotic.

It was the logical choice, as despite being one of the favourites for the tournament, the Three Lions’ men’s team has not won a major trophy since winning the 1966 World Cup on home soil. In fact, that is the only silverware the team has ever won.

Many fantastic coaches have attempted to put that right, including Fabio Capello and Sven-Göran Eriksson. However, the one who has come closest to glory was an Englishman, Gareth Southgate, who guided the Three Lions to two European Championships finals and a World Cup semi-final.

Maybe this Englishman could finally end that 60 years of hurt?

The first job was picking a squad

The squad wasn’t too difficult to pick. I went for a lot of the same players that the current England coach, Thomas Tuchel, chose in real life.

However, I couldn’t bring myself to leave out those flair players, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Manchester City’s Phil Foden. I like my teams to play attacking football on FM, so having two so talented attacking players available to me was ideal.

I also included Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall and Real Madrid’s versatile Trent Alexander-Arnold, despite the latter struggling for form in his debut campaign in the Spanish capital.

Relatively straightforward group stage

With the squad selected, and formation picked, my favourite 4-2-3-1 Swansalona, I was ready to attack Group L, as my team faced off against Croatia, Ghana and Panama.

The team kicked off the campaign with arguably the hardest game of the group, drawing 2-2 with Croatia. Then followed a 5-2 victory over Ghana and a 9-0 hammering of Panama. I am sure most England fans would take those results in real-life.

The star performers in the group stage were winger Bukayo Saka and attacking midfielder Cole Palmer. Saka scored five goals, while Palmer found the net four times for the team.

It’s just a shame that the Chelsea star won’t be able to replicate that performance in Canada, Mexico and the USA this summer.

The knockout stages

The seven points collected in Group L took the team through to the knockout stages as group winners. That, in theory, gave the team a slightly easier route to glory.

However, the last 32 clash with DR Congo was anything but easy as the team scraped through 4-3. England’s record goalscorer, Harry Kane, scored a brace in that game, taking his goal tally for the competition to four goals.

Then came a last-16 meeting with South Africa. The game saw a slightly more comfortable win, with goals from Foden and Eberechi Eze.

The quarter-final clash with South American giants and serial World Cup winners Brazil looked tough to negotiate. However, incredibly, the team produced a 5-2 victory, with Kane the hero once again, bagging a hat-trick, with Palmer and Morgan Rogers also on the scoresheet.

Next up was a semi-final with Switzerland. If the win over Brazil was comfortable, the semi-final was played where the players were wearing their slippers, as the team crushed the Swiss 7-0.

Palmer and Rogers both bagged braces, as Declan Rice, Kane and Marcus Rashford all got the scoresheet too.

Although passage from the semi-final to the final was a piece of cake, the final would be anything but, with 2018 champions France standing in the way of glory.

Claiming glory after 60 years

This was the team’s chance to write their names into England and World Cup folklore. The Three Lions took the lead in the 37^th minute through another goal from the impressive Saka.

It looked like it would be enough to win the game, but PSG forward Ousmane Dembele popped up with an equaliser with just eight minutes left on the clock to take the game into extra-time.

However, we were not to be denied glory, as a Morgan Rogers goal was enough to crown England as world champions for only the second time in history.

Who were the star performers for the World Cup winners?

The team scored an impressive 36 goals, which was unsurprisingly the most in the competition, so it’s not a surprise that the attacking players were the stars of the show.

Something else that was unsurprising was that Harry Kane finished as the competition’s top goalscorer with nine goals.

Attacking midfielder Cole Palmer also produced the most assists, creating seven goals for his teammates, while Saka picked up the best average rating over the tournament of 8.55.

What have I learnt from winning the World Cup?

Well, to be honest, the addition of the World Cup to FM26 hasn’t made a great difference to me in terms of enjoyment of the game. I never took much notice of the international game before they took it away, so it didn’t affect me.

For some people, it adds an extra dimension to the game, and some may not have realised what they had until it’s gone. It was nice winning the World Cup with England, but I don’t think I will be rushing back to the World Cup or international modes in the future.

Has the World Cup or international mode added anything to your FM26 experience?

Quantifying the Press: A Guide to Modern Defensive Intensity Metrics

David Nugent

June 10, 2026

Football analytics has transformed how pressing is understood and evaluated. What once relied entirely on the eye test a sense of how hard a team worked without the ball can now be measured, compared across seasons, and broken down to the individual player level.

The metrics that have emerged from this shift are not perfect, but they are precise enough to ask sharper questions about defensive organisation than was previously possible.

PPDA: Measuring Defensive Intervention Frequency

Passes allowed per defensive action, or PPDA, sits at the foundation of pressing analytics. The metric counts how many passes an opposition team completes before the defending side registers a tackle, interception, or foul. Crucially, this count is restricted to a defined zone generally from the midfield line into the defensive team’s own half so that deep-block defending does not distort the picture of active pressing behaviour.

The logic is straightforward: a team intervening after every three or four passes is pressing far more aggressively than one waiting until pass eight or nine. A lower PPDA signals higher pressing intensity; a higher PPDA points to a more passive or withdrawn approach.

The lasting appeal of PPDA is its compatibility with historical datasets. Because it draws on event data rather than tracking technology, analysts can apply it consistently across leagues and seasons going back well over a decade. Its significant limitation is that it treats all defensive interventions equally, regardless of whether the ball is actually won or simply contested. A team can register impressive PPDA numbers while routinely losing the ball in dangerous areas. For a detailed breakdown of how PPDA is constructed from raw event data, the StatsBomb open-access research paper on PPDA is one of the most thorough publicly available explanations of the methodology and its application across leagues.

