M.C - Comments

Thanks - I think, just to be certain, I would like to see the screenshot of what files appear further down the list (as I do note the scrollbar).

I can tell from the file size (1,240kb) that this is still the ‘previous’ file, in any case. So that confirms that part, anyway. Mentioning that as you may feel it not worth continuing the troubleshooting knowing it is a file being replaced overnight tonight in the free tier.

Just FYI, the previous version of the file (the one you're using), in-game, shows the name “E20 - England to L11”, which is just an artefact/leftover from the way the original owner named it. I suspect it is in your list, but you're just not realising it has that name instead (and I appreciate that is confusing). From tomorrow (when the new file becomes avaiable on the free tier), it'll carry a name, in-game, consistent with all of our other files.

As I say, I have just downloaded and installed the same version you're on and I can definitively say I can't replicate the file not showing. I see it - and the two other files - and when I select all three, I get the effects of having it selected.

Just acknowledging - also, I've moved your post into our dedicated ‘Troubleshooting’ thread.

Certainly, you should definitely see all three files when starting up the game. Even on the previous version of the file (i.e. before today's updated England file) that should be the case.

Now, in terms of seeing the updated 2026/27 leagues, that will rely on the version of the Data Update you've downloaded ‘integrating’ the newly-uploaded file into the download. I have a feeling that, on the free tier, this updates on the once-per-day schedule that the other files do. Therefore, on the free tier, you should see the new file in the download from about 04:30 tomorrow morning UKT. One way you can definitely verify that is the case is to check the last modified date on the file from within the zip (i.e. before you extract it/move them out). If this shows a timestamp of April 2026, then it's still the old file. If it shows a timestamp of June 2026, its the new file. But it's important to check that modified date inside the downloaded zip file. As soon as you move the file out, it stamps a new modified date and I don't want to confuse you.

I think it is highly likely that the new file will appear for users of the free tier overnight tonight.

However, the old file, that you've just downloaded, should still work. I've just downloaded an earlier version with that file and tested it to replicate what you would have downloaded…and I can see all three files, select them and use them. So perhaps there is an installation issue at your end and, if you'd like help troubleshooting it (appreciating that you'll likely grab the new version tomorrow, anyway), then to help me do that please share a screenshot of your ‘editor data’ folder and a screenshot of the database setup screen in-game where the enabled custom database files can be selected.

I have just uploaded the new file for England for FM26. This will be available in the update immediately for those with the Enhanced Data Update and from tomorrow morning (~04:30 BST on 02/06/2026) onwards for those on the free tier.

This file contains playable divisions down to Level 11. It contains updated constitutions (promotions/relegations) reflecting 2026/27 down to Level 6 (National League North/South). It contains updated competition histories for the top 6 levels. It does not contain updated individual club histories at this time. It also doesn't reflect last positions/previous divisions - which doesn't have any recognisable gameplay impact as far as I know, but may have some small visibility in some UI elements. It is something we do include in all of our files normally and we will take care of this in a future iteration.

I ran into significant validation challenges having done everything down to Level 11 and, in the interests of releasing something for the community, I started from scratch and Level 6 (National League North/South) was as far as I could reasonably go at this time.

On its own, this file will not automatically update continental qualification for all teams. This is something I will work on next and I will endeavour to sort this out today, before I travel for work.

We will get the deeper pyramid updated; but we will defer that for a short while.

@lpop - the FM26 file has not been released yet. I wasn't able to quite complete it last night. Definitely, today. However, as per my message a little earlier in this thread - the continental qualifications are handled by separate data. I would expect, for FM26, that the continental qualifications are identical to the ‘vanilla’ experience at the moment. I'll be taking care of updating those straight after completing the FM26 file for England.

@rockondiesel - the free version of the Data Update includes updated nations/leagues files. It's just that in the FM26 Data Update there aren't any such files uploaded/completed yet.

The Enhanced Data Update includes two key features/differences: updated player abilities (these are not in the free version) and a much faster release cycle (there is one daily release for the free version, whilst the paid version has a new release every 20 minutes).

Just to be clear, I will post a separate message, here, when the updated file for England for FM26 is available, as well as update the opening post.

