What if, instead of spending hours fine-tuning a tactic, you let natural selection do the work for you? That is the question one r/footballmanagergames player decided to test. He created Darwin-FM, an evolutionary algorithm that generated almost 6,000 FM26 tactics, made them play more than 420,000 matches in the match engine and kept the best one. The result is a high-pressing tactic that, in one test, took Torino to the Serie A title.
The author has shared the tactic and you can download it below. But the most interesting thing here is how it was born.
(Image: AltruisticJob4985, via Reddit)
The author showed the experiment in this video, posted on Reddit:
Darwin-FM: I trained an evolutionary algorithm to create FM26 tactics and simulated 420,000+ games in the search of a winning tactic
for u/AltruisticJob4985 in footballmanagergames
How an evolutionary algorithm works
Evolutionary algorithms are a branch of artificial intelligence inspired by Darwin’s theory. They need three things: an environment, a target and a “genome” that keeps mutating. Here, the environment is the FM26 match engine, the target is the average expected goals (xG) difference per match and the genome is the tactic itself: positions, roles and instructions.
The algorithm creates generation after generation. In each one, the strongest tactics survive and the new ones are mutations of a survivor or crossovers between two of them.
The author used a variant called MAP-Elites. Instead of pushing every tactic towards a single winner, it builds a map of several playing styles and keeps the best tactic for each style. Here, the axes were passing directness and pressing height. That way, the algorithm did not get stuck on a single way of playing.
420,000 matches in about a day
To make this possible, the author built a tool that runs the full FM26 match engine without opening the game, with complete control over everything: players, tactics, substitutions, venue, weather, officials and even luck. Each match took about 0.2 seconds. This is not the “instant result”, but the full simulation.
So that only the tactic made a difference, both teams had 11 identical players: two-footed, natural in every position, with 15 in every attribute and the same height and weight. There was no home advantage and no weather effect.
- First, the FM26 preset tactics played each other, and the best of each style joined a panel of opponents.
- Then the algorithm started from those tactics and began creating variations. Each new tactic played each panel opponent once (10 matches).
- If it was doing better than the champion of its style, it played up to 100 more times, to take luck out of the equation.
In total, more than 420,000 matches were simulated with more than 5,900 tactics (mutants). It all ran in about a day, on a Mac.
The winner: Darwin 0d983db4
The tactic that came out of all this is called Darwin 0d983db4. It is an attacking, high-pressing 4-2-3-1 / 4-1-4-1, a little odd at first sight, which averaged +1.24 xG difference over 100 matches. In a 1,000-match confirmation round, it held +0,96. The author himself admits it is not a game-breaking tactic, but it is a good result considering how it was created.
In possession, the tactic plays short passes at a very high tempo, counter-attacks quickly and plays through the middle. Out of possession, it presses very high, counter-presses straight after losing the ball and gets stuck in, but keeps a deeper defensive line and tries to trap opponents near the touchlines.
(Image: AltruisticJob4985, via Reddit)
(Image: AltruisticJob4985, via Reddit)
Along the way, other curious tactics also did well, at around +0.8 xG: strikerless formations (at one point the algorithm became very fond of them), a 5-5-0 out of possession and even very defensive tactics. But almost all of them ended up pressing high.
Champions with Torino
And does it work in a real save? The author simulated a full season on holiday with Torino, predicted to finish 11th in Serie A, with no transfers and the original database. Result: Torino won the title.
(Image: AltruisticJob4985, via Reddit)
Download the tactic
After many requests in the comments, the author shared the Darwin 0d983db4 tactic. To install it, put the .fmf in the Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\tactics folder (create it if it does not exist) and load it on the game’s tactics screen.
Download – Darwin Tactic (FM26)
Remember that the tactic was created with identical players rated 15 in everything. With a squad low on stamina or work rate, the high press can take its toll, as several players pointed out.
How the community reacted
The r/footballmanagergames post passed 600 upvotes and 120 comments, and the tone was one of curiosity and plenty of humour. The most upvoted comment summed up the result: “Max tempo max press, counter attack, stuck in. Gegenpress meta is real then.” Another admitted he was waiting for the answer to be “a 4-2-3-1 gegenpress”. The author replied, tongue in cheek, that it says something about the current meta that even an algorithm that knows nothing but xG ends up there.
Others looked at the tactical side more calmly. One user pointed out that almost every top team plays with a high press and high tempo, and that the problem is that FM does not properly reflect the physical toll this takes over matches and seasons. Others disagreed and said players really do tire when playing like that twice in a few days. Some asked whether the tactic works with physically weak teams, and others noted that tests like this risk fitting the tactic to the players used rather than finding the best tactic overall.
But what impressed many people most was something else: being able to run the FM26 match engine outside the game. Several asked for the tool’s code, but the author preferred not to publish it, only explaining that it took him about three days to work out how. Some pointed out that reverse engineering the game may go against the terms of use.
There was no shortage of hands-on tests. One player tried the tactic with Birmingham in the Champions League and won 3-1 away at Atlético Madrid. Others asked how it compares with Knap’s tactics and FM-Arena’s, and the author said he was not trying to compete with people who have been making tactics for years: it was just a fun data experiment. He has already promised more experiments, the next one on attribute weights.
(Image: leo-sandrini, via Reddit)
Our take
This is one of those experiments that show the geekiest side of the FM community, and we loved it. The tactic itself is not revolutionary, and the fact that evolution landed on a high-pressing 4-2-3-1 says a lot about the FM26 match engine. But the way it was created is fascinating. If you want to try it, it is worth it. And if you prefer tactics tested by more people, check our articles on the best FM26 tactics and the most downloaded FM26 tactics.
The files are hosted by their authors. FMPortugal only points to the official download page, and all credit goes to their creators.