Press Success Rate: From Frequency to Effectiveness

Press success rate addresses PPDA’s blind spot directly. Rather than counting how often a team initiates pressure, it measures what proportion of pressing sequences end with the pressing team recovering possession typically within a five-second window from the moment the press begins.

A team that presses relentlessly but rarely wins the ball is spending energy to little reward. Press success rate captures whether pressing is actually generating turnovers, and in doing so it distinguishes between structured, co-ordinated pressing and frantic chasing that creates defensive gaps without recovering possession.

The most revealing analysis combines PPDA and press success rate together. High frequency paired with high success points to a well-drilled press operating at full capacity. High frequency with low success suggests a team pressing without the correct triggers, cover shadows, or positional support to make that pressing count. Low frequency with high success often indicates selective pressing: a team that waits for specific moments to press, then executes those moments efficiently. You can explore how different Premier League teams compare on press success rate this season through our tactical stats hub, which updates these numbers through the current campaign.

Reading PPDA in Context

A PPDA of seven is not a universal benchmark. The same number carries different meaning in the Bundesliga, Ligue 1, or the Championship, because the default tempo and pressing behaviour in each competition differs. Applying absolute thresholds across leagues produces misleading comparisons; the metric is most reliable when used to compare teams within the same competition and across the same tactical context.

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Playing style is an equally important frame. A team that deliberately defends deep and compact will produce a high PPDA not because their pressing is poor but because pressing rarely is a deliberate tactical decision. Their PPDA reflects a system, not a failure. Analysts who misread this conflate output with intent, which leads to incorrect conclusions about defensive quality.

Effective use of PPDA means treating it as a comparative tool within equivalent contexts, not as an absolute score of pressing quality applicable across all possible tactical frameworks.

Counterpressing and Transition Metrics

Counterpressing the immediate pressure applied in the seconds after losing possession, before a team retreats into its defensive shape has its own distinct set of metrics. Counterpress success rate measures how often a team recovers the ball within five to eight seconds of losing it specifically during that transition window.

Teams with strong counterpress success rates are effective at disrupting opposition attacks in their earliest stages, before the opponent can build any momentum from the turnover. This is particularly valuable against sides that look to exploit transitions quickly. The metric has become a standard reference point in tactical discussion, providing quantitative support for observations about transition behaviour that were previously made purely on the basis of watching matches.

The FBref pressing stats tool tracks counterpress data across Europe’s top five leagues and is a useful resource for comparing how different clubs perform in the transition phase across a full season.

Player-Level Pressing Data

Tracking technology has extended pressing analytics beyond the team level, making it possible to isolate the contribution of individual players to a side’s pressing output. Two metrics are most commonly used. Pressures per ninety minutes counts how frequently a player initiates pressure on an opponent. Pressure success rate measures how often those individual pressing actions result in possession being won or a mistake being forced.

@imstilljidda You have to press if you want to play for the best teams #premierleague #footballtiktok #footballfans #championsleague #fyp ♬ nhạc nền – Evolution Data

These numbers allow like-for-like comparisons between players in similar roles. A forward who registers high pressures per ninety but a low success rate may be pressing in poor positions or without sufficient support. A midfielder with a modest pressure count but a high success rate may be pressing selectively and intelligently, picking moments where the probability of winning the ball is high.

Forwards draw particular attention in player-level pressing data because their pressing activity sets the tone and initial angles that shape the entire team’s defensive structure. A forward who consistently presses at the right moments and in the right directions creates conditions that benefit every player behind them.

The Limits of Pressing Metrics

Pressing metrics, regardless of how granular they become, cannot capture everything that matters about defensive organisation. The specific triggers that initiate a well-designed press the moments when a particular pass is made, when an opponent takes a heavy touch, when a goalkeeper receives a back pass are invisible in the data. The cover shadows used to channel opponents into predictable positions, and the spatial co-ordination between pressing and covering players, require film analysis to evaluate properly.

The data behind player pressing profiles has also become a reference point for analysts and sports enthusiasts who follow football across multiple platforms. Fans who engage with sports statistics through tools like usdt casino instant withdrawal platforms alongside their match coverage have increasingly brought the language of pressing metrics into mainstream football discussion.

A team can post moderate pressing numbers that significantly understate their defensive quality if they are pressing in precisely targeted situations rather than continuously across the pitch. The metrics tell you frequency and success rate. They do not tell you why those numbers look the way they do.

The most productive use of pressing data treats each number as the beginning of an inquiry rather than an answer in itself. A figure that diverges from a team’s reputation is worth investigating: what tactical choices, personnel decisions, or structural factors explain the gap between the data and expectations? That question, rather than the metric that prompted it, is usually where the more interesting analysis begins.

Pressing Metrics Explained: How Modern Football Analysts Measure Intensity

David Nugent

June 9, 2026

Pressing has become one of football’s most discussed tactical concepts, and with the growth of player tracking technology it has also become one of the most measurable. Where analysts once had to rely on subjective impressions of how intensely a team pressed, there are now quantitative metrics that allow meaningful comparison between teams, seasons, and individual players. Understanding what these metrics measure, how they are calculated, and what they actually tell you is essential reading for anyone serious about football analysis.

PPDA: The Original Pressing Metric

PPDA, or passes allowed per defensive action, was one of the first widely adopted metrics for quantifying pressing intensity. It measures how many passes the opposing team is allowed to complete before a team’s pressing triggers a defensive action in the form of a tackle, interception, or foul.

A lower PPDA indicates more intense pressing: fewer passes are allowed before defensive action is taken. A higher PPDA indicates less pressure, with the opposing team allowed more freedom to circulate the ball before being challenged.