I am in the process of - as I type this - of validating/testing the FM26 England file, which includes playable divisions down to Level 11.

I will upload it as soon as I am confident it’s issue-free. I have no reason to believe it will throw up any issues.

To manage expectations, that England file is likely to be the only updated file release  through the rest of today. I will resume work tomorrow on other nations, but I can’t promise what those will be or when they’ll appear. I will also be travelling for work between 2-4 June, which will prevent my progress during that time. Unfortunately I’m not rich enough not to have to work.

An update to the file that handles European qualifications will follow in due course. My sole focus is on getting England for FM26 done today.

Thankfully the file for continental qualification is simple enough so I will do that next, as I know people will want that all lined up. Unfortunately it isn’t done simply based on finishing positions in the domestic leagues. As with everything, it is on the list and we will get it sorted ASAP but I can only get so much done with the time I have.

As per the message a few posts up (https://sortitoutsi.net/comments/get/883051), last season's loans will get terminated soon enough. That ‘official end’ to the previous season takes place in the near future and will get sorted.

In fact, for loans between English/UK clubs these typically are contractually, officially until 31st May and so those were auto-terminated earlier today. For loans involving players between other clubs around Europe, they typically, officially run until 30th June and so get processed - by us - as part of an end-of-season activity. This activity, which also sees pre-agreed transfers (that officially, typically, contractually go through on 1st July) processed, gets handled by the Site Admin as a central task and in previous years it has been done on, or shortly after, 1st June.

The file that's been added for the FM24 Data Update has playable leagues down to Conference North/South, as per the vanilla game. In that table in the opening post, I'll always mention if playable leagues expand on the default offering.

The FM26 file includes playable leagues down to Level 10-11, which is why it is taking a bit more time to get prepared for 2026/27. Will be uploaded by tomorrow.

The ‘future start date’ FM24 file - which will arrive with the batch of all such files a bit later in the year - will have playable leagues down to Level 20, we expect.

Yes, absolutely - that change will get processed as part of the ‘season end’ annual activities. It's managed centrally by the Site Admin, @Footygamer, alongside doing things like converting the future transfers to ‘current’ transfers and terminating the season-long loans from the previous season.

This is just an estimate, but it normally happens on, or shortly after, 1st June.

I haven't acquainted myself with exactly what those new rules are. If they can be replicated with the functionality available to us in the Pre-Game Editor, I will be glad to do it. My instincts tell me it is unlikely to be possible - but until I dig into (a) the reality of the new rules and (b) check what is possible, I couldn't say definitively either way. I must admit I haven't poked around in the FFP section of the PGE enough to know what is possible.

Strictly speaking, I don't know for sure…but I would expect that the in-game AI would behave naturally and as though the time has passed.

Because ‘rolling forward’ the start date in-game also allows us to ‘normalise’ all of the dates in contracts/transfers etc so they match real-life, I'd expect a scenario where a player moves in July 2025 in real-life to be handled by the game as such. Therefore, when starting in July 2026, that player (and his club and whatever other AI algorithms calculate these things in-game) to behave accordingly. I just can't see why it would be any other way.

Just to confirm, as per the first post, the rolled forward start years is something that will come later. These initial updates will retain the default approach of having the original in-game start year. So, the England file that's been updated for FM24 to reflect 2026/27 still has the game start in July 2023; the one that will arrive shortly for FM26 will have an in-game start date of July 2025. Again, this is with catering for those who are itching to start with 2026/27 constitutions in mind and avoiding the scenario of making everyone wait for the first updated version any longer than necessary.

Italy should absolutely reflect 2025/26 right now. The file was updated in August 2025 and I haven’t heard any issues, broadly. I do think there are maybe discrepancies based on things that developed once 2025/26 was underway (perhaps a team in Serie C folded and I believe Inter U23s officially joined the league pyramid). But from your message it sounds like you’ve got no updated leagues for Italy. It would be good to get that confirmed and we can then troubleshoot.

All of the updates are being maintained for FM24 and FM26. As I have explained, some things are automated and some are manual. Automated updates happen quickly. Manual updates may take some time.

