Gameplay modes for different audiences – realism settings and sliders:

One thing EA Sports FC gets right is letting players decide how realistic or difficult they want their experience to be. In career mode you can now tweak the AI difficulty, adjust financial realism and even control the randomness of transfers.
Football Manager has always been a sandbox but it’s crying out for some customisation at the start of a save. Imagine choosing whether you want hyper-realistic transfers with clubs sticking to strict budgets, or a more chaotic world where anything goes. Or upping the difficulty so AI managers actively counter your tactics, rather than sticking to the same old formations for ten seasons straight. It wouldn’t take anything away from the purists who want to play the game as it is now, but for players looking for a real test, it could be a game-changer.

Dynamic career elements like live challenges:

EA Sports FC 25 introduced the ability to start your save at different points in the real-world season. If a manager gets sacked in October and a team is sliding towards relegation, you can jump in at that exact moment and try to save them.
Football Manager has nothing like this right now. Yes, we have challenge mode, but it’s a watered-down version that always starts in pre-season. A live challenges option where you could take over a real club mid-season, with all the fixtures and results synced to real life, would add so much replayability. It would also bring in lapsed players throughout the year rather than relying on the big launch window each November.

One season challenge mode:

This links closely to the live challenges idea. EA lets you take over for a single season and see what you can achieve under real-world pressure. Football Manager could easily adopt a similar mode: you have one season to save a team from relegation, win a trophy or hit a points target.
It would be perfect for content creators and casual fans who don’t have time for a 20-year save but still want the intensity FM is famous for.

POV camera mode and cutscenes:

Most Football Manager players don’t want to watch the whole match from the dugout. But cutscenes showing your manager reacting to a last-minute winner, storming into the dressing room at half-time or lifting a trophy would add a lot of flavour.
EA Sports FC has mastered these moments. They don’t drag on for too long and they make big games feel big. FM doesn’t need a full-blown story mode, but a few extra camera angles and moments of drama could make key matches far more memorable.

Full licensing and cover stars:

EA Sports FC has the money to throw at licensing deals. It means you get authentic stadiums, real managers and official branding for almost every competition. Football Manager has improved in this area but still lags behind. Even if SI can’t secure every licence, having real managers on the cover or as part of the game would be a nice touch. Imagine starting a save as Pep Guardiola or Xabi Alonso and seeing if you can do better than them. It wouldn’t change the core gameplay but it would make the whole package feel more polished.

Final Thoughts:

EA Sports FC career mode is still miles behind Football Manager in terms of depth. But the presentation, accessibility and mid-season flexibility are areas where EA is arguably ahead. If Football Manager 2026 borrowed live challenges, custom difficulty sliders, one-season modes, proper cutscenes and more licensing, it wouldn’t lose any of the hardcore simulation appeal. It would simply give players more ways to enjoy the best football management game on the planet.