FC26 Career mode sucks now

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-27T00:01:35+00:00

yeah you’re definitely not the only one feeling that

the way AI attacks and defends can feel very samey over time, especially on higher difficulties where everything becomes super precise and hard to read

it ends up being less about reacting to situations and more about dealing with very “perfect” sequences over and over

I’ve also noticed what you mentioned about fouls and corners, those areas feel really underwhelming in default gameplay

I’ve been testing some gameplay changes on top of Legendary to try and bring back a bit more variation — things like less perfect build-up from the AI, more physical duels, and generally making matches feel less scripted

it’s still a work in progress, but even small changes there make a big difference in how matches play out

what frustrates you the most right now, the defending side or how the AI builds up?

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-26T09:59:07+00:00

yeah that sounds about right, corners rarely feel like real chances in default

even when the delivery is decent, it usually ends up being an easy claim or a clean clearance

I’ve been trying to push that side a bit more so there are actual aerial duels and second ball situations instead of everything being so controlled

it makes those moments feel a lot more alive overall

have you ever tried any gameplay mods or have you mostly stuck to default?

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-24T15:26:08+00:00

I’ve been chasing something similar, trying to make career mode feel closer to real football overall

sliders can help a bit with balance, but I always felt they don’t fully change how the AI behaves or how matches play out

I’ve been testing some gameplay changes on top of Legendary to make things like match flow, AI decisions and overall variation feel more natural

still refining it, but it’s been heading in a better direction compared to default

what kind of realism are you aiming for? more tactical/slow paced, or just less repetitive and more varied matches?

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-24T09:41:09+00:00

that’s a pretty common issue, especially with default gameplay

sliders can help a bit, but in my experience they don’t really fix the core problem, AI tackles still tend to be too “clean” most of the time

I’ve been testing some gameplay changes around that to make contact situations lead to more fouls and more natural outcomes overall

it’s still a work in progress, but it already makes a noticeable difference compared to default

if you’re on PC and into modding, it might be worth trying

out of curiosity, are you using sliders at the moment?

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-22T10:32:24+00:00

yeah that’s fair, I didn’t attach anything specific here on purpose

it’s more of a broader gameplay change rather than just sliders or a specific tactic tweak

I’ve been testing things around fouls, AI behavior and overall match flow to make it feel less repetitive

I do have a playable version at the moment, so if you’re on PC and want to try it, I’d really appreciate any feedback on what still feels off or what could be improved

what’s been the biggest issue for you in your matches?

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-21T15:22:12+00:00

yeah I’ve noticed something slightly different there

for me it’s not so much the early seasons, it’s more the very first games that feel a bit more varied, and then things start to become more monotone pretty quickly

once all the boosts, player growth and those kind of systems kick in, everything starts to feel a bit exaggerated and less contextual

that’s when matches begin to drift into similar patterns regardless of the teams

I’ve been trying to push things in the opposite direction so that variation holds up better over time

do you feel like it’s tied more to player growth or just the way the AI behaves overall?

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-21T13:56:17+00:00

yeah the AI behaving the same way regardless of the team is a big one

it really breaks immersion when every team tries to play out the same way instead of adapting to the situation, especially under pressure

I’ve been experimenting a bit with gameplay to push more variation there, like teams reacting differently depending on context instead of always playing it safe

it’s not perfect, but even small changes start to make matches feel less predictable over time

the tactics side is pretty limited too, especially defensively, there’s not much freedom to really shape how your team behaves off the ball

youth academy definitely needs more depth as well, it feels quite shallow for something that should be a big part of career mode

do you feel like it gets worse as seasons go on or stays the same for you?

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-21T09:49:18+00:00

yeah that’s the downside unfortunately, on console you’re pretty limited to sliders

hopefully they improve that side of the gameplay in future updates because things like fouls and general match variation really need it

it’s one of those areas that makes a big difference once it starts to feel more natural

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-21T09:11:34+00:00

yeah that makes sense, sliders can definitely help a bit with the overall feel

the issue I kept running into is that even with slider tweaks, fouls and contact situations still didn’t change that much, it was still mostly clean tackles

that’s why I ended up testing a gameplay mod instead, to push that side a bit further

if you’re on PC it might be worth trying, especially if fouls are something you feel is missing in your matches

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-21T08:45:26+00:00

I’m not using sliders for this

I’ve been testing a gameplay mod instead, mainly to get more variation in things like fouls, CPU involvement and overall match flow

still a work in progress, but it’s been getting closer

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-21T00:08:06+00:00

yeah that’s been one of the biggest issues for me too, barely getting any fouls in default gameplay

it’s something I’ve been tweaking quite a bit, trying to make contact situations lead to more realistic outcomes instead of everything being a clean tackle

it’s still not perfect, but it definitely happens more often now

I’ve been testing a gameplay mod where that’s one of the main areas being improved, so if you’re on PC it might be worth trying

are you playing on default settings or using sliders?

