Sports Interactive Breaks Down the Football Manager 26 UI Overhaul

The beta for Football Manager 26 has been out for less than 24 hours, and already, players have been struggling to come to grips with the series’ new User Interface (UI). The entire layout has been rebuilt from the ground up, streamlining navigation but also leaving many veterans feeling like they’ve landed on a new planet.

To help players settle in, Sports Interactive has published a full breakdown of the redesigned UI, offering a crash course in four key tools that define how you’ll now move through the game: Bookmarks, Search, FMPedia, and Tutorials.

Navigating The FM26 UI

Gone is the sprawling left-side panel of old (I’ll miss you). FM26 now features a “simplified” top-bar navigation with six core categories and customizable Bookmarks. Players can pin up to twelve screens — from Tactics to Training — so their most-used areas are always a click away. It’s designed to make club management faster once you establish your routine.

The new Search bar isn’t just for finding players or teams anymore. It now pulls information from across your save — such as news items, staff updates, training modules, and FMPedia entries — giving you a single place to dig into any topic. Searching “Training,” for instance, will surface intensity settings, unit breakdowns, and relevant backroom messages.

Confused about us mentioning FMPedia, and wondering what that is? Well, it’s new this year and is essentially Football Manager’s in-game encyclopedia. Covering ten core areas like Squad, Tactics, and Transfers, each section links directly to related menus so you can learn and act without tabbing out. Think of it as your manual, guide, and wiki, all rolled into one.

Tutorials have been rebuilt to match the new layout. Each area now comes with interactive guidance that can be replayed anytime — a major help for both newcomers and returning players relearning the ropes.

Sports Interactive says the goal is a “smarter, smoother” UI that puts essential information front and center while cutting down on menu sprawl. For players still adapting, the studio’s new blog serves as the perfect roadmap to mastering the fresh look and feel of FM26.

If you wish to visit the source of this breakdown, check out this link. And if you’re just getting into Football Manager 26 and need some handy guides, check out our official FM26 game hub!