No International Management Mode for FM26 Launch

In an interview published on a Korean site, Sports Interactive director discussed the highly anticipated Football Manager 2026, confirming a key feature that won't make the launch: the National Team Manager mode.

International Management Mode is Temporarily Sidelined

A significant change for veterans of the game is the temporary removal of the mode allowing players to manage a national squad.

Miles stated the decision was made to prioritize the core game's quality: "We decided it was more important to focus on the game's overall completeness".

He also added that player feedback on the mode was generally negative, with fans finding it "not very fun".

The mode is not gone forever, but is being taken out for now so the team can spend proper time developing a much-improved version for a future update or title.

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Having said that, we don't currently know whether this will return with a patch later on, but we definitely hope so because 2026 is going to be a World Cup year.

The immediate question is what will happen to saved games from FM24 or FM23 where the human manager is at the helm of a national team.

Perhaps that can work as some sort of legacy mode for importing these old saves. If it doesn't, then such saves won't be possible to transfer properly.

We'll find out soon as SI will likely talk about the save game compatibility feature this week.

Things Removed or Disabled in FM26

Other Key Takeaways

Jacobson confirmed they are going back to releasing one new game every year (an annual cycle), easing fears that the series might permanently move to a two-year release schedule.

FM 26 is the game that benefited from the extra development time as an exception.

One of FM26's key features is the re-imagined User Interface. While long-time fans needed an adjustment period during tests, new players adapted quickly to the new design.

Miles also addressed fan concerns about certain aspects of the game, briefly explained below.

Football Manager 26 News

Frequent Contract Demands: He defended the recent increase in players constantly demanding new contracts, arguing it simply reflects the reality of modern football, where young talents secure new deals after just a few good matches.

Wonderkids: The appearance of young prodigies is still based on a probability algorithm that reflects real-world football infrastructure. Countries with strong youth systems (like England, Brazil, or France) will naturally produce more talents, though the system is constantly updated to reflect rising regions.

Son Heung-min's Rating: Addressing the passionate Korean fanbase's debate over the star player's attributes, Miles revealed that Son Heung-min himself is aware of his in-game stats and is satisfied with them.

The director concluded with a call to people hesitant about the game changes, to play the free demo (out on on November 4) and provide honest feedback.

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Source: game.donga.com

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