Career Mode is essentially a role-playing system in EA Sports FC 26, where you create your Player or Manager and then shape their journey over the course of the season. The initial steps you need to take in order to accomplish this can be quite confusing, however.
This guide is a complete explainer for the Career Mode in EA Sports FC 26.
Career Mode Setup
Begin by choosing to manage the career of either a Player or a Manager. Any necessary updates in terms of data must be downloaded after this step through the prompt, but can also be done manually via Settings -> Edit Teams -> Download Updates.
Manager Career
Managers can be custom created, if Real Managers aren’t suited to your style.
A Manager’s career progresses by assembling a winning squad through scouting and developing recruits with the assistance of coaches, and then amassing trophies.
Youth Scouting
The three youth talent scouts are foundational members of your management staff, as they are who discover the talent pool for your Youth Academy to sign, and who in turn will eventually develop into prospective picks either for the squad or to trade away.
A scout with good judgment affects player quality, while experience determines the player quantity scouted each interval.
A number of other scouting factors can be tweaked as well, from location to positions to roles.
Youth Squad
These up and comers represent the new blood that you can tap into for further development, either for the team or to trade. Scouts can only do so much as they seek out above average OVR recruits based on criteria that you have set, with the remainder of the task down to player development of specific styles and skills at the hands of competent coaches.
Youth talent can also be recognized in periodic youth tournaments in order to slowly but surely raise their OVR, until they eventually qualify for a real team.
Global Transfer Network
Up to six scouts can be dispatched to scour the world for professional talent based on pre-determined instructions. These can range from age to style to role and everything in between. Once again, the scouts’ judgment and experience determine quality and quantity of prospects, respectively.
The scouts will periodically submit reports, providing you with basic information on potential recruits. More advanced reports can then be requested, including player value and estimated transfer fees.
Once you have a shortlist, it is time to begin negotiations for a trade, with a number of acquisition methods at your disposal. Whether you opt to buy, loan, or swap, be aware that lowball offers can be rejected outright with no room for further discussion.
Coaching
Coach Management is how Managers select and hire coaches from the Coach Market. These Coaches level up players in specific departments, thus improving the abilities of the squad as a whole.
Hiring coaches is as straightforward as picking one for specific player skill development, though good tactical knowledge is just as important.
Coaches level up over time themselves, based on wins garnered with tactical presets, so it is advisable to hold on to coaches with an average rating if you already employ them.
Live Start Points
Analogous to fantasy football systems, Live Start Points let you play a speculative version of events from the ongoing real-world season, built on a foundation of real-life data. You can jump in at any point in the timeline as well. Both Players and Managers can embark on this alternative reality journey.
Player Career
While playing as a Real or Icon Player is straightforward, new player avatars can customize their background through Origin Stories.
A Player’s career progresses by going through training, completing objectives in matches, and various other gameplay activities.
These Origin Stories will have some bearing on team relationships and career progression.
Leveling Up In Career Mode
Players, on the other hand, must complete a variety of Training Drills and match objectives in order to drive up their Manager Rating, which has a bearing on whether your player gets shunted to the sidelines or worse, off of the team.
That is everything there is to know about Career Mode in EA Sports FC 26.