Football Manager 26 feature fans begged for is finally back in new update

Football Manager 26's latest major update has arrived and it includes the revival of a feature many fans lamented losing in the first place.

The game's developers Sports Interactive have released Update 26.1.3, which includes a whole host of bug fixes and gameplay tweaks. A few contentious problems that have been highlighted by players since launch have finally been remedied and one 'meta' tactic used by Football Manager players for years has been rendered less effective.

But there's one thing that FM26 players are delighted to see in the new update. Sports Interactive have made good on their promise to bring pass maps back to the game, giving FM26 a new data-led feature that users had called for since the game's launch in November 2025.

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Fan reaction has been largely positive to the update, especially the inclusion of pass maps. One Reddit user commenting on the patch notes wrote: "We are so back."

Another replied: "The lack of pass maps was the final straw that made me refund." A third said: "Wild that we waited 3 months to see this."

Fans have also said they are relieved that one issue is "finally" resolved. A bug during matches would often display the substitutes out of order, which for FM gamers who ordered their subs in positions would mean an organisational nightmare.

One Redditor wrote: This one took surprisingly long. I, for one, enjoy the game but these odd bugs really undermine the finish. Like typos in a book."

Also tweaked is the transfer logic for Saudi Pro League clubs, who users complained would often 'lowball' clubs in transfer offers. Another bizarre problem that's reportedly fixed in the latest patch is one where the latest score or Dugout event would "inform users of a goal before it happened" in game.

The changelist can be seen below.

Football Manager 26 Update 26.1.3 - patch notes and changelist

Technical Issues

• Various Crash and Stability fixes
• Fixed a Crash on Hotseat Mode after finishing the 1st match of the day
• Fixed Crash on Tactics screen when rapidly switching between In & Out Possession
• Fixed an issue causing a black screen appearing for several seconds when entering second match as hot seat manager
• Match Engine (Changes include but are not limited to)
• Lowered the frequency of rain in matches across all leagues
• Defensive improvements against strikerless formations
• Tweaks to the frequency that AI managers make substitutions during matches
• Improvements to how players react to shots that hit the post
• Improvements to short goal kick decisions from GK
• Improvements to wide player pressing logic
• Improvements to marking decisions from midfielders during pressing situations
• Improvements to marking of runs made from deep
• Improved dribbling logic to allow dribbler to perform 180-turns where appropriate instead of running into a dead end
• Improvements to how 'trap inside' instruction affects team shape when opposition has a goal kick
• Fixes to wide midfielders sitting too deep in 442 OOP formation in high press setups
• Channel Midfielder at CM now correctly rotates into AM strata after build-up phase
• Added ability for players to control the ball with their head in certain situations to bring the ball down
• Adjustments to OOP tactical positions of Wide AMs to now keep width better
• You are now able to select more than one player in a match to bring up the player's name with Ctrl/Alt, Left Click
• Fixed an issue where VAR captions would sometimes display over a goal replay
• Fixed an issue where league trophy celebration wouldn't trigger in certain leagues
• Assortment of animation fixes
• Increased the quality of the 2D Discs when on 2D Classic View

User Interface (UI)

• Added Pass Maps to the Last Match section in the Data Hub
• Added Pass Maps to the Match UI in the Formation carousel and Half Time/Full Time Reports
• Added Pass Maps as Dugout advice

Added icons next to the shout instructions on the Shouts dropdown menu

Added latest scores and live league table to in-highlights tile that opens from pressing the 'stats' button at the top right

Improvements made to Club League History Graph

Fixed an issue where Latest Scores/Dugout event would inform user about a goal before it happened

Users team is now clearly labelled on both the Tile and Card in Data Hub visuals

Striker's shirt is no longer cutoff in Tactics tile on Match Day screen

Player name no longer appears at the top of the sub bench when subbed off

Fixed an issue causing Subs to display out of order in a match

Penalties scored during a match are now visible within Post Match News

Fixed an issue causing the Past Winners card being empty for certain competitions

Added a formations tile in the Past Match - Match Report card

Added a scroll bar to Tactical Styles on the Training Schedules card

Added a carousel on the medical centre tile so users can view U21 or U18 injuries

Fixed an issue where the incorrect Out of Possession Role tile could appear on Player Instructions > Out of Possession

Fixed an issue causing low-res images to be present on Set Pieces screen

Choosing Clean Slate on Tactics creator will now correctly take you to the fully populated "All" tab

B-Team ability and potential is now correctly displayed on Squad & Player Report screens

Resolved an issue where 'Grey' players in subs list could cause player positions to display incorrectly in the squad bar menu

Fixed a very rare issue making the user unable to enter matches after using Clear Squad or Quick Pick

The hierarchy column within Squad > Dynamics > Happiness will now sort correctly

No longer able to select a player as a vice captain if they're out on loan

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue where B-Team staff weren't joining the club after they were recruited
• Fixed an issue where some transfers would not display within Transfer History tool
• Staff search now displays comparable ratings to Staff Report
• Fixed a rare issue where the Board would be delighted about an objective being completed that occurred before user took over at the club
• Agents no longer illogically suggest to 'Make an Offer Now' alongside 'Wait for Contract Expiry.'

Young players with Training Targets won't become unhappy after a loan offer is accepted for them

Scouted players will now appear in the Squad Comparison section of the Shortlist tool

Tweaks to Saudi clubs making repeated lowball offers for a star player

Teams should no longer take excessively long to appoint a new manager

Fixed an issue within Match Meetings that would state that the team could 'qualify for the Premier League' when it should be referencing the Champions League.

UAE clubs now have a more realistic number of first team players

Advice button no longer shows when users manager is unemployed

Tweaked the AI logic to ensure when you use the Ask Assistant button to select an MLS squad it will no longer breach the salary cap

Recruitment Transfer History > Appearance column will now specify if appearances were starts or substitutions

User will now receive a message that a requested coaching course is confirmed/rejected by the board

User is now able to manually select coach assignments for Reserve/Youth teams

If a player is deemed 'Not for Sale', the fee cited in the Media Speculation News Item will no longer display as £226m

News articles will now make reference to a player's previous stint at the same club if they're a former player, rather than treating them like a brand-new signing.

Player Biographies should no longer have any inaccurate information

Set Transfer Status action is now correctly disabled for Non-Contract Players

The agreed transfer fee now displays correctly on Transfer Activity screen if user has negotiated a deal with an intermediary

User will now get a summary news item about recent press conferences if media responsibilities have been delegated

Fixed an issue causing Women's Football news story to appear under Men's News classification

Tweaked the number of injuries occurring at AI controlled clubs within Women's Football

NWSL Clubs are no longer given sponsorship deals with relegation clauses within Women's Football

Adjustments made to female player wage demands in the Australian League

In-Game Editor (IGE)

• The Editor icon is now correctly enabled when on the First Team card
• In-game currency will no longer change if user edits financial information with the IGE tools
• Nation information now visible on lists when moving a player using the IGE
• Hidden columns on 1-20 scale are now correctly colour coded
• User can now add multiple Club Affiliations to a player
• "Move to my club" option now showing on all unemployed staff
• Added confirmation dialog when moving a person to a role that is taken or maxed out
• Fixed 'Become Unsackable' incorrectly appearing as right-click action when multiple players were selected