The elegance of PPDA is its simplicity and the fact that it can be calculated from event data that has been collected for many years, allowing historical comparison. Its limitation is that it measures frequency of defensive action without distinguishing between successful and unsuccessful pressing.

For a deeper breakdown of how PPDA is calculated and applied across leagues, the open-access research paper published by StatsBomb offers one of the most thorough publicly available explanations of the methodology behind modern pressing analytics.

Press Success Rate

Press success rate addresses the limitation of PPDA by measuring what proportion of pressing actions result in winning the ball within a defined number of seconds or passes. A team can press frequently without pressing effectively if their pressing actions rarely result in ball recovery.

High frequency and high success rate together indicate a team that is both pressing intensely and pressing well. High frequency with low success rate indicates a team that is pressing a lot but not winning much from it, potentially tiring themselves without generating the turnovers they need.

The best pressing teams in modern football score well on both dimensions: they press often and they win the ball when they do. Press success rate is also one of the metrics most sensitive to personnel changes: a high-pressing system built around specific forward profiles will see its success rate drop noticeably if those players are replaced with less press-oriented options.

Counterpressing: The Press After Losing the Ball

Counterpressing, or gegenpressing in the German tactical tradition, refers to the immediate press applied by the attacking team the moment they lose possession rather than retreating into a defensive shape. It has become one of the defining tactical concepts in modern football.

The logic is that immediately after losing the ball, the opposition is often disorganised and poorly positioned to deal with being pressed. The six to eight seconds after a turnover represent a window where the team that has just lost the ball can win it back before the opposition has had time to organise.

Counterpressing metrics attempt to quantify how aggressively a team presses in the moments after losing the ball and how successfully they recover possession during those windows. Teams with high counterpressing success rates create more chances from transitions and concede fewer goals from counter-attacks.

The tactical philosophy behind counterpressing was most famously articulated by Jurgen Klopp, and you can read more about how his approach shaped Liverpool’s identity in our tactical analysis of Liverpool’s pressing era.

Player-Level Pressing Metrics

With tracking data, pressing metrics can be calculated at the individual player level, showing which players contribute most to a team’s pressing and which positions trigger the most defensive actions.

Forwards who press effectively from the front are valued differently from forwards who do not press at all. The difference in pressing contribution between the league’s most and least active pressers is measurable and correlates with team-level outcomes. A forward who completes twenty high-intensity pressing actions per ninety minutes is contributing defensively in ways that never appear in a goals and assists column but shape a team’s tactical foundation significantly.

This individual-level data has become particularly relevant in the transfer market. Clubs running high-press systems now evaluate pressing metrics alongside technical and physical attributes when assessing potential signings. Sports fans who follow the overlap between data analytics and football operations, including those who use hititbet to track sport across different markets, will recognise how central pressing data has become to modern recruitment discussions.

Pressing Intensity Across Leagues

One of the most interesting applications of pressing metrics is comparing pressing intensity across different leagues and eras. Tactical trends in football often move from pioneering clubs to the broader game over time, and pressing data allows analysts to track how quickly pressing approaches have diffused through different football cultures.

The German Bundesliga has historically shown the highest league-average pressing intensity, reflecting the influence of managers who made pressing central to their tactical philosophies. The Premier League has shifted significantly toward higher pressing intensity over the past decade as the tactical ideas proved by specific managers spread through the league.

Serie A and La Liga have traditionally shown lower average pressing intensity, reflecting different tactical traditions and a historical preference for defensive organisation over active ball-hunting. But those averages have been shifting too as the coaching ideas that produced high-press football in northern Europe have spread south.

The FBref league pressing comparison tool tracks league-level pressing data across Europe’s top divisions and is a useful resource for anyone wanting to compare pressing intensity in a format that updates through the season.

What Pressing Metrics Cannot Tell You

Pressing metrics are powerful tools but they have limits. They measure what pressing happens and how often it succeeds, but they do not fully capture why. A team’s pressing scheme, the specific triggers that initiate a press, the cover shadows used to channel opponents, and the coordination between players pressing and those covering behind them are all tactical dimensions that event data captures only partially.

The best analysts use pressing metrics alongside film study of how pressing is being organised. The numbers identify when and where pressing is happening. The film shows whether it is being executed intelligently. Both layers together give the fullest picture of pressing quality.

A team can have a mediocre PPDA but be pressing very intelligently in specific zones, generating their turnovers in high-value areas rather than spreading pressing effort indiscriminately. Conversely, a team with impressive raw pressing numbers might be pressing without tactical coherence, winning the ball in areas that do not generate chances. The metrics are a starting point for the analytical conversation, not the end of it.

FM26 Tactic testing: GYR Red Guardian 343

David Nugent

June 6, 2026

We are back with more tactic testing on FM26. The latest tactic we are testing is the GYR Red Guardian 343 FM26 by one of our favourite tactic creators, GYR. The tactic brought some good things and not-so-good things to our test.

How was the tactic set up?

So, as is usually the case, we did test with Everton. We holidayed a whole season, having made no transfers and used the tactic throughout the campaign.

Although in the title it says ‘343’, the formation is more of a 3-4-2-1, using a Gegenpress style and an attacking mentality.

The formation starts with a sweeper keeper in goal. In front of the last line of the defence are two stopping wide centre-backs sandwiching a centre-back out of possession. In possession, the back three are all ball-playing centre-backs.

Further advance is a line of four players that contains two advanced wing-backs in possession and normal wing-backs out of possession. The two players flank a defensive midfielder in and out of possession, alongside a box-to-box midfielder in possession, who becomes a defensive midfielder out of possession.

