What's New in FM27

0:00 Football Manager 27's new features fall into the eight deep dives Sports Interactive (SI) published between Sep 25 and Oct 27, 2026: a clearer interface with navigation bars and Bookmarks, a deeper football world where Cup Draws and Transfer Deadline Day return, a new match day atmosphere, Tactical Tweaks and a match engine built with Hawk-Eye data, Tactical Effectiveness and training rebuilt around match preparation, 2D match engine and In-Game Editor changes, a more personal and accessible game, and Shuffle Draft, a new multiplayer mode. SEGA's own short list is "Tactical Tweaks, Tactical Effectiveness and Continue Flow customisation". Much of FM27 is also a return of things Football Manager 26 left out. Everything here comes from SI's reveals of development builds, which SI says may change before release, and the game has been playable in its Launch Preview since Oct 29. The clip is SI's Oct 19, 2026 gameplay preview, recorded on a recent development build.

Every FM27 deep dive at a glance

Dates are those of SI's Steam copies; SI's own feature pages are undated, and TheSixthAxis reported the interface video on Sep 22. Two license posts, the Arkema Première Ligue on Oct 19 and the ROSHN Saudi League on Oct 27, sit outside the eight; see Leagues and Licenses.

Interface and navigation

0:34 SI's first deep dive answers FM26's biggest complaint. FM27 "evolves our existing design language while reintroducing familiar behaviours", in SI's words. The primary bar has six sections, Portal, Squad, Tactics, Recruitment, Training and Club, each with a drop-down; Preferences sets which screen each opens. A control panel at the top of each area holds its key actions, such as team meetings and delegation in Squad.

Asked whether there are fewer of FM26's pop-up cards, SI answers "Yes": many are full screens again. Tiles mostly show information now, and some can be swapped for another tile of the same size. Messages show news and scout reports inside them, keyboard Shortcuts can be remapped, Bookmarks get text labels and can be reordered, and ultrawide monitors are supported, with Small, Medium and Large layouts at 1440p and above. See Interface and Navigation.

A deeper football world

3:11 The second deep dive brings back things FM26 lacked. Cup Draws "are back in a familiar format", hosted by a presenter, and you can draw one team at a time or skip ahead. Transfer Deadline Day is restored as a bigger moment, with agent offers shown on the Recruitment screen all window. News is split into For You, transfer news and world football, and adds season previews, mid-season check-ins and title run-in previews.

Club, competition and nation screens were redesigned, a Competitions Hub snapshots every loaded league, and player Career History is a full screen again. Continue Flow lets you choose how often the game stops (Streamlined, Balanced, Comprehensive or Custom), and Continue now takes you to different key game areas instead of always returning to News. In negotiations, young players weigh game time more and scout reports show sell-on clauses. See Continue Flow and the Football World, Recruitment and Scouting and Transfers and Contracts.

Match day

0:26 The third deep dive is about atmosphere. Crowds wear home shirts and weather-appropriate layers and wave club flags, crowd sound changes with the size of the occasion, and stadiums have SI's "largest variety of stands, corners, and roofs to date". A new time-of-day system moves the light and weather across 90 minutes, pitches look wetter in rain, snow settles, and grass is 3D in close-ups. Cutscenes pick from several camera angles by the game's importance, licensed competitions get their own pre-match and trophy shots, and players gain more body types and hair physics. See Match Day Experience.

Tactical Tweaks and the match engine

2:10 The fourth deep dive adds Tactical Tweaks: combined instructions on the match screen beside the Shouts, such as swapping the wingers, sending the goalkeeper up, playing with more urgency or reducing the press, which stay on until you turn them off. Shouts were rebuilt to change players' mental state rather than nudge attributes, and new player instructions cover arriving late in the box or attacking the defensive line.

0:20 In the engine, movement and acceleration were rebuilt from Hawk-Eye Innovations data, new skill moves depend on Flair and Dribbling, defenders jockey in one-on-ones, attacking the box was revamped, and stamina affects sprints and recovery over 90 minutes. Heat Maps and Action Zones return during matches and Pass Maps after them. See Tactical Tweaks and Shouts and Match Engine.