I do not think the specific individuals you’ve cited as being incorrect in FM24 are representative of a widespread issue that is being misrepresented or mis-sold. There is no claim or guarantee that every individual in the world is correct in real-time, nor do we claim to add non-players to any game version. Therefore I’d disagree with your statement that something is ‘declared and advertised’ that isn’t in the update. But that’s just my opinion. You’re entitled to yours and I want to be clear that I’m not saying you aren’t.

In any case, if you would like a refund, please request so in the thread I shared previously. The Site Admin handles all financial transactions. I can’t personally assist with that directly.

That's correct - he's a player who has a newly-created instance (which is the instance that appears in FM24). The Ability Submissions system only applies to players in the official SI database - that is, to say, that the submission you've made for him is applied to the FM26 instance only.

The ability submissions aren't ‘linked’ across the two instances. It's something me and @Footygamer have discussed before. Consider it on the to-do list.

In the meantime, there would be a need to submit, separately, for the amendment to take place for the FM24 instance. Given the player's been linked to the FM26 instance (which is a good thing), it does make them a bit tricky to find on the site, however. You can use this page to search through the created players: https://sortitoutsi.net/football-manager-data-update/attributes/new-players/browse.

Sorry to hear that it's not the experience you had hoped for. I'll try and respond to each point you've made, just to ensure you get an answer.

1. Rocco Commisso is an example of a scenario where the person has been removed from the FM26 database and, therefore, we can't administer their status directly through the website. The main basis for the way the update works is through web-based submissions that are moderated. When a person is removed from SI's database, it means we have to plug that gap with manual files and, as I'm sure you can appreciate, maintaining something like that on a global scale is a huge job. We last made a new ‘deceased people’ file on 9th January 2026, which is when my time allowed for it and this pre-dates the death of Rocco Commisso which is why he wasn't included.
    
2. At present, there is no method for us to have newly-created non-players added to the FM24 database. We have a fairly mature process for players, but non-players is not a function yet. As Fabio Paratici was not in the FM24 (official) database, there is no way to have him added - again, except for us maintaining a manual file for such additions. To be honest, this is not content we've been able to get to simply due to not having the resources to do it and missing non-players has not been something asked about (much) by the community. This is intended to just be an explanation, not an excuse.
    
3. On the injuries subject. The purpose of the ‘Remove Injuries’ file is to strip out the injuries coded in by Sports Interactive in the official database, because those were based on real-life situations which are now historical. If, on game start, there are injuries in place, then it is likely that this is part of the game's simulation algorithm. Of course, if you can provide a specific example or two, if you believe certain players are always injured, then I can investigate.
    
4. If you're referring to promotions/relegations reflected so that the first season is 2026/27, then you're right - they're not yet updated. We are working on this and we have a dedicated thread setup where we will publish what is done and when, here: https://sortitoutsi.net/content/76916/202627-league-updates-fm24-fm26. Updating promotions/relegations/league structures is not an automated process - it requires the staff team to create the necessary files manually and it takes some time. For context, however, the final promotion to Serie A was decided yesterday (29/05/2026) As far as I am aware, the promotions from Serie C to Serie B have not yet been determined - and so, in simple terms, it's impossible, at this stage, to have a fully updated Italian structure reflecting 2026/27. Believe me, I invest a lot of my free time to tracking as many of the schedules as I can to line up my time to update files when I can.

We do as much as we can to update as much as we are able. As you can see, there are some limitations and some of those are challenges introduced since the release of FM26, the variance between those two games (in terms of database) and there is a continual management of that situation by the Site Admin.

Just to confirm, the 20-minute release cycles refers to how regularly a new instance of the Data Update is packaged. It will contain all approved submissions - which include newly-created players, ability submissions and contractual changes to players in the official database - and it will include any files that are manually created that have been added by the staff team. Unfortunately, there is no method to fully automate promotions/relegations/league structure updates, so it is impossible for these to be included the moment the final ball is kicked in a given nation.

All that being said, if you feel you would like to request a refund, then please note that the following thread is the place to do it: https://sortitoutsi.net/content/57415/all-issues-with-premium-membership-post-here. The Site Admin can then pick that up with you.

What you're observing, I think, is not an unexpected mismatch - but rather an expected one. I appreciate it can be a bit confusing, so I'll try and explain.