Two attacking midfielders, in and out of possession, support a lone centre-forward in possession, who becomes a central outlet centre-forward out of possession.

In this formation, not only do the lone forward and attacking midfielders pose an attacking threat, but the wing-backs and one of the central midfielders also tend to join attacks.

How did the tactic perform?

The team were predicted to finish in 10^th place but ended up slightly overperforming, finishing eighth, just two points adrift of the European spots.

In normal circumstances, I wouldn’t usually post this tactic, as I usually only post articles about tactics that have excelled. However, I posted this one because I like the tactic’s shape and mentality.

One of the standout stats using this tactic was that the team had the fifth-best goal difference in the league, scoring 63 goals and conceding just 42, which is a good result over the campaign.

There were not many other standout stats from using this tactic. However, I did notice that the team experienced a poor run of form from late February to early May, during which they went on a nine-game winless run.

Winning the last three games of the season was a case of too little too late to snatch one of those European spots. Maybe it was a case of fatigue. With Everton having a small squad, the team may have run out of steam during that poor period.

A club with a stronger squad would have probably handled that period better than Everton.

The team experienced embarrassment in the FA Cup, as they exited at the hands of lower-league Lincoln City in the third round. However, they reached the Carabao Cup final, only to lose 4-0 to Manchester City.

Which players performed well in this tactic?

This tactic didn’t yield unbelievable results for many players. It was more steady than spectacular. However, one player who did excel in this tactic was young left-wing/left-wing-back Adam Aznou.

The Moroccan isn’t usually a player who features heavily in most of my Everton saves. This tactic brought the best out of the former Barcelona youngster, though, as he picked up a team-high 7.27 average season rating.

He started only 12 games, but also made 25 substitute appearances, scoring four times and producing an impressive 12 assists.

The team’s top goalscorer was Iliman Ndiaye, who played as the main centre forward at times and also in one of the attacking midfield roles.

Striker Thierno Barry was just one goal behind in terms of goals, as he scored 15 goals, although he only started 13 games, while making 25 appearances off the substitutes’ bench.

The next-highest goalscorer on the team was Carlos Alcaraz, who operated as one of the attacking midfielders. The Argentinian international scored eight times, while producing three assists.

In terms of assists, the next biggest providers of assists were Jack Grealish from an attacking midfield position and wing-back Vitalii Mykolenko, who both produced a respective nine assists.

Right wing-back Seamus Coleman and central midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall also managed seven assists, which was a good return, especially from the latter, who only started 24 games all season.

What is our conclusion on this tactic?

I really like the idea of this shape and formation. I do believe it would achieve better results with a team that has more first-team-level quality players.

I have noticed on FM26 that players tend to pick up more injuries and gain fatigue more quickly than in previous editions, especially when you play a Gegenpressing style.

As previously mentioned, this factor may have contributed to the team’s nine-game winless run towards the end of the season.

This is a tactic I will likely try out on my personal saves, as I like the shape, style, and mentality. It could be argued that the tactic was successful, as it exceeded the predicted outcome at the start of the season.

Qualifying for Europe with this tactic for a team like Everton would not be unreasonable, especially if you watch the games and make adjustments, such as substituting tired players.

Overall, I would certainly recommend this tactic to anyone looking for a well-balanced approach and who has the players to get the most out of it.

Have you used the GYR Red Guardian 343 FM26? If so, let us know your thoughts on the tactic via our socials

FM favourite wonderkid Bardghji set to leave Barcelona

David Nugent

June 1, 2026

If you mention the name Roony Bardghji to Football Manager players, many will instantly regale you with a story of how, as a wonderkid, he inspired their team to some sort of glory in FM24.

Long before his high-profile switch to Catalan giants FC Barcelona in July 2025 from FC Copenhagen, he was regarded as one of the most renowned wonderkids of his generation on FM.

The story of Bardghji’s career so far

Roony Bardghji warming up before game — Thomas Dahlstrøm Nielsen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

While many FM players knew of him because of the game, the early exploits of his career were the reason he was so highly rated in recent games.

Bardghji made his professional debut for FC Copenhagen in November 2021 at the age of just 16 years and 6 days, becoming the youngest player ever to appear for the Danish outfit.

Just seven days later, he scored his first goal for Copenhagen in a 3-1 win over AaB. Just under a month later, in October 2022, the winger made his Champions League debut, coming on as a substitute in a 3-0 loss to Sevilla.

In November 2023, the forward scored the first Champions League goal of his career, scoring in a famous 4-3 victory over English giants Manchester United.

He was living the dream of any football-playing teenager. However, in May 2024, Bardghji’s career took a massive blow when he sustained a serious knee injury during training.

The injury kept him sidelined for almost a year. Bardghji returned to action on 31^st March 2025 as a substitute in a 1-0 win over Randers.

He went on to make five more appearances in the 2024/25 season, bringing his total appearances for FC Copenhagen in all competitions to 84 and scoring 15 goals.

A move to Barcelona came too soon for Bardghji

When the Swedish international made a move to Barcelona in July 2025, it was obviously a dream come true. Most young footballers would find a switch to Catalonia a difficult one to turn down.

The move to the Spanish champions reportedly cost around €2.3 million, including performance-related add-ons. It seemed like a measly fee for such a highly-rated young player.

Barcelona likely took advantage of the fact that signing Bardghji was a slight gamble after such a serious injury. However, the Catalan giants had little to lose with such a small fee.

Considering he was competing with the likes of Raphinha and one of the best players in the world, Spanish wonderkid Lamine Yamal, he was always going to struggle for regular first-team football.

However, over the 2025/26 season, the winger made 28 appearances in all competitions, scoring just two goals, despite starting only seven La Liga games, as the Blaugrana retained their crown as Spanish champions.

