Developers Sports Interactive can’t seem to catch a break with Football Manager 26. Even after an update that included over 200 fixes, performance issues, crashes, and strange bugs seem to be running rampant. Players are also now raising an unexpected concert: strangely generated regens with strangely generated regens.
The r/Footballmangergames subreddit has had multiple posts over the past week detailing such regens. It looks like world-class technical attributes are not aligned with the right positions for most of them. For context, regens/newgens are fictional players automatically generated by the game every year to replenish the database as real players retire.
Not Necessarily A New Problem
The regen/newgen system has existed for decades and normally produces realistic, position-appropriate talent. Well, as realistic as it can get for a game. With FM26, though, players believe something has gone very wrong. One of the viral examples is Rodrigão, a 17-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper from Brazilian club SPT. He’s positioned as a goalkeeper in the game, but here are his stats:
- First touch: 17/20
- Passing: 19/20
- Decisions: 16/20
- Agility: 16/20
- Natural Fitness: 17/20
These are attributes representative of a top-tier playmaker, and that too at a more senior level. Yet FM26 identifies him as a goalkeeper, complete with goalkeeping attribute panels and a 6/10 outfield rating that no one can interpret.
Another example is 15-year-old English defender Harry Harwood. This young lad is a breakthrough project for Lincoln City F.C. and plays as a center back. You tell me if the following stats seem right for a defender:
- Dribbling: 19/20
- Finishing: 17/20
- Technique: 20/20
- First Touch: 18/20
Reddit user u/SpiritKindly299 found this regen, claiming that it was either a bug or the best regen in Football Manager 26 by design. In my mind, he is the most obviously incorrect newgen generation so far. This kid should either be an attacking midfielder or a forward.
The issue seems to run deeper than a handful of anomalies. Another Reddit post highlights one user’s experience of simulating 10+ seasons that generated 702 under-23 regens with a Jumping Reach of over 18. A lot of these players have that jumping reach, even when their height is between 1.6m to 1.7m. Height and physical attributes normally correlate strongly, making this spike highly unusual.
Sports Interactive has not yet formally addressed the regen concerns, but given the volume of complaints, players are hoping this becomes a priority fix before more saves are affected.
