FC 26 Career Mode Suggestions

Hi, this will be quite long, but I think this would elevate the mode and make it much better and more fun.

Transfers

The transfer system still feels outdated and lacks realism and depth. The ideas below focus on improving that and making the mode more immersive.

1. Negotiation Realism and Depth

More dynamic and reactive negotiations:

AI responses are still too binary. Players or clubs either accept or reject offers with little nuance. There should be multi-stage negotiations, including counter-offers, future promises (e.g., "crucial role next season"), or delayed decisions (e.g., "The player wants to wait until the end of the season").

Include agents and intermediaries:

Introduce agents as a layer in transfer talks. Agents could demand bonuses, sell-on clauses, or contractual guarantees (like a release clause or a specific position promise).

Player personality & motives:

Not all players are driven purely by salary or team prestige. Some should prioritize playing time, geographical preferences, trophy ambitions, or reuniting with former managers/teammates.

2. Transfer Variety & Market Realism

Loan-to-buy and performance-based options:

These should be more impactful and frequent. Right now, most loan deals feel hollow. Add obligations based on appearances, team results, or player form.

Buy-and-loan:

We need to be able to buy a player from a club and let them keep him on loan for 6 months or a year.

Realistic transfer market behavior:

Mid-table or lower-tier clubs making 100M+ signings breaks immersion. AI teams should follow realistic financial and squad-building logic, with board approval and budget constraints visible during negotiations.

3. Scouting and Transfer Targets

Smarter and more in-depth scouting reports:

Scouts often recommend unrealistic targets for your club’s level. Allow us to set scouting profiles more clearly (e.g., "U23 CM with <€20M value from South America").

Transfer target logic for AI clubs:

Too often, AI clubs sign too many players or let key ones go for cheap. AI logic should respect squad roles, depth, and form more and actually do proper squad-building.

Competition for players:

Add active competition from rival clubs, where a target may lean toward your offer or another club based on multiple factors like salary, role, or team performance.

4. User Interface and Presentation

Revamped negotiation cutscenes:

The cutscenes feel repetitive and lifeless. Add meaningful dialogue choices, more visual diversity (e.g., office, lounge, deadline-day scenes), and real-time feedback on the negotiation process.

Deadline Day improvements:

Make deadline day feel like deadline day: dynamic ticker updates, AI clubs making panic buys, rumors, and even last-minute hijacks.

5. Player Morale and Transfer Impact

Squad reaction to signings or departures:

Bringing in a rival for a player’s position should affect morale. Selling a fan favorite should affect locker room mood unless justified (e.g., too old, underperforming).

Locker room dynamics in transfers:

Add elements like player cliques, preferred nationalities, or locker room leaders that influence the success of a new signing’s integration.

To sum ts up:
The transfer system in Career Mode needs an upgrade. Adding depth, emotion, logic, and variety to the system will make playing it feel more immersive, and a lot more fun.

Team Management and Morale

A football club is more than just tactics and transfers. It needs to feel more real and more human, not just menus and numbers.

1. Revamp the Morale System

Proper Pre-Season:

Pick a destination to go to, organize friendlies, mini-tournaments with clubs, increase popularity in said country, maybe even team-building activities for the team (in the form of cutscenes) that boost morale, happiness etc.

Team Building activities:

To double down on that, they could be very useful even outside of the pre-season, but during the season in cases where the team's morale has dropped due to form, league position and other factors. Some activities, going to a restaurant, organizing a BBQ and etc, could be a quick way to boost morale. You could even implement a manager personal life system, where you pay for those things out of your own paycheck.


Make morale more dynamic and impactful:

Right now, morale only changes through generic press conferences or match performance. It should be influenced by training intensity, squad role fulfillment, team results, dressing room relationships, and even club objectives.

Visible morale trends & player psychology:

Let us see morale graphs over time, short-term vs long-term happiness, and emotional traits (e.g., "resilient," "insecure," "leader" etc) that affect how players react to setbacks or being benched.

More player feedback:

Add regular in-game messages or meetings from players (or their agents) about morale, similar to Football Manager. E.g., “I’ve been playing well but haven’t started lately. I need an explanation.”

2. Squad Hierarchy and Locker Room Atmosphere

Introduce a squad hierarchy system:

Like seen in some other management sims, introduce clear tiers of influence. Like leaders, core players, team players, new signings, and prospects. The influence of a player should affect morale swings and locker room cohesion.

Team chemistry and cliques:

Players from the same nationality, academy background, or past teams may form cliques. Friction or synergy between cliques could influence team chemistry, especially after major transfers or leadership changes.

Conflict management:

Introduce small internal disputes like players arguing over playing time, leadership battles, or dissatisfaction with team tactics. The manager should be able to intervene through dialogue choices or disciplinary actions.

3. Training and Player Development

Training impact on morale and fatigue:

Training sessions should affect both match sharpness and player happiness. Overtraining should lead to fatigue or minor injuries, while undertraining might affect development and morale.

Individual development paths:

Add clearer player goals, e.g., "wants to become a regular starter in 2 seasons," or "aims to play for national team." Tailoring development plans to their goals could boost morale or growth speed.

Mentorship programs:

Allow experienced players to mentor young talents, speeding development and improving morale. E.g., pairing a veteran CB with a young prospect could unlock faster progression and stronger chemistry.

4. Club Atmosphere and Form

Momentum and morale swings:

A string of wins should create a positive vibe that lifts the whole squad. Conversely, a poor run should generate pressure from the media, the board, and inside the locker room.

Press conference impact expanded:

Press interactions feel shallow. Tie them more directly into player-specific morale. If you back a struggling player in public, it should increase his morale (or create resentment in others if undeserved).

Fan and board pressure systems:

Let the manager feel pressure from the fans (e.g., trending hashtags or crowd reactions) and board politics. Selling a fan-favorite or playing ultra-defensive at home could trigger backlash even if results are acceptable.

5. Matchday Management and Squad Roles

Player reaction to tactical decisions:

Players should react to being subbed early, being played out of position, or sitting on the bench in crucial matches. Consistent misuse should lower morale and loyalty.

More impactful squad roles:

Squad roles should go beyond "crucial/rotation." Add flexible roles like "Impact Sub," "Development Project," or "Club Leader." Their expectations and morale sensitivity should align with their defined role. We can't have every 80 rated player we sign expect to be "important" or "crucial" and outright denying a lower role like "rotation". It needs to be more realistic than that based on the squad and club size, as well as depth. It could also tie in with the suggestion about player-specific goals like to become a starter in 1-2 years.

To sum it up:
Team management in Career Mode needs to move beyond just menus. FC 26 needs to focus on the emotional aspect of leading a club and everything that comes with it like conflicts, personalities, momentum, pressure, and chemistry. All that affects how the team performs, and having more control over those things would most definitely make the game more fun.

I know the main focus has never been on Career Mode, but these things could make it amazing to play.

Thanks for reading, if anyone even made it to here. I will add more things if I think of anything. 🤠

Discord is: @havokfr