The Madden 26 Franchise Mode Deep Dive has finally aired, and it gives players the first chance to look at the new features and improvements made to the mode this year.
According to EA, this is the "biggest Franchise Mode update we’ve made in over a decade", with the main goals being to make the mode more immersive and as authentic to the NFL experience as possible. Whether it's a great update or not, that's up to you to decide.
Madden 26 Franchise Mode Coach Improvements
The Madden 26 Franchise Mode Deep Dive showcased plenty of improvements and changes coming to coaches.
Coach creation was expanded, with more than 200 custom coaches to choose from, and the addition of a ton of apparel, with more than 30k apparel combinations being possible.
Coach archetypes have finally been introduced to Franchise mode, after the feature debuted in College Football 25. Now, there are three types of coach archetypes: Offensive Guru, Defensive Genius, and Development Wizard, with every coach in the NFL falling into one of them.
The archetypes dictate the abilities you start with and the ones you can unlock as you progress. It also impacts how you evolve as a coach. Every coach has a level from 1 to 50, and earning coach XP will allow you to level up. As you level up, you will unlock new abilities.
One of the biggest additions to Franchise mode is the Weekly Strategy system, which lets players build unique game plans and find counters to opponents' strategies.
Plenty of new coaching abilities have been added, with 48 game-day abilities and 28 seasonal abilities. They can be upgraded, and allow coaches to have more playstyle variety, making it easier to prepare and adapt to different opponents.
AI coaches have also been significantly improved; they will be faithful to the playstyle of their real-life counterpart, adapt to game tendencies, exploit players' weak points, and more.
Playsheets, which allow players to expand their playbook and can be curated for specific opponents, have been added. They give players more control over their game strategy and the chance to surprise opponents with unique plays.
Last but not least, the Coach Central hub allows players to keep track of their coach approval, upgrade staff abilities, and view goals progress.
Wear & Tear is finally here!
The Wear & Tear feature has been added to Franchise mode, something fans were asking for since the feature was revealed for last year's College Football title.
Player management is now more important than ever, as players need to manage workloads in a realistic way. Failing to do so might lead to injuries that could put players' seasons on the line.
Wear & Tear also impact training, as pushing a player too much can have negative consequences, while protecting them before a big game can mean they are healthy but not fully fit.
Trainer abilities are crucial for Wear & Tear, as they can help reduce players' fatigue and injury risk, as well as make players recover faster than expected. This makes trainers the most useful they have ever been in Franchise mode.
Improved Presentation
The prayers of Madden Franchise mode fans from all across the world have been heard, and prime time games finally have a unique presentation, which includes special broadcast packages.
This will make Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night football feel much more important, which in turn, makes the game more immersive and provides an incredibly better gaming experience.
A new halftime and week recap show has been introduced and is presented by the one and only Scott Hanson.
This is everything you need to know about the Madden 26 Franchise Mode Deep Dive, and the main changes coming to the beloved mode in this edition.
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