'Fundamentally ridiculous' FM26 issue is finally fixed in latest update

The latest changes to Football Manager 26 have been revealed as the game's developers continue to make regular updates to improve players' experience in the virtual dugout.

With another 300 changes to various bugs, issues and features, developers Sports Interactive have held firm on promises to fix what some termed an "unplayable" game on launch. And now, with Update 5, one feature fans have been calling out for has been implemented.

However, Sports Interactive have once again decided to go down the route of releasing it via the Steam Public Beta Track before making the update available generally. It means should gamers wish to get their hands on the new and improved FM26, they'll have to access it through Steam.

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At the moment, there is no official indication when the update will be made available to the player base at large. However, if it follows the same pattern as previous patches, FM players can expect to be able to access Update 5 within days, if not the following imminently.

Sports Interactive confirmed that the update is available via the Steam Public Beta Track as of Wednesday, December 10. It means players have been able to enjoy one major change that they say should have been in place from the start.

Developers have made a drastic improvement to the screen players see at half-time and full-time during matchday. The half-time and post-match report is now significantly more useful with more information and taking up more of the screen, leaving less empty space.

Formations and player ratings for both teams are now both clearly available, as well as match stats, data and live scores and tables for the relevant competition. Gamers have made their feelings clear on social media, with Reddit users in particular praising the move.

One wrote: "Am I dreaming? Useful information easily accessible in FM26?"

Another said: "This new halftime/end of match screen is what we should have during the match. Not post match. During."

A third replied: "Agreed we need it during but it's a start at least. Fundamentally ridiculous this wasn't the default on release."

Another change has caught the attention of players, who found one bug particularly funny: "'Players who have recently left the team no longer display as an option for Set Piece Takers.' What a bug lol."

Another laughed: "Would be hysterical if they'd actually show up just to take your set pieces." However, it's not all great news.

One more user pointed out: "There is a new bug after the update. When you select players after a finished match and go to Training → Rest → 1 day, all selected players are automatically moved to 'surplus to requirements', and they become unhappy."

The new patch includes "300+ changes", according to a member of Sports Interactive's community team. Writing on the developer's official forum, they confirmed that the update would have to be delayed outside of the Steam Public Beta Track due to a knock-on issue.

The statement read: "After rolling out via the Steam Public Beta Track yesterday, a knock-on issue was identified that would cause players to be incorrectly offered out for transfer if multiple players were selected to be rested. This has now been addressed.

"Pushing out this hotfix also allowed us to include a few other changes that missed the previous deadline. There have been further stability improvements made, while also rectifying a display issue with the Live Table position change arrows.

"We’ll continue to monitor feedback over the next few days with an aim of a full platform rollout next week. Thank you for your support."

The full list of changes can be found on the Sports Interactive forum, but here are some of the key improvements made in the FM26 Update 5 changelist:

Technical Issues

Various Crash and Stability fixes.
Fixed a softlock when selecting the Best of the Rest club expectation, then removing it when accepted.
In-game items (Tactics, set pieces, shortlists, etc) will now show the correct time when saved.
Fixed a rare issue where certain saves couldn't be loaded after switching from the Steam Public Beta Track in the last update.
Fixed a rare issue of crowd noise audio continuing after the match has been completed.

User Interface (UI)

Improved half time and post-match report screen (shown below). Improved past-match report screen.
Fixed an issue with the NXGN & Top Player in the World Award news items not displaying all the candidates.
Fixed an issue where the UI would become unresponsive after selecting the same Shout option twice in a row.
Players who have recently left the team no longer display as an option for Set Piece Takers.

Gameplay

Improvements to player logic for wanting a new contract.
Resolved an issue where loan players were recalled to be sold at illogical times of the season.
Fixed a rare issue where AI club would make future fee loan bid for player who has just joined the users club.
Loan players can no longer get recalled if the loan club has trigged the buy clause.
Fixed an issue where the Qualifying for UEFA Champions League conditional future fee would be triggered by qualifying for any European Competition.