Football Manager 26 Console is out now, ready for you to step into the dugout and take your favourite team to footballing glory.

Delivering instinctive play, FM26 Console brings new foundations for you to shape your football destiny. Optimised for play with a controller, FM26 allows you to zone in on the managerial essentials while experiencing much of the classic thrills and depth Football Manager is known for the world over. And, thanks to Smart Delivery, you’ll get the best available version of FM26 Console whether you play on an Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S or via Game Pass.

FM26 Console is packed with new additions, from the series’ most immersive Match Day experience, to new playable leagues thanks to fresh licences, and the introduction of Women’s Football.

Whether you’re an experienced manager or a series newcomer, your first couple of hours in the hotseat are vital. Here are seven top tips to help you start strong wherever your story begins.

Craft Your Game World

The first job in any Football Manager save is creating your game world and deciding the nations and leagues that you want to load. FM26 Console lets you load up to 10 nations (or 5 on Xbox One), so think about the sort of challenge you want as a manager and which competitions you want to be playable. For example, if you want to compete at the top end of the Premier League, focus on loading the other top leagues in for a more immersive experience in continental competitions.

If you’re curious about jumping in to Women’s Football, include both men’s and women’s divisions to move seamlessly between the two and explore new horizons. Whatever combination you go for, take your time to decide as the world you build shapes your story with FM26 Console.

Define Your Style and Personality

The next step is to create your manager. FM26 Console’s enhanced character creator offers more visual and stylistic options than ever – greater customisation options mean you can define your visual self with more clarity.

You’ll also shape your Coaching Style and Personality through a short set of questions that define how you feel about football and what sort of leader you are on the touchline.

Think carefully here – the selections allow you elevate the things you care about most and deprioritise those that are less important to you. They should also match the challenge you’re taking on. If you’re stepping in with a proven title-winner, high-energy, attacking football is expected. But if you’re an underdog looking to upset the odds, a motivator with strong pragmatism and defensive coaching will be more appropriate.

Master Your Bookmarks

You’ve built your world, crafted your character and defined the sort of manager you want to be. It’s now day one in the dugout and you’ve landed in FM26 Console’s revamped UI. This UI is designed to be smarter and more intuitive to navigate – and key to that are the new Bookmarks.

Simple, quick shortcuts to key game areas, Bookmarks are always accessible at the top of the screen and can be adjusted at any time to suit your preferences. Quick navigation between the core essentials of football management means you’ll always stay focused on what’s important.

Get to Know Your Squad

After you’ve sorted your Bookmarks, a vital task will be familiarising yourself with your Squad.

Take time to review what you’ve got at your disposal across your first team, reserves and youth squads. Where are you strong? What’s an area of weakness? Where have you got talented prospects ready to break through?

Reviewing your squad depth and understanding what you’re working with will help to shape your tactics and define your transfer plans.

Build Your Tactics with Your Staff

FM26 Console adds new tactical depth with separate In and Out of Possession formations, new player roles, and a dynamic visualiser showing how your team behaves in every phase. That level of detail allows you to express more control over how your side plays the beautiful game, but at the start of your save you should keep things simple.

When you set up your first tactic, the process is a familiar one. You’ll begin by choosing a style of play before setting your formations. At each stage, you’ll get recommendations from your backroom team on which options works best with your current squad.

Even if you’ve got a philosophy in mind, lean on their advice as you’re getting up to speed – and then focus on tinkering and adapting as the season progresses to get the edge on your rivals. 

Dive Into the New TransferRoom Tools

TransferRoom, football’s digital marketplace, is changing the way clubs in real life do transfer deals and it’s now doing the same for FM26 Console. This is thanks to the introduction of two new tools – Requirements and Pitch Opportunities.

Requirements are a way for you to communicate directly with every other club in your game world and outline your specific requirements in the transfer market. Conversely, Pitch Opportunities allows you to see what other clubs in your game world are looking for in the transfer market.

Having studied your squad, you should know where you need to make new additions and where you may have players that are surplus to requirements. Dive into these tools to target signings and offload players efficiently. With TransferRoom, Recruitment has never been this streamlined.

Savour Your First Match Days

Squad assessed, tactic created and new signings made. Before long, it’s time for kick-off.

In FM26 Console, match days bring new levels of depth and drama thanks to gloriously upgraded visuals and the inclusion of new volumetric animations taken from real-life matches. These animations bring every moment to life, delivering smoother, more realistic player movement and adding new cutscenes, lighting, and sky effects to every stadium.

In your first few games as manager, take in as much of the action as possible. It’s not just because of the visuals (although they are great) – but watching how your team plays will allow you to make some early tactical tweaks to help your side hit the ground running.

After those first few games, you’ll be fully immersed in the world of football management.

In FM26 Console, every decision, tactic, and transfer reflects your vision. Football belongs to you – now it’s time to change the game.

Football Manager 26 Console

SEGA

☆☆☆☆☆
121

★★★★★

$59.99

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Xbox Game Pass

CHANGE THE GAME – PLAY NOW
New foundations set the stage for you to shape your football destiny.
Delivering instinctive control, a redesigned UI combines with the series’ most immersive match day experience to bring you closer to every match-defining moment.

MADE WITH UNITY
Savour the richest Match Day experience in series history with gloriously upgraded visuals and on-pitch details, from lighting to cutscenes and stadiums, that bring new levels of depth and drama.
Every attack has more personality thanks to fresh motion capture and volumetric animations, while new controller shortcuts between highlights better empower you to tinker from the touchline.

WELCOME TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE
Immerse yourself in football’s most-watched league with the Premier League fully-licensed for the first time.
Authenticity reaches new heights as you pursue domestic football’s biggest prize with the full broadcast experience from the best seat in the house.

ADVANCED TACTICAL INNOVATION
Explore the cutting edge of football tactics with the introduction of in and out-of-possession formations.
Redefined player roles and new tools showing how your team adapts in every phase of play levels up your pre-match prep.

CLOSER TO THE ACTION 
A redesigned UI delivers smoother, smarter navigation. Flow through match planning at your pace, with the key info delivered when and where you need it, driven by the new Portal which connects you to the footballing world.

INTRODUCING: WOMEN’S FOOTBALL  
Break new ground as women’s football debuts, seamlessly integrated into FM26 as one footballing world.
Explore new horizons with 14 playable leagues across 11 nations, including top competitions like the WSL and NWSL, and discover new stars with the biggest women’s football database in games.

TRANSFORMATIVE TRANSFER TOOLS
Harness the power of TransferRoom, the professional game’s online transfer marketplace, to shape your title-winning squads with even greater insight.
Sign and sell players more easily with the introduction of Requirements and Opportunities, giving you more targeted control in every window.

YOUR MANAGER, YOUR WAY
Express more of your personality and style in every career with a revamped manager creator.
Craft your look with enhanced character options before developing a career backstory unique to you and your life in the dugout.

In FM26 Console, football belongs to you and your vision. It’s time to change the game.

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