Training and Tactical Effectiveness

0:54 The fifth deep dive brings FM27's biggest new system. Tactical Effectiveness builds on Tactical Familiarity and rests on four areas: Tactical Understanding, Player Ability, Player Buy-In and Next Match Information. Gauges on the Tactics, Training and Recruitment screens show how well your team can carry out your plan. Tactical Complexity measures how many instructions you use: complex tactics take longer to work but can reach higher.

Training's old Units system is replaced by setups aimed at the next match, with team sessions on things like pressing intensity. Copy and paste of schedules returns, individual training stays, and international camps get training plans, added after community feedback. See Tactical Effectiveness, Training, Tactics and International Management.

2D match engine, In-Game Editor and quality of life

The Oct 16 post collects many smaller changes. The 2D engine gets smaller ball and player discs, a stronger ball shadow, discs showing feet instead of arrows, and more transparent nets. The In-Game Editor gets a brand-new full-screen interface. The Data Hub shows finer per-90 figures for eight stats, including xG, non-penalty xG and xA, and splits passes into Short, Medium and Long.

It also adds a concussion protocol built with the Professional Footballers' Association, where a player needs a neurologist's clearance; 14 fixture-scheduling fixes, including the Champions League draw and English city rivals not playing at home on the same day; four new player status flags; Best XI screens; and the Daylight Offside rule, switchable in the Pre-Game Editor. See Data Hub, Editors and Mods and Staff, Board and Finances.

More personal and accessible

The Oct 15 deep dive covers you and your players. The Manager Creator adds body morphs, more ethnicity options, better skin and facial hair, woolen hats and caps, jumpers, scarves, gloves and the returning color picker, and a manager can use an electric-powered wheelchair, seen from the start screen to the trophy lift. Favorite Club returns with up to four clubs. Newgens get better skin, hair, lighting and more facial poses. Font sizes are larger, and SI lists a new accessibility section in Preferences. See Manager Creator and Youth Development and Newgens.

Shuffle Draft

2:09 The last deep dive, on Oct 27, introduces Shuffle Draft, made with FIFAe as a reimagining of Fantasy Draft. From 2 to 32 managers draft from sets of 20 players that pass round, in public or private lobbies or offline against AI, then play a Knockout Cup, Group + Knockout or League. It is in the free Launch Preview. See Shuffle Draft. The clip is Omega Luke's first try of the mode in the Launch Preview, on Nov 1, 2026, drafting against the AI.

Licenses and the database

FM27 has more than 18 million database changes and 1,500 competition updates, new competitions in Chile and Peru, and two new fully licensed leagues, the Arkema Première Ligue and the ROSHN Saudi League. Saudi Arabia becoming playable raises the count to 59 playable nations. See Leagues and Licenses and Women's Football.

What returns from earlier games

Much of FM27's list is FM26's gaps filled. SI names these returning features and behaviors:

• Cup Draws and Transfer Deadline Day
• Heat Maps, Action Zones and Pass Maps
• Best XI screens, seasonal and historic
• Copy and paste of training schedules
• The screen toggle button and calendar links
• Full-screen Career History and player profiles
• Favorite Club and the Manager Creator's color picker

Sources: SI, Sep 25, 2026; SI, Oct 16, 2026; SI, Oct 15, 2026.

FM Scout reports that SI said in a Sep 23 Q&A the end-of-season review is "not currently set to be a returning feature for FM27", and FM Scout's comparison notes the sidebar is not back. The full comparison is on FM27 vs FM26.

What SI has not covered

As of Nov 1, 2026, none of the eight deep dives describes changes to set pieces, the role list or the tactical presets FM26 introduced, press conferences, or youth intakes, and SI's promised posts on FM27 Console, FM27 Mobile and FM27 Touch had not appeared. FM27 Touch's named changes so far are the iPhone Skin, Recruitment and Match Preparation. See FM27 Touch.

Frequently asked questions

What's new in FM27? FM27's main new features are Tactical Effectiveness, Tactical Tweaks, revamped Shouts, training built around match preparation, a reworked interface, Continue Flow, a new match day atmosphere, match engine upgrades with Hawk-Eye data, and the Shuffle Draft multiplayer mode. Cup Draws and Transfer Deadline Day return.