FMRef - and the data that presents on this website - shows the UIDs for players from the FM26 database. The examples you've cited are all players who do not exist in the FM24 database, therefore for them to exist in the FM24 Data Update they've had to be created.

In FM24, these created players will have a different UID from the FM26 UID. We prevent them appearing in the FM26 Data Update by linking them to the ‘official’ version of the player - and I can see that both Matias Unyicio and Leonel Jaime are linked accordingly.

For players who are created and have a face approved in the Cut-Out Megapack, the separate download for the ‘Facepack for New Wonderkids' (https://sortitoutsi.net/football-manager-data-update) should include those players with the correct UID. If you're seeking to use the information on the website to create your own images, then unfortunately using the website data is not the right source of information. The UIDs you are seeing in-game are, essentially, what you should use as a reference.

You should find that in each save game in FM24, the players retain the same UIDs, as the update is built in such a way to ensure this.

Neither yourself nor @liamkpcowell are experiencing an issue with the download/install, as such. Our FM26 Data Update (and, also, our FM24 Data Update) hasn't been updated - yet - to include updated promotions/relegations from the various nations. We've started the process and we've set up a dedicated thread to track and publish progress, which can be seen here: https://sortitoutsi.net/content/76916/202627-league-updates-fm24-fm26

I did answer a couple of posts up - but appreciate it can be easy to miss. I have, literally, immediately turned my attention to it. I'm expecting it to be done in the course of this weekend. I can't say with certainty exactly when. Unfortunately, it's not quite as simple as just reusing the same work.

As of 21:45, the FM24 Data Update has had a new file uploaded for England, which reflects the upcoming 2026/27 season. The opening post of this thread has been updated to reflect the same status.

I agree and the reality is that I've been working towards exactly what is involved in achieving it over the past few weeks/months or so. Figuring out and proving how it can work (using a couple of nations as my basis) was what led to me announcing/committing to that direction via this thread's first post. It is a fundamental change to how the Data Update has handled individual nation updates and of course it is a bit of a ‘unique’ challenge in the sense that we're committing to support FM24 for multiple years…therefore very much a worthwhile exercise.

As I say, the primary challenge - now - is one of workload. To provide a cohesive ecosystem with a 2026 start date really does require all playable nations to be prepared and then released together. In reality that is 55 nations, some of which have never been updated and some of which have had complicated re-structures in terms of format/rules over the past few years.

Absolutely - England's updated file for FM24 is literally about to be uploaded now. I've just done a full test to ensure everything is as it should be. FM26's equivalent will follow later this weekend.

No; these initial updates will still use an in-game start date of 2023. Please see the first post where I explain the expected timeline for the series of files that will be released and update the in-game start date to 2026.

One of the reasons for releasing them all together is because if we drip-feed them, then players who want to enable multiple nations in-game would end up with some nations with a 2023 start date and some with a 2026 start date…and that would be a messy experience.

I appreciate that means waiting a bit longer for this fundamental ‘pivot’ to a future (well, up-to-date) in-game start date. But it's the cleanest way for us to both (a) cater for those who desperately want a reflection of 2026/27 ASAP and (b) move to the different start year concept, which is the ultimate goal.

In terms of tracking the progress of us updating the leagues/nations with promotions/relegations (i.e. setting up for the 2026/27 season), I can recommend following the progress via here: https://sortitoutsi.net/content/76916/202627-league-updates-fm24-fm26

Just to confirm - for your convenience: updating the nations is a task that the staff team need to do through manual editing. There is no automated system that can immediately shuffle the teams around as soon as the last ball is kicked that decides promotion/relegation. We are prioritising the popular nations and updates for 2026/27 will start to materialise from tonight, onwards.

As for the query around transfers - I suspect this is a case of expectation management. Our Data Update follows the real world exactly and the many players who have agreed to move to new clubs, or who have decided/agreed they will leave at the end of their existing contracts (i.e. this summer) are officially still contracted to their previous clubs. If we use Kieran Trippier as an example, he is contracted to Newcastle United until 30/06/2026. Therefore, our update reflects that he will leave at the end of his contract - but that hasn't happened yet. He'll officially become a free agent and/or move to another club from 01/07/2026. You can see the fact that he is due to leave at the end of his contract reflected here: https://sortitoutsi.net/football-manager-data-update/person/28018613

Now, given we know everyone wants those updated summer movements ASAP, we typically process the data that sets players' contracts to expire and their future transfers - in the case of players who have agreed a move to a new club - earlier than 1st July. It normally happens closer to 1st June - but that's a bit of data processing that the Site Admin takes care of so I don't want to pin/commit him to a specific date.