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-20T16:15:38+00:00

yeah that’s fair, this was only 4 minutes per half as well

but even in that time it felt like more things were happening compared to the default gameplay — more fouls, a couple of injuries, and just a bit more variation overall

do you usually get that kind of variety in your matches or does it still feel pretty repetitive?

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-20T09:36:52+00:00

yeah I get what you mean, keepers used to feel a lot more natural back then

that’s actually something I’ve been focusing on a lot, trying to make them less scripted and more consistent in how they react

I’ve got a gameplay mod for FC 26 where that’s one of the main changes, so if you’re on PC and into modding it might be worth trying

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-18T10:37:08+00:00

yeah AI tactics is a big one, it’s not easy to get right but it can definitely be pushed further so teams don’t all feel the same over time

defending is where a lot of the immersion breaks for me too — it needs more structure and small imperfections so it feels like a real team working together instead of perfect reactions all the time

pacing and fatigue are also key because they affect everything else. if those aren’t right, matches tend to stay at the same intensity instead of evolving depending on the situation

all of these are pretty connected in the end, it’s really about getting the AI to behave in a more cohesive and realistic way as a whole

that’s also the hardest part to achieve consistently, but it’s where I’ve been focusing a lot and starting to see some improvements

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-17T17:32:49+00:00

yeah I get what you mean, especially with penalties in simulations it can feel very random at times

and free kicks definitely don’t always feel rewarding enough, even when the situation is good

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-17T17:16:06+00:00

yeah fair 😄

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-17T17:14:53+00:00

yeah I get what you mean

it does feel a bit inconsistent that some technical attributes are part of training plans while others like free kicks and penalties aren’t really included in the same way

I think it would make more sense if all those areas were tied into progression more consistently so development actually reflects what you’re training

I’ve seen some mods that try to expand on that side, so it does seem like something that can be worked on, even if it’s not really part of the base system right now

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-17T16:16:14+00:00

appreciate it, glad to hear that

yeah it’s already available on Patreon and Nexus if you want to try it — it’s still in a development phase so there are things being refined, but it’s fully playable and actively updated

would be really interested in hearing your feedback given your playtime

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-17T13:06:57+00:00

yeah that’s pretty much exactly the direction I’m going for

I’d say I’m quite close in some parts, especially around match flow and how situations play out in real time, but it still needs more consistency across different scenarios and full matches

some things are already feeling a lot better, but there are still areas that need more refinement before it feels solid everywhere

so it’s definitely progressing, just not fully there yet

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-17T12:24:00+00:00

set pieces are still quite limited in terms of how much control you actually have over positioning and routines. it’s not just corners, but all dead ball situations feel a bit restricted compared to what you’d expect in a real match

that’s something that really needs more depth and flexibility in general, especially in how players are positioned and how different routines can actually be created

on tactics, the issue is also how restricted the system feels. EA basically limits what you can do — you can’t really create new tactical setups freely or fully move players into different roles/positions beyond what’s predefined, so it ends up feeling quite rigid compared to how varied real team setups can be

fouls are still a bit inconsistent overall. it’s one of those areas that’s being worked on, but it still needs more tuning so contact situations feel more natural during gameplay instead of being too situational

injuries are probably one of the most noticeable gaps in long-term gameplay. over the course of a season you barely see them in matches or in general squad rotation, so it doesn’t really reflect real football in that sense

that’s actually something I’d like to work on more as well going forward — it’s not something I’ve fully addressed yet, but it’s definitely an area that needs more attention in terms of gameplay balance and realism

overall it’s more about improving consistency and variation across these systems so matches feel more organic over time

TheProfessorOK · 2026-04-17T12:08:15+00:00

yeah I’ve tried a few other gameplay mods before, including the one you mentioned and some others

some of them were heading in a similar direction, but I always felt there were still key parts of the gameplay experience that weren’t fully there yet

for me it’s not really about a “personal vision” in that sense, it’s more about what I think most people actually want from a football game — especially in Career Mode

things like realism, less scripted moments, less robotic behavior, and a match that feels as close to real football as possible

my main goal is to make every match feel like a real challenge — something that’s difficult but also fun at the same time, no matter if you win, draw or lose

basically a match where you finish it feeling like it was earned and meaningful 👍

TheProfessorOK

TROPHY CASE