It could be argued that the move came too soon for the winger. The youngster may well have been better off joining a more mid-level club.

The jump to one of the elite clubs of world football is a massive one, especially under the circumstances, considering that he had just recovered from injury a few months before, and his tender years.

Bardghji set to leave Barcelona this summer

Reports from the Spanish media suggest that the youngster will leave the Blaugrana this summer. Reportedly, Bardghji will look for a move in an effort to play more regular first-team football.

The winger, who has three caps for Sweden, was recently omitted from the Scandinavian country’s World Cup squad. His omission wasn’t a massive surprise because he simply hasn’t played enough minutes for Barcelona.

Head coach Hansi Flick has told Bardghji that his playing time will be restricted next season if he stays.

The arrival of England international winger Anthony Gordon, who can play on both flanks, has also decreased the likelihood of him playing a major part for the Blaugrana next season.

A move to a slightly less high-profile club next season to play more minutes is likely exactly what Roony Bardghji needs. He seems to have been around the game for a long time, but in reality, he is still just 20 years of age.

Even if the winger, as expected, moves on this summer, he still has plenty of time to make it at the elite level of the game.

In fact, the youngster is believed to want to leave on a season-long loan, which would give him the opportunity to prove himself elsewhere while still having a chance of returning to Barcelona the following season.

For him, it is now a matter of finding a club where he can play regular minutes, and getting back to the form that made him such a hot property in the first place.

Hopefully, Roony Bardghji’s career doesn’t follow the same favourite FM wonderkid path as Kerlon, Freddy Adu and Cherno Samba, where they struggle to make a mark in first-team football and drift out of the game.

Arguably, the winger has already had a more productive career than most of those aforementioned players, and he can go on to enjoy a long and productive career at the highest level of the professional game.

Where will Roony Bardghji be playing his football next season?

Will there be an FM27 and if so when will Football Manager 2027 be released?

David Nugent

May 25, 2026

To say that FM26 has not met with universal love would be an understatement. The way Sports Interactive decided was the way forward for the franchise with the new engine and a change of user interface, to make FM26 look more like a console game, did not go down well with a lot of FM fans.

It has certainly caused mixed opinions, and it was a massive risk for SI to make for our favourite football manager simulation.

Has the gamble paid off?

I have to admit, FM26 has grown on me more than I expected it would after playing it for the first few months. It hasn’t got me gripped like previous editions, but it is playable after many patches and updates.

For me, and many other FM players, it is not as good as FM24. However, I understand the reasons behind SI’s efforts to move Football Manager forward and modernise it. They have taken a gamble on the franchise’s history, which has arguably not paid off.

Most diehards didn’t ask for such a radical overhaul of the system. Many would have been happy if SI had implemented small changes to the game, as they have continually done in recent editions.

Most FM players prefer gameplay over graphics

Ironically, improving the in-play game graphics seems to have been one of SI’s biggest concerns with FM26. However, I would imagine for most Football Manager fans, the graphics are not top of their list when it comes to the game.

Many fans would have taken FM24, the most popular version of the franchise, as 19 million players had played the game by September 2025, featuring an updated database and the gameplay graphics of FM26.

Like any Football Manager player, I wouldn’t complain about the graphics being slightly better in-game. However, for me, the priority with FM, which has always been the priority, is the gameplay.

Has the gameplay improved in FM26 compared to FM24? For me, no, it hasn’t. However, that was always likely to be the case with a new engine, but is it the way forward for FM? Well, some fans will have their doubts, maybe even some at SI will have their doubts.

Was there not enough loyal Football Manager players buying the game because of the previous UI? Did SI feel they had to cater to the console crowd?

My console-loving 13-year-old son loved FM24, but doesn’t like FM26. So, if my son is anything to go by, they are not even reaching their new targeted audience if that was their aim.

The game saw a record 2.5 million players in its first week. However, those numbers declined sharply over time.

Will there be an FM27?

Many are worried that there may not even be an FM27, as SI has made no announcement about this year’s game. SI usually starts talking about the latest FM in March or April, releasing bits of information and sometimes visuals. However, we are now in late May, and have heard nothing about this year’s version of the game.

The worry is understandable after the whole FM25, non-realise fiasco. SI wasn’t ready to realise FM25, and arguably wasn’t even ready to renew FM26, but after a series of updates and patches, FM26 is now far more playable than on its release.

We have to be honest with ourselves, though, the previous editions of FM were always pretty buggy on release. They needed quite a few patches before it felt like the complete release. However, after those releases, players generally enjoyed the game.

So #FM27 will be basically another #FM26 update so to speak because these words don’t exactly inspire me with confidence.
I think they’ve got more than there work cut out to get a franchise rescuing game to put together. https://t.co/0o5MbXnaKM

— TifoFM (@OdinWhiteHair) May 11, 2026

Surely, there has to be an FM27? Shouldn’t there? This is a different situation from when SI failed to release FM25. They now have a working game, even if it is not as popular as the previous editions.

They have a foundation from which to work upon for the next release, even if it’s a foundation that some fans do not like. As with anything new, there will always be teething problems at the beginning.

SI will now know what they feel worked well in FM26, and what didn’t, and can build on the platform they have created. It seems doubtful, after years of delays and the work put in, that there won’t be an FM27.

It will no doubt add new features and improve upon FM26. SI literally cannot afford not to make FM26, as I imagine it would be massively damaging not only to the company’s profit margin but also to the trust of the FM players.

As a player, I realise that FM26 wasn’t perfect, but no FM is at first release, especially with so many changes. However, I also realise that, as Football Manager players, we have no choice but to put our faith in SI to keep improving the franchise.

