From Broken Tactics To Vanishing Players: FM 26's Biggest Bugs

The Biggest Bugs So Far

Just like that, the FM 26 beta is here, and it is causing a bit of a headache for its loyal fans who have waited over two years for a new game. Whilst the game may not be the "full release", there has been a complete revamp of the UI (User Interface) and it has made the game so very confusing.

Additionally, there have been a huge amount of bugs that have even made some players refund the game within a day of playing it. There have been over 7000 bug entries so far, which is an astounding number even for a beta. The Football Manager team have a lot of work to do, as the full release is on the 4th November, just over a week away. Strap yourselves in and get some insect repellent, as there are lots of bugs to get through.

1. New Matchday Attire

You might think I'm kidding, but some FM players have experienced one or two players in their matchday eleven wearing a tracksuit. Either they forgot to take it off before the game or just wanted to try a new fashion trend. It makes it very easy to focus on tplayer butyer, but also makes a bit of an eyesore knowing one of your players is playing 90 minutes in a tracksuit. It ihilarious butous, but also utterly ridiculous at the same time.

Gordon getting subbed on and keeping his tracksuit on has sent me 😂 #FM26 pic.twitter.com/7Q8FXn56Iw

— Marshall89HD (@Marshall89HD) October 23, 2025

2. Game's Done At Half Time

Now this one is really frustrating, especially if you are winning. Imagine taking a 2-0 lead against the leaders, and you go in at half-time to talk to your team, only to find you're stuck. Many players have got to half-time, and they cannot continue to the second half. This means they have to quick sim the game, and guess what? They lose. Not even a bad reason to uninstall the game at that point, especially if it was an important match.

Continued

Oh I wasn't done there. People have actually experienced this bug. For example, players have gone i-timealf time 2-1 up and had to quick sim the rest of the match. They then lose the game 1-0. Unless you are playing against an 11 full of Harry Potters, it is quite literally impossible to magic away goals that you have scored.

Okay, I switched to Window Mode

But at half-time the game just stops here, my players are reluctant to kick off despite leading 2-0.

Solution: Instant Result.

Thankfully, we didn't lose the game 3-2.#FM26Beta bugs https://t.co/YirB8G5YmB pic.twitter.com/vxxEUp2csG

— DarkHorse Football Manager (@_DarkHorseFM) October 24, 2025

3. A New User Interface

This isn't necessarily a bug, but it is causing an uproar amongst FM players. The beauty of FM 24 was that you knew where everything was, and it was easy to get where you wanted to with one or two clicks. The developers have changed it massively, so now it is very difficult to navigate where to go for simple tasks like scouting a player. Everything now takes double the time and is hidden away somewhere.

In a management game, the user interface is one of, if not the most important thing to get right. Perhaps the community is holding on to the past, or was it wrong for the developers to force a change?

🚨 Screenshots of the new UI on Football Manager 2026! 📸#FM26 pic.twitter.com/0CuSCI4h5p

— Out of Context Football Manager (@nocontextfm1) September 10, 2025

4. A Bug When Trying To Report A Bug

In the beta, if players see something they are unhappy with or something that happens out of the ordinary, they can report it as a bug. And no, not if Man United win the Premier League; it is not a bug even though some claim it might be. Nevertheless, when some players have tried to report a bug in their FM saves, the game has crashed on them. So the bug comes from trying to report a bug. Very confusing. Even the developers have heard enough criticism for one day.

5. Vanishing Players and Body Parts

The main reason that teams may have to play a man down is because they got a sending-off, right? Well, this year players have actually decided to disappear. A regularly reported bug is that players have just disappeared off the pitch. Guess they didn't fancy it. Not everyone can hack a cold away day at Stoke.

If players vanishing wasn't enough, some players have experienced their players missing body parts. I mean, it is entirely possible and has happened in a number of different sports across the globe, but there must be a cause for concern if half your team rocks up without any arms.

I've not actually had too many issues with #FM26 compared to a lot of people, but Tyler Dibling, Merlin Rohl, and Thierno Barry are currently running around with no arms. pic.twitter.com/LkhOABEyZV

— Tactically Matt (@TacticallyMatt) October 25, 2025

6. Your Player Is Injured, But Which One Chris Kamara?

Last but not least, this one is a bit of a guessing game. If you are unlucky in FM, your player can get injured in a match. Usually and quite obviously, they tell you who is injured, and you can sometimes see them fall over. Oh, but FM 26 wanted to test their players, so when someone gets injured, you don't actually get told who is injured. So you have to guess which of your starting eleven is injured. Can't hate a guessing game.

Those are the biggest and potentially funniest bugs to date. It would be impossible to go through all 7000 of them, though. If you buy the game, it is a certainty, not a possibility, that you are going to experience some for yourself.