For both of you, I think the Data Update is fundamentally working, however it just doesn't have the changes in it - yet - that you were hoping/expecting to see. That situation will move on in the coming days and I recommend following the thread I linked near the start of this post as the place where league/nation updates will be shared as they materialise.

Very close! I am going to be uploading for FM24 tonight. I would've had it completed earlier, but a combination of work and family life scuppered those plans.

FM26 should follow suit soon enough after.

Four files is the right amount. That's how many there are in the FM26 Data Update at the moment.

Contracts is the file that contains all of the contractual changes globally, which includes transfers.

The England Lower League Pyramid is the specific, additional file that enables playing a deeper level of leagues in England.

New People contains all of the newly-created players.

Player Attributes contains the updated attributes for all of the players in the original database - this file is, specifically, the paid-only feature.

You may be expecting to see more files having been used to FM24 - where there are many individual files that update the different nations with promotions/relegations, updated league structures and so on. In the case of FM26, as the first season since the game's release is only just coming to a conclusion, now, no such files have needed to be produced yet.

Not yet. We will publish progress on league updates in the following thread as we manage to get them done:

https://sortitoutsi.net/content/76916/202627-league-updates-fm24-fm26

Best to keep track of everything through there. Updates will be released for FM24 and FM26 to reflect the 2026/27 season.

I would say that updates for completed nations will start to materialise within the next 24-48 hours. I can make that commitment on the basis of personally being the one working on, for example, England. I don’t know how thick and fast they will start to arrive - but I’m setting aside time each evening to work through things. We will prioritise the ‘big’ nations as much as viable.

I will go as fast as I am able, but I do have to work around family and life commitments as do most people. Other members of the staff team will also be helping, but I am not going to pin them down to committed timelines as it wouldn’t be fair of me.

If you’re referring to the upcoming 2026/27 season, then that is still being worked on. Many, many leagues haven’t completed yet (especially those with playoffs to decide promotion/relegation) and those that have - such as England - have literally finished within the last 24 hours or so.

Progress will be shared via this thread, which I can recommend checking in on periodically:

https://sortitoutsi.net/content/76916/202627-league-updates-fm24-fm26

Four files is the right amount. That's how many there are in the FM26 Data Update at the moment.

Contracts is the file that contains all of the contractual changes globally, which includes transfers.

The England Lower League Pyramid is the specific, additional file that enables playing a deeper level of leagues in England.

New People contains all of the newly-created players.

Player Attributes contains the updated attributes for all of the players in the original database - this file is, specifically, the paid-only feature.

You may be expecting to see more files having been used to FM24 - where there are many individual files that update the different nations with promotions/relegations, updated league structures and so on. In the case of FM26, as the first season since the game's release is only just coming to a conclusion, now, no such files have needed to be produced yet. They will be, however, and added to the Data Update as different nations wrap up and our staff team are able to produce those files…which is exactly the position the opening post in this thread explains.

Unfortunately, if you're expecting the Data Update to already contain updated leagues to reflect 2026/27, you're a little early. As an example, the top batch of divisions in England kicked a final playoff ball only yesterday, whilst many other nations still haven't finished their seasons, including games that decide promotions/relegations. As such, it's impossible for us to have accurately taken care of all of them already.

No problem - but just to confirm, because you seemed to be asking about transfers in your initial post: those are absolutely in the Data Update and are continually updated.

As I say, of course, different nations are still wrapping up their various leagues and so we do follow them and look to release next season's structure ASAP, but it does require volunteers to create those files (i.e. it isn't automatically happening when the last ball is kicked in a given country).

If you're looking to start a new save with 2026/27 constitutions using the Data Update, you're just a little early.

The files you're seeing are, in fact, the full contents of the Enhanced Data Update for FM26.