There is no viable competition from elsewhere in football manager simulations, and we are loyal to Football Manager because it has brought us so much joy over the years.

Will there be an FM27, and will it be a big improvement on FM26?

Morale, Fitness and Peak Performance: The Football Manager Stats That Mirror Elite Athletic Training Methods

David Nugent

May 25, 2026

Football Manager players and elite sports coaches share a number of parallels, with certain factors having to be considered in order to stand the best chance of gaining positive results. The complexity of managing human performance, balancing physical output, mental freshness, and squad cohesion, is something the game has spent years refining into a set of mechanics that genuinely reflect what happens in professional sport.

Managing fatigue, timing peak performance, and maintaining morale are challenges familiar across all high-performance environments, from Premier League dugouts to the analysts making Belmont Stakes predictions, and Football Manager captures this complexity with surprising accuracy. So, what are the specific stats and systems within the game that most closely mirror what elite coaches do in the real world?

Conditioning

Conditioning athletes is one of the biggest challenges facing any elite coach or performance director. At the highest level, this revolves around strict pyramidal training models that balance high intensity sessions with carefully planned rest days. Get the balance wrong in either direction and the consequences show up on the pitch.

Elite performance staff monitor workload using key pieces of technology to track biometric data, physical output, and recovery markers to assess whether athletes are being pushed beyond healthy limits. The margins are fine, and the best programmes in the world are constantly adjusting their approach based on the data in front of them.

This is directly comparable to Football Manager, where players need to assess the Match Load and Condition metrics to ensure they are not draining their squad across a congested schedule. Staggering training intensity, especially with players sitting below 85% condition, gives them a better chance of hitting full sharpness for upcoming matches.

The game rewards patience here. Managers who push their squad relentlessly will find performances dipping at exactly the wrong moments, while those who build structured recovery into their weekly routine tend to maintain a higher baseline across a long season. Finding the right windows for recovery sessions is one of the central dilemmas the game replicates with real authenticity.

Psychology of Form and Morale

Getting athletes into the perfect window to perform at their best is a constant challenge for coaches at every level. It is rarely an exact science, and it requires balancing physical readiness with mental confidence. A squad that is physically sharp but low on belief will rarely deliver what the numbers suggest they should.

Leading programmes follow deliberate tactics to keep athletes relaxed and focused, including controlled preparation environments, consistent routines, and trust-based relationships between coaching staff and the individuals they manage. Familiarity and psychological safety are as important as the physical work, and the best coaches understand that managing a dressing room is as demanding as any tactical preparation.

This maps directly onto Football Manager, where players must manage the Morale and Team Dynamics tabs to keep confidence levels high across the squad. Praising star performers after strong training weeks and hosting positive team meetings are small but meaningful levers that compound over time. Ignoring the morale system entirely is one of the most common mistakes newer players make, and the consequences tend to snowball quickly.

Teams that carry high confidence and good morale will routinely overperform their expected ceiling, and the game models this faithfully.

Peaking at the Right Time

Not every coach will have their squad at peak condition for every fixture. Instead, everything is calibrated around a primary season target, with training structures built backwards from that end goal. A team chasing a cup final will be managed very differently in February than one with nothing but a league run in to focus on.

Targeting the right moments for peak output is a significant strategic challenge, and getting it wrong, particularly after a strong buildup that yields a poor result, quickly invites scrutiny from supporters and the wider press. The pressure to deliver at the exact right moment is something Football Manager simulates with uncomfortable realism.

In Football Manager, players manipulate General Training schedules to lower overall intensity while shifting the focus toward match practice ahead of major fixtures such as cup finals or title deciders. The principle is identical to what elite coaches do in the real world: protect the players long enough to arrive at the moment that matters most, then trust the preparation.

Scouting

Finding the next standout talent is one of the central challenges for Football Manager players and real world recruitment departments alike. Unearthing a hidden gem in FM offers the chance to buy into a player at the base level, develop them through careful management, and potentially sell them on for a significant fee further down the line.

The same challenge exists at the top levels of professional sport, where recruitment teams spend heavily on data analysis and live scouting to identify potential before it becomes obvious to everyone else. There is no exact formula that guarantees success. Much of it remains trial and error, regardless of how sophisticated the tools become, and Football Manager captures that uncertainty well, making scouting one of the most rewarding and frustrating parts of the game in equal measure.

FM26 wonderkids from Senegal

David Nugent

May 24, 2026

We continue our journey around the world of FM26 wonderkids, with our next stop the African nation of Senegal. The country has risen in stature in football in recent decades and produced some top young players. Here are our favourite Senegalese wonderkids:

Assane Diao (Como)

The versatile attacker is considered to be one of the brightest young Senegalese talents in the beautiful game. Since joining Como in the January 2025 window from Spanish outfit Real Betis, Diao has shown flashes of his ability.

In fact, since joining Como, he has scored 10 times in 30 appearances across all competitions, with 2 assists. He has caught the eye and attracted interest from elsewhere. Unfortunately for the player and Como, Diao suffered a foot fracture in December, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.

When it comes to FM26, Diao’s highest attributes are +15 in acceleration, pace, finishing, off the ball, and composure, all of which are good for a forward player.

As you would imagine, Como are not keen on parting with Diao in the opening transfer window. The Italian club can ask as much as £80m plus 40 per cent of the next sale profit. Obviously, unless you are a club with a ridiculous budget, then it’s too much.

His asking price comes down after a few seasons as he moves further into his contract. I have signed him for around £60m, but by then he is a very good player who fits into my team.

