FM24 and FM26 careers can be imported into FM27 and converted to the new database. What survives the conversion, what resets, and how to keep a backup.
FM27 save import: moving an FM26 career across
Yes, you can bring an old career forward. Football Manager 27 accepts saves from FM24 and FM26, converting them to the FM27 database and rules. The save keeps its shape: your club, your squad, your staff, your finances and your history arrive intact. What changes is everything the new game rebuilt around them, and that is where an imported career feels different from a fresh one.
The feature is confirmed in the pre-release material rather than guessed from past behaviour. If you are deciding whether to continue a long save or start again, this page sets out the trade-off plainly.
Official source: Football Manager 27 on Steam
Copy the save file out of the FM26 saves folder before you import. Conversion writes a new FM27 save, but having the original untouched means you can go back if the result is not what you expected.
What the import actually does
An FM27 import is not a file-format trick. The game reads the old career, maps every person, club and competition onto the FM27 database, and rebuilds the world around your career state. Where the two databases disagree, the new one wins on structure and the old one wins on your career's facts.
That produces a specific blend: real players stay where your save put them, but the competitions, rules and any newly added leagues follow FM27's design. If a league was restructured between versions, your save inherits the new structure.
Step by step
- Find the old save. In FM26, the save folder is reachable from the game's load screen, which shows the folder path. Copy the
.fmfile somewhere safe. - Update FM27 first. Import into the current build, not an outdated preview, so the conversion runs with the latest fixes.
- Start the import from the load screen. FM27 offers an import route for older saves alongside the normal load list. Select the copied file.
- Choose the database. You can load the full FM27 database or a smaller one. Smaller databases convert faster and run faster, but they may drop players your save depended on.
- Review before you continue. Check the squad screen, the staff list, the finances and the competition rules before advancing a single day.
- Save under a new name. Never overwrite the imported file on the first save. Keep a clean copy of the post-conversion state.
The exact wording of the import button may differ between the preview build and the retail build. The route is the same either way: it lives with the load/start options, not in a separate tool.
What carries over
| Element | Carries over | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Club and board | Yes | Board expectations may be recalculated |
| Squad and contracts | Yes | Expired contracts are handled by the old save's date |
| Staff | Yes | Roles that no longer exist in FM27 are reassigned |
| Finances and debts | Yes | Balance figures are preserved, projections recomputed |
| Career history | Yes | Trophies and records travel with the manager |
| Competition structure | No | FM27 rules replace the old ones |
| New leagues | No | The 2026/27 additions only exist in a new game |
| Tactical familiarity | Partly | New tactical systems have to be learned again |
That last row matters more than it looks. FM27 rebuilds the tactical layer with Tactical Effectiveness and Tactical Tweaks, and the training module is reworked. An imported squad arrives with its attributes and its relationships, but not with the familiarity it built under the old system. Expect the first two months of an imported career to feel like a squad learning a new language.
What resets, and why it feels unfair
Competition rules are the biggest visible break. Registration limits, work permits, financial fair play thresholds and promotion formats are all FM27's, not FM26's. A squad that was comfortably legal last year can be one registration slot short after conversion, and the game will not warn you until you try to submit.
The same applies to anything the new database expanded: the 2026/27 season data, the added Chilean and Peruvian leagues, and any revised competition that was restructured for the new cycle. Those simply do not exist in the old save, so your world gains them only in the sense that the rules now reference them.
Should you import or restart?
Import if the story is the point. A ten-season save with a club you built from the lower leagues is worth more than a clean start, and the conversion preserves the parts that made it yours.
Restart if you want to see the new game. The preview build's headline changes - the reworked 2D match engine, the training overhaul, Shuffle Draft - are designed around a fresh career. Importing drops them into a world that was not built for them, and the seams show.
A middle path works well for most people: import the long save as a museum piece you return to, and start one fresh career for the new mechanics. Both use the same install and neither interferes with the other.
Backups and the editor
Two habits prevent most import disasters. First, keep the FM26 original and the first FM27 save, in different folders, until you have played a month. Second, use the pre-game editor before you start, not after: it can adjust the database a conversion will use, but it cannot retro-fit a career that is already running.
The in-game editor is different. It is a separate purchase this year, and it can fix the small inconsistencies a conversion leaves behind, such as a staff member assigned to a role that no longer exists. The FM27 editor page explains what each editor does and which one you actually need.
FAQ
Can I import an FM23 save into FM27? No. The supported imports are FM24 and FM26. Older saves need to be brought forward one supported version at a time, and FM25 did not exist as a full release, so FM24 is the practical floor.
Does the import cost anything? No. It is a feature of the game, not a paid tool.
Will achievements work on an imported save? The store achievements are tied to the game, not the save origin. Anything that requires a fresh start, such as a first-season challenge, will not fire in a converted career.
Can I import a save from console? Console saves live in the platform's cloud, and the import route is a PC feature. Cross-platform save transfer has not been announced.
What happens to my custom database? Custom databases built in the FM26 editor do not survive the conversion. The import maps onto the FM27 database, so any edited competition or created club is replaced.
Is the import stable? It is a supported feature, but converted careers are always less tested than fresh ones. Keep backups and expect the occasional rough edge in the first season.
Related reading
The beta and free play page explains which build you are importing into and how long the preview stays open. The release date page covers what carries over from preview saves at launch.
Sources
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