132 Best Young Defenders in Football Manager 2026

Goalkeepers | Midfielders | Strikers

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Goalkeepers | Midfielders | Strikers

Welcome to our list of the best defenders by position in Football Manager 2026. If you want to have immediate access to the list please scroll up and skip our guide about these defensive positions in FM26. The table at the end of this article includes all the defensive positions, ie: sweepers, centre backs, left backs, right backs, wing backs left and wing backs right.

FM 2026 Sweepers

The sweeper is one of the most important defence positions. A good sweeper has both strong leadership skills and good character. The sweeper makes sure that the other defenders coordinate well and they do not get carried away. The sweeper makes sure that they stay within their defending positions or fall back as soon as possible.

The sweepers in FM26 also help to make sure that the defenders play fair. The sweepers are tasked with keep the goal secured at all times. He does that by playing in such a way that he gives the defenders time to recover anytime they are caught off guard. He, therefore, must stay behind the other defenders.

FM 2026 Centre Backs

In Football Manager 2026 the central defenders are critical to the scoring strategy as well as the defending strategy of the team. They play right in front of the goal. In cases where they have successfully made a counter attack and broken through the opposing team, they can make an offensive. They however need to fall back with speed after that.

They are well built, which help them to withstand the pushing that is common when defending. Passing the ball is an essential skill for this position because it helps them to work with the strikers or midfielders. They are required to make strategic crosses immediately they have possession of the ball.

FM 2026 Left Backs and Right Backs

The Left and Right Defender is another important position in the defence strategy of any team in Football Manager 2026. The defenders at these positions work to secure the right and left sides of their half of the field. They engage the strikers and the midfielders of the opposing team to ward off any attack.

They stop attacks from the centre, right or left side of the field is stopped. They also play an important attack role of their team by directing balls from the sides of the field to their team’s midfielders or strikers. They are, however, in most cases need to maintain their defending positions to successfully defend their goal area.

FM 2026 Wing Back Left and Wing Back Right

The Wing Back Left and Wing Back Right as the name suggests refers to the positions that are on the sides of the field. The players who play in these positions need to have both strength and skill. They must ensure that when the team needs to score, they keep the ball in the field.

They have to work hard to keep the ball from rolling off the pitch and bringing it to then attacking forward players such as the striker and the midfielders. They have to defend against attacking midfielders who may want to sneak through the sides of the field to score or pass the ball to the strikers.

Summary

Overall, defenders in Football Manager 2026 or in real life need to be strong and very tactical in the way they defend their goal. They need to act fast and use their skills to keep wing attackers from their goal area. They also make long passes to the midfielders or strategically placed strikers.