The uncanny valley isn’t a rogue concept when it comes to video games, as certain character models can sometimes evoke a feeling of unease. Football Manager 26 is the latest to feature some haunting face models, and fans are really put off by what they are seeing. The Manager Creation mode showcased by the Football Manager YouTube channel puts these faces in the limelight, which you can check out below.
The Manager Creation Experience
Fans over at the Football Manager subreddit had some hilarious takes on the matter, and one user pointed out how the faces have the effect of a haunted painting that follows you with its eyes. Others don’t find it as funny, as they’re questioning how ridiculously bad some of the face models look according to 2025 standards. In my opinion, it’s the strange eyebrows that really ruin the overall appearance.
Moving away from these face models for a minute, there are some cool new additions with the manager creator. FM 26 features more leagues, clubs, and nations. And though international management was originally thought to be missing, it looks like it will be added later, following SI’s licensing deal with FIFA. New additions include licensed debuts for the UAE Pro League, Serie B, and Lithuanian A Lyga. The new character creator also has a bunch of great new presets, awkward face models and all.
To be fair to Sports Interactive, the character creator does appear to be quite “bespoke,” and you can truly create a highly unique character with relative ease. You also have the chance to create an in-depth backstory for each manager, and new additions include Background, Styles, and Personality. The latter two of these aspects affect your Coaching and Mental attributes.
So there’s certainly a lot to look forward to. We also covered the revamped Recruitment Hub and how it will affect your saves. It looks like there are many positive elements in the new game, but we’ll see how the few missteps, such as the face models and lack of international management, affect its reception.