Contracts is the file that contains all of the contractual changes globally, which includes transfers.

The England Lower League Pyramid is the specific, additional file that enables playing a deeper level of leagues in England.

New People contains all of the newly-created players.

Player Attributes contains the updated attributes for all of the players in the original database - this file is, specifically, the paid-only feature.

You may be expecting to see more files having been used to FM24 - where there are many individual files that update the different nations with promotions/relegations, updated league structures and so on. In the case of FM26, as the first season since the game's release is only just coming to a conclusion, now, no such files have needed to be produced yet. They will be, however, and added to the Data Update as different nations wrap up and our staff team are able to produce those files.

I've set up a thread that will be used to track progress - you should see it develop over the coming days to include tables that indicate the status of updated nation files for each of FM24 and FM26. The thread is here: https://sortitoutsi.net/content/76916/202627-league-updates-fm24-fm26

Another year has rolled around and it's that time, again, to start producing league updates for the games for which we actively provide a Data Update: namely, FM24 and FM26.

Firstly, it's important to note that there are now two versions of the game for which we have to do this. That does increase the workload, naturally, but I think it also means it is worth clarifying that here at SortItOutSI we are absolutely committed to continuing to support both FM24 and FM26.

Secondly, I've been working over the past few weeks to establish exactly what is possible in terms of dealing with a long-standing challenge - which is the fact that the start date of the game is now three years ago (for FM24) and a year ago (for FM26). The good news is that I'm fully confident in achieving an in-game start date of 2026 for both games for all playable nations. This will not only allow us to provide files that enforce a ‘current season' in-game date, but also remove the need to account for the years that have passed through offsetting contract dates, dates-of-birth, player histories and having things like overlapping competition histories in-game. In short, we'll be targeting a smooth ‘2026 start’ experience for every playable nation.

I've got the full workflow sorted and the intention is to prepare updated files for every playable nation and then, at a set point in the near-ish future, release them all into the FM24 and FM26 Data Update at the same time. Realistically, we're targeting this release and fundamental change for around mid-August 2026, possibly, to coincide with the end of the European transfer window (start of September 2026). I'm sharing this so the community know the direction and know work is underway.

In the meantime, we are going to do an interim update on as many of the playable nations as possible, as quickly as possible, to reflect promotions/relegations as a minimum. We know the community will be keen to start playing a 2026/27 start ASAP, especially in popular, major nations. I will maintain a table of progress so everyone has a clear and visible reference point. As of writing this opening post on 25/05/2026, none of the nations have yet been finished - but I am starting with England, which earlier today saw the last promotion decided.

Finally, if there is anyone who is familiar with the Pre-Game Editor - or wishes to learn and would be willing to contribute their time - there is always room on the Staff team for new additions. Please get in touch with myself or @Footygamer via DMs in the first instance if that is of interest.

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Overall Status (17/07/2026):

The table below shows a list of any nations which have been updated to reflect the upcoming 2026/27 season. If a nation is in this list, the updated file is in the Data Update for the game(s) indicated with ‘Updated’; including a date to show when the file was integrated to the update. If the Nation/Region entry is teal, this means that both the FM24 & FM26 Data Update contain a file updating this nation. Files/status updates from within the last 24 hours are in bold. If a playable nation does not appear on the list below in any capacity, it is still on the to-do list - but the work has simply not been organised yet.

Age and Contractual Offsets: From 07/06/2026, we have now iterated ages/contract dates by an additional year. In FM24, all Person ages and contract dates are now offset by three years. In FM26, all Person ages and contract dates are now offset by one year.

Continental Qualification: To get an accurate first-season continental qualifications picture (equally for FM24 and FM26), it will be necessary to do a certain level of update to each playable nation file first. In addition, it's likely we need to re-work the Advanced Rules for the continental competitions and this can be challenging. It's actively being worked on, there will need to be some (continued) patience before continental cup participants are correct across the board. We're very aware of the high-profile teams not in the right competitions (most notably Manchester City being in the Europa League and Barcelona not being in Europe at all, for example).

Removed Injuries: All injuries, configured in the official FM26.2 database, have been removed via an additional file, added on 06/07/2026. Please note, the equivalent file for FM24 has been part of the FM24 Data Update for some time.