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Creating Your Manager in FM26

You’ve just embarked on your first career in Football Manager 26. You’ve chosen the club you will lead to glory and a whole new football universe awaits. Now the adventure truly begins.

Setting up your manager is more than ticking boxes. It’s your first step into the story of your FM26 journey. From your appearance to your manager's background, each choice shapes your path, reputation and how you interact with the game world. FM26 (PC/Mac) gives you more control over your manager’s look, experience, and personality, so the story you tell is yours.

Your Look

This is the start of creating your manager and to kick things off, you need to select a preset manager profile to match the type of manager you are. Whether you’re a casual t-shirt and jeans type, prefer to be suited and booted, or favour the tracksuit look, there’s an option for you. Don’t worry, you’ll still have full control and customisation of your style and appearance after making your selection.

Manager Presets

Once you’ve chosen a preset, you can fully customise your manager. From body type and skin tone to every facial detail, even hairstyle and cosmetics, you can truly create a manager in your image.

Manager Comestics

Your Playing Story

Were you a generational superstar, a domestic champion or a lower-league veteran? History has taught us that managers come from all backgrounds and that success in the dugout isn't defined on what you achieved on the pitch. It’s yours to shape in FM26.

Your choice will impact your manager’s reputation at the start of your save.

Playing Career

Your Footballing Background

Perhaps you’ve been a tactical genius behind the scenes, a seasoned coach, or even a referee. Your non-playing experience enhances your profile and reputation. Every coaching role, media stint, or backroom job contributes to the story of your manager - so choose wisely.

Football Background

Your Qualifications

This is where you can indicate to which level (if any) you have reached with your coaching badges. This will have a direct impact on your coaching attributes and reputation accordingly.

Choosing your coaching background shapes your Football Manager journey. Pick one of the top badges with lots of experience and you’re ready to step straight into the big jobs. On the other hand, if you select one of the lower-end badges and less experience, you’ll have to grind your way up from the bottom. Make these decisions based on your FM experience to help shape your save world, making it easier or even that little bit harder.

Coaching Badges

Your Coaching Style

The big one. What is your footballing philosophy? Solid at the back? Entertainment or bust? Tactical tinkerer? Managers can choose up to three styles that reflect their coaching approach and influence in-game attributes, in combination with earlier manager creation choices.

Coaching Style

Experienced players will notice that FM26 presents manager attributes in a new way. Attributes are now expressed descriptively, better mirroring real-world management ability and adding greater depth to your personal managerial story.

Your Personality

A manager’s character matters. You can choose up to two Personality types that accurately reflect your in-game character and disposition - crucial for building relationships and for defining how you interact.

Personality

Your Style and Personality selections influence your managerial tendencies, shaping your approach, reputation and relationships in-game. Tendencies can change across your managerial career and can be earned and lost, but this is your starting point for defining what type of manager you want to be

Manager End Screen

You are now officially a manager in FM26. Step into the dugout. It's time to change the game. Let us know what manager you choose to be on our socials @FootballManager.

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