Sports Interactive has confirmed that the “Shouts” feature will return to Football Manager 26 after being omitted from the game at launch. This change will be arriving as part of Content Update 1 — which is intended to fix a ton of lingering issues with the AI and the Match Engine as a whole — on December 8. The studio also acknowledged that removing the feature contributed to a more passive experience for players while in matches.
According to SI, the time spent in FM26 matches has increased by 51% compared to FM24. While part of that rise is attributed to the introduction of Dynamic highlights and the expanded 2D radar, player behavior has also shifted. In FM24, roughly 90% of players used faster speeds between highlights; in FM26, that number has decreased to 50 percent. As a result, matches are taking longer and offering fewer moments of direct interaction from the virtual touchline.
SI said that although the initial reasoning for removing Shouts “remains valid,” not having a suitable replacement for it was a misstep on its part. After analyzing feedback and usage patterns, the studio stated that “we got this one wrong” and has since prioritized bringing the system back.
So, how will Shouts be implemented in Football Manager 26? According to the studio itself, they will function exactly as they have in past series entries.
Shouts will work just as they did for FM24, meaning that your instructions will be delivered the next time the ball goes out of play. While replacing this feature remains a goal for the future, the priority for now is restoring its original functionality to help improve Matchday immersion.
Content Update 1 will also include a wide range of improvements across the game, including enhancements to loan screens, updated player search tools, added mouse wheel support when making transfer offers, new player training tooltips, and previously announced match engine upgrades. SI describes the update as “most significant update to date.”
Alongside the return of Shouts, SI says that it is continuing to look at ways to increase engagement for players when in matches. Recent updates have somewhat addressed this by adding more statistical data in-match, and the studio is exploring additional ways to surface data after full time. Hopefully, this means the return of heat maps, but that might be wishful thinking.
