It’s not just the general gameplay of EA FC 26 that will be undergoing major changes, as Career mode is getting some long-overdue adjustments.
Career Mode allows you to play as either a player or a manager (or do both) for a club you love. The mode is the best offline content, and that trend will continue in EA FC 26. There has always been one big complaint about it: nothing changes. However, the same old mode will look new, thanks to some excellent additions.
All EA FC 26 Career mode deep dive highlights
Career mode, since its inception, has been a sandbox. You can do what you want and how you want. Things are spicing up under the hood this year, and the Manager Live section is at its core.
Manager Live
Unlike the conservative Career mode we all know, Manager Live will be different based on what’s happening in real life.
- Reflect what’s happening in the world of global football.
- Play your way, but be guided by pre-determined objectives.
- Live starting points will determine what type of experience you get to enjoy.
- New challenges will be provided weekly, with an annual target of over 150 custom scenarios.
- Interconnected rewards system.
Challenges will be based on your favorite club choices and the difficulty you prefer. You can enjoy multiple challenges on the same save (with certain limits), which makes the mode much more fun and entertaining. There will be plenty of toggles that you can enable to make the challenges harder. You can even apply custom limitations if you want to test your wits.
New rewards
Manager Live will have unique rewards, including cosmetics and more.
- Iconic retro kits are available for different clubs and countries.
- Last year, we could take icons into Career mode. In EA FC 26, you can unlock new icons and use squads of different eras.
- Use former legends with current-era squads to create a fantasy of your dreams.
Once unlocked, you can add the unlocked Icons to a squad of your choice and enjoy your customized squads. While we will start with a limited number of legends, the choices will increase as we complete more Manager Live challenges.
Manager market
For the first time, Career mode will have a manager market.
- Managers will have different objectives and job security. Completing the objectives will allow managers to be safe, while failure could cost them their jobs.
- Managers can also retire and leave, or they can also get fired.
- Caretaker managers will manage clubs occasionally (like in real life).
- You can even edit manager names and add your friend.
You can apply for jobs where the existing manager’s employment status is shaky. Some clubs will be more likely to hire you, while others might be looking for something else.
Career mode authenticity
Every save will be a lot more dynamic, and there will be unexpected events like food poisoning and financial insolvency. Similarly, there will be different problems taking place in your save consistently. This could be short-term issues like a new signing failing to settle in, while long-term issues like board takeovers can suddenly reduce your transfer kitty.
Plenty of quality of life improvements are being implemented in the mode, which we will be able to test out when EA FC 26 releases globally in September.