Diao’s stats rise steadily, and he usually signs for one of Europe’s elite teams after a few seasons, and generally becomes consistent in producing goals and assists.

El Hadji Malick Diouf (West Ham)

The young full-back has enjoyed a steady rise in recent seasons. This season, he has caught the eye at left-back for West Ham. The 21-year-old has been one of West Ham’s better players in what has been a difficult season that could lead to relegation to the Championship.

Manchester United are just one of the clubs hoping to sign the Hammers star this summer if the capital outfit is demoted to the English second tier.

Diouf’s starting stats in FM26 are solid all around. The highlight of his attributes are +16 ratings for crossing, aggression, natural fitness and acceleration. However, his other stats are not terrible either, such as 14 for tackling. In many ways, he is the perfect modern-day full-back.

He usually goes for a fee of around £30m, plus the 40 per cent profit of his next sale. However, that can be negotiated. With a relative dearth of top full-backs, Diouf would be a good player for most teams looking to strengthen in the left-back area.

Diouf’s stats do grow pretty fast, but he doesn’t always fulfil his potential. Therefore, game time and the right training are vital for him to become a top player in the future.

Lamine Camara (Monaco)

The 22-year-old defensive midfielder is getting himself a reputation as a highly promising young player in the centre of the park. Not only is Camara known for his ball-winning skills, but also for his distribution. To add to those attributes, he is also a highly capable set-piece taker.

Unsurprisingly, his displays for Monaco have attracted Premier League interest, with Liverpool believed to be considering signing Camara to bolster their midfield options.

Camara’s starting stats are decent all-around, with the highlights being +15 for determination, stamina, work rate and teamwork.

Due to his high potential and decent starting stats, it is not surprising that Monaco asks for a big fee in the opening transfer window, usually around £70m plus various add-ons, and of course, the 40 per cent sale profit clause.

The big fee is understandable, as he does develop into one of the best central midfielders in the game. His consistency is one of his biggest strengths, especially as he contributes to goals and assists regularly.

Mikayil Faye (Cremonese, on loan from Rennes)

The 21-year-old defender is on loan at Serie A outfit Cremonese from Rennes for the 2025/26 season. Things haven’t really worked out as expected in Italy for the youngster, as he has only made eight Serie A appearances, with only two being starts.

However, he is still highly regarded and has plenty of time to recover from what has been a frustrating spell in his career.

Faye’s starting stats are solid all-around, and like any promising young player, they tend to rise pretty steadily with exposure to first-team football.

You are not able to sign Faye in the opening transfer window, as Cremonese have an option to buy the defender for £8.75m. However, he is valued at between £34m and £50m, which shows how highly rated he is by Rennes.

Faye develops nicely and tends to be a highly reliable defensive option for most teams in European football’s elite leagues.

Habib Diarra (Sunderland)

The central midfielder has enjoyed mixed fortunes at Sunderland in his debut campaign after his summer move from French club Strasbourg. The 22-year-old has made 20 appearances for the Black Cats this season.

Despite his seemingly underwhelming displays for the north east team, he did enough in his time at Strasbourg to prove his high potential.

Diarra’s starting stats are decent, and they do only get better as the game goes on. As he plays more first-team football, he becomes more consistent, even weighing in with goals and assists.

The midfielder may well be the biggest bargain on our list, as Sunderland will accept a fee in the region of £27m, which, if you have that sort of money, then he’s a no-brainer signing.

Which of the players on our list is your favourite FM26 Senegalese wonderkid?

Alvaro Montoro Is My Favourite FM26 Wonderkid

David Nugent

May 18, 2026

I am not sure it is the same for every Football Manager player, but for me, there is always one random player that stands out. It’s never a high-profile player of that time, but usually a youngster, who, when the game starts, is only just breaking into first-team football.

Then, after a couple of seasons, he breaks into the first team and never leaves. They become integral to the team, and some even go all the way on the journey from mediocrity to glory.

For me, that player on FM26 is the young Argentinian attacking midfielder, Alvaro Montoro.

Who is Alvaro Montoro?

You would be forgiven for asking the question, “Who is Alvaro Montoro?”. Many FM players will know him through the game, while fans of South American football will also be more familiar with the diminutive attacking midfielder.

For those unacquainted with the youngster, he is a 19-year-old attacking midfielder who currently plays in Brazil for Botafogo. However, he started his career in his homeland at Velez Sarsfield, where he made just 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and producing two assists. During his time with Velez, he was part of the squad that won the 2024 Primera Division.

Botafogo snapped him up in 2025 for a reported fee of around €7.90m. Montoro already impressed at Botafogo. In 46 appearances across all competitions, he has scored 6 goals and recorded 6 assists. At international level, he has represented Argentina U-20’s on five occasions.

A bargain on FM26 at the start of the game

Montoro is an absolute bargain if you sign him in the opening transfer window. He can be signed for a fee of around £10m, plus a 30 per cent sell-on fee. This is an absolute bargain for the player he becomes in the future. Unfortunately, on my most recent save, I didn’t sign him in the opening summer.

That proved to be a mistake, as it cost me £50m to sign him in 2028. The fact that he is worth £50m in 2028 shows just how quickly he grows.

Anyway, at the start of the game, he has decent all-around stats. However, his highest stat is 15 for passing, technique, flair and first touch. Those ratings illustrate Montoro’s player type. He is a creative attacking midfielder who creates many assists, and his finishing stats improve as he gains more experience.

His other stats rise pretty quickly, and he usually becomes a star player for me. A bonus to signing Montoro is the fact that he can play across all the attacking midfield positions, and in the future also in central midfield.

How does Montoro develop over time?