Does FM27 fix FM26's interface? Sports Interactive says FM27 reintroduces familiar behaviors, with fewer pop-up cards, navigation bars with drop-downs, editable Shortcuts and Bookmarks. FM Scout rated three of FM26's six main complaints fixed and three partly fixed before release.

Are Cup Draws back in FM27? Yes. Cup Draws return in FM27 as a presenter-hosted draw you can watch team by team or skip, and Transfer Deadline Day is restored too.

Is there a new game mode in FM27? Yes. Shuffle Draft is FM27's new multiplayer draft mode, made with FIFAe, for 2 to 32 managers online or offline against AI.

What is Tactical Effectiveness in FM27? Tactical Effectiveness is FM27's measure of how well your players can carry out your tactic, built on Tactical Familiarity and driven by Tactical Understanding, Player Ability, Player Buy-In and Next Match Information.

Are heat maps back in FM27? Yes. Heat Maps and Action Zones return in FM27's match screens, and Pass Maps return in the post-match Data Hub.

Sources

• FM27 Features, Sports Interactive, as of Nov 1, 2026
• Football Manager 27 Licences, Sports Interactive, Oct 28, 2026
• FM27: Introducing Shuffle Draft, Sports Interactive, Oct 27, 2026
• FM27: Introducing Shuffle Draft (Steam), Sports Interactive, Oct 27, 2026
• Roshn Saudi League makes debut in FM27, Sports Interactive, Oct 27, 2026
• What we know about Football Manager 2027, FM Scout, Oct 27, 2026
• FM27 vs FM26: Is SI Fixing What Went Wrong?, FM Scout, Oct 23, 2026
• Play Football Manager 27 for free, SEGA Europe, Oct 21, 2026
• FM27 Touch launches on Apple Arcade from November 10, Sports Interactive, Oct 20, 2026
• Arkema Première Ligue fully licensed in Football Manager 27, Sports Interactive, Oct 19, 2026
• FM27: 2D Match Engine, In-Game Editor and Deeper World Upgrades, Sports Interactive, Oct 16, 2026
• FM27: More Personal, Accessible and Yours, Sports Interactive, Oct 15, 2026
• FM27: Training and Tactical Effectiveness, Sports Interactive, Oct 9, 2026
• FM27: Training and Tactical Effectiveness (Steam), Sports Interactive, Oct 9, 2026
• FM27: Tactical Tweaks and Match Engine Upgrades, Sports Interactive, Oct 5, 2026
• FM27: An Elevated Match Day Atmosphere, Sports Interactive, Sep 30, 2026
• FM27: Clearer Interface & Smoother Navigation, Sports Interactive, Sep 25, 2026
• FM27: Clearer Interface & Smoother Navigation (Steam), Sports Interactive, Sep 25, 2026
• FM27: A Deeper, More Immersive Football World, Sports Interactive, Sep 25, 2026
• Deeper Football World: Increased Immersion in FM27 (Steam), Sports Interactive, Sep 25, 2026
• Football Manager 27's first deep dive video is all about the UI and navigation, TheSixthAxis, Sep 22, 2026
• Gameplay Preview: New Features & Upgrades in Action | FM27, Football Manager, Oct 19, 2026 (video)
• Clearer Interface & Smoother Navigation | FM27 Feature Deep Dive, Football Manager, Sep 22, 2026 (video)
• A Deeper Football World | FM27 Feature Deep Dive, Football Manager, Sep 25, 2026 (video)
• An Elevated Match Day Atmosphere | FM27 Feature Deep Dive, Football Manager, Sep 30, 2026 (video)
• Tactical Tweaks and Match Engine Upgrades | FM27 Feature Deep Dive, Football Manager, Oct 5, 2026 (video)
• Training and Tactical Effectiveness | FM27 Feature Deep Dive, Football Manager, Oct 9, 2026 (video)
• We Try FM27 New Draft Mode!, Omega Luke, Nov 1, 2026 (video)