The big news about the upcoming Football Manager 26 is its new Unity graphics engine. And rightfully so, as the Football Manager series hasn’t seen much of a visual overhaul since the introduction of the 3D match engine back in Football Manager 2009. However, a graphical upgrade isn’t the only big thing coming to FM26 this year — Sports Interactive is also rolling out a brand new user interface (UI).
Normally, a new UI in a sports game wouldn’t be all that noteworthy, but in Football Manager, it matters a lot — the interface is where you’ll be spending the bulk of your time, devising your tactics, managing your squad, doing transfers, etc. But what makes the UI in Football Manager 26 different than in past entries?
The UI In Football Manager 26 Is More Streamlined
Instead of the traditional sidebar navigation that’s been a fixture of the series for years, FM26 introduces a redesigned navigation bar that sits atop the screen. This new top-level menu pulls together all of a manager’s key responsibilities — from scouting and transfers to tactical tweaks and matchday preparation — into one easy-to-navigate space. Hovering over each section now brings up a quick-access submenu, allowing players to dive deeper into more important areas without too many extra clicks.
Personally, I like the look of it. Though the sidebar has been a staple of the FM series, I’ve found navigating the menus to find certain pieces of information requires way too many clicks. I’d imagine it’s been even worse for new players, who may struggle to find what they’re looking for in the past games’ confusing menu system.
The All-New Portal System
At the heart of the new UI overhaul is what Sports Interactive calls the Portal, a central hub designed to keep managers on top of the whirlwind of messages, fixtures, scouting updates, and media stories that define a season. Rather than jumping between multiple screens, the Portal is intended to ensure everything flows together into one streamlined dashboard made up of customizable tiles and cards.
In theory, this means you’ll be able to catch up on results, respond to press inquiries, review player performance reports, or tweak training sessions without endlessly clicking through menus and submenus.
Alongside the Portal, a new and improved Search tool is also getting a facelift, and is now able to pull up guides, support, and insights, in addition to club and player information.
Football Manager 26’s New UI Encourages Personalization
The throughline in Sports Interactive’s UI updates is clear: personalization and flexibility. Every Football Manager player engages differently. Some prefer a lighter touch and strictly want to dive into transfers and tactics, while others want full control over everything from training sessions to media duties and preseason prep.
Because SI is aware of the vastly different experiences players are looking for, they’ve added a Bookmarks feature. This can be used to pin your most-used areas to the aforementioned Portal, shaping the game around your personal style of management.
Obviously, there is a lot more to it than that, but these seem to be the main takeaways. For more information on Football Manager 26‘s new UI, check out this video.