In my first long-term save, I signed him in the first transfer window, and he played for me for 12 years. He went from youngster to superstar, while my Everton team went from mid-table strugglers to multiple Premier League and European Champions League winners.

Montoro’s goals and assists played a key role in that dramatic rise. He would regularly get double figures, or close to them, in both goals and assists. This is the sort of consistency you need from your attacking players.

In my latest save, the one where I had to stump up £50m to sign him, he has done pretty well, if not as well as he did in my aforementioned save. He has continued to score goals and make assists at a good rate, and remains a key member of my team.

However, the one difference in the two saves was the amount of game time he had in my latest save. Although still a key member of the squad, my team’s attacking midfield is arguably overstocked.

I have had the fortune of signing such stellar young attacking stars as Can Uzun, Franco Mastantuono, Max Dowman and Senny Mayulu, plus a four-and-a-half-star regen. This list of attacking midfielders is like a who’s who of highly-rated, exciting young attacking midfielders.

Despite all these players being in my squad, Montoro still gets game time, but his development may have been slightly stunted by playing fewer minutes.

Overall, if anyone is about to start an FM26 save and can afford to sign Montoro, do it, as if he is developed correctly, he will repay you with top performances, as well as goals and assists for years to come.

Do you sign Alvaro Montoro on FM26? Let us know your experience of how he performs for you here, or via our socials

Best Scottish Wonderkids On Fm26

David Nugent

May 14, 2026

In the next stop on our journey around the world of FM26 wonderkids from different nations, we look at wonderkids from Scotland. Some of these youngsters become stars at the highest level:

Ben Gannon Doak

The 20-year-old is regarded as the most promising Scottish player on FM26. Doak played youth football for Ayr United and Celtic before making a switch to Liverpool in 2022. However, in 2025, the winger made a £25m move to Bournemouth in search of first-team football.

Unfortunately for the youngster, he has made just seven appearances for the Cherries and hasn’t really had a chance to show his ability. He will be hoping to make a greater impact next season.

Doak’s potential is illustrated in his starting stats, with 16+ ratings in dribbling, determination and acceleration. Meanwhile, he also has stats of 14+ in technique, first touch and flair.

The youngster has big potential, which is why it’s not surprising that Bournemouth ask for a big fee of around £45m, plus add-ons and 30 per cent of the profit on sale.

The fee isn’t completely unrealistic, as Doak can become a world-class winger if developed in the right manner. However, if he isn’t given enough first-team football or doesn’t receive the right coaching, he can plateau and never fulfil his potential.

Lennon Miller

At the start of the game, the 18-year-old is at Udinese and is our favourite young Scottish wonderkids. The reason for our liking of the youngster is that we have had him in his mid-20s, and he became a key cog in a very successful team.

He played as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder and an attacking midfielder for my team, excelling in all three roles. Miller was highly consistent for my team, with goals and assists.

His starting stats are strong, with +16 work rate, leadership and determination, and +14 ratings for technique, passing and first touch, among other things.

Udinese’s initial valuation of Miller is high, as they don’t want to sell in the first transfer window. In fact, they demand an initial fee of £50m, plus 40 per cent of the profit of the next sale.

The midfielder’s stats rise rapidly, and on most of my saves, he becomes one of the most consistent central midfielders in the game.

James Wilson

Although contracted to SPL outfit Hearts, Wilson joined Premier League Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window with a view to a permanent transfer this summer, which would be worth around £2.5m.

At the start of the game, Wilson is just 18 and has some decent, rather than extraordinary, stats. In fact, the forward’s highest stat is 13 for finishing, off the ball, acceleration and stamina.

Although you can’t buy Wilson in the first transfer window due to Spurs’ agreement, the north London club very rarely signed him permanently. His value is around £10m.

One caveat about Wilson is that he is a gamble: sometimes he becomes a Premier League-standard forward, but at other times his career veers off and he has a mediocre career. To get the best out of him, he needs to be handled with care.

David Watson

The 20-year-old is one of my go-to players when I am looking for bargains at the start of the game. The youngster’s starting stats are strong, and he has enough ability to go straight into a Premier League squad and contribute straight away.

His highest stats are +16 for long throws, work rate, determination, bravery and natural fitness. Meanwhile, his rating of 14 for passing, tackling, off the ball and stamina are respectable ratings.

Watson can play as a defensive midfielder, central midfielder and an attacking midfielder. His best performances for my team came at number eight, where he contributed to both defence and attack.

One of the biggest appeals of Watson is his initial price tag. He can be bought for an initial fee of around £3.5m, plus 6 monthly payments of £3.5m, plus a 30 per cent share of the profit from the next sale. I have negotiated the fee down to around £5m, plus the sell-on fee. Watson generally offers great value for money.

Watson is also hit-and-miss when it comes to fulfilling his potential. However, even if he doesn’t become a top player in the future, he is a player who is very useful to add depth to most mid-table Premier League teams in the first few seasons of the game.

Max Johnston

The youngster starts the game as a 21-year-old at Derby County, and has solid rather than spectacular stats at the beginning. He has +14 stats in work rate, determination, pace and stamina. Although his other stats aren’t anything special, they do grow pretty quickly.

One of Johnston’s biggest appeals is his versatility, as he can play as a right-back, right-wing-back, or right-sided midfielder. He is effective further forward, as his attacking stats show, and he is a threat going forward even from right-back.

I have actually recently signed him on one of my recent Everton saves to solve the problem at right-back. He cost me around £7m, plus the now almost mandatory 40 per cent sell on profit. The fee is usually negotiable, and he normally proves to be of decent signing.

Johnston never quite reaches world-class level on FM26. However, he is a decent stopgap right-back who can be a decent squad player for many Premier League clubs.

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