Football Manager 26

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Football Manager 26
Cover art
DeveloperSports Interactive
PublisherSega
SeriesFootball Manager
EngineUnity
Platforms
Release
  • November 4, 2025
  • Nintendo Switch
  • December 4, 2025
GenreSports management
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Football Manager 26 (FM26) is an upcoming football management simulation video game developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega. It is scheduled for release worldwide on November 4, 2025, for Windows, macOS, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, mobile— via Netflix[1] for Android, and Apple Arcade for iOS.[2] A Nintendo Switch (Touch) edition will follow on December 4, 2025.[3][4] FM26 will be the first game in the series to be powered by the Unity engine,[5][6] and the first edition to adopt a two-digit naming scheme, similar to the EA Sports FC series.

Gameplay

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Like previous entries, Football Manager 26 tasks players with managing a professional football club, handling tactics, transfers, training, and finances.[7] The game will run on the Unity engine, a departure from the custom engine used in earlier titles. The game engine introduces improved matchday graphics, ball physics, and animations, designed to provide a more realistic footballing experience[8] modern graphics tools, multi-platform scaling (handy for PC, console, even mobile)[5] and a redesigned user interface with features such as bookmarks and customizable dashboards.[9] The match AI tactics, stats, player decision-making is still running under the Sports Interactive code.[5]

Development

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Sports Interactive originally planned to release Football Manager 2025 as the first title on Unity.[10] However, in February 2025, the studio cancelled FM25, admitting the project did not meet internal quality standards.[11] The decision allowed developers more time to polish features and optimize performance.

Football Manager 26 will also be the first game in the series to fully integrate women's football, with more than 35,000 licensed players and 14 playable leagues included at launch.[7][8][12] Additionally, the game features full licensing for the Premier League[4] and continues its longstanding partnership with the English Football League (EFL), whose agreements date back to 2004, with Football Manager becoming an official licensee in 2014.[13] Despite the technical leap, the game’s minimum system requirements remain accessible, able to run on older hardware, while recommending modern GPUs for enhanced visuals.[14]

In September 2025, it was confirmed that international management would not be included in FM26 at launch. It was first announced that international management would not feature in the unreleased FM25 in a statement issued in September 2024, but that it would return for the 2026 iteration of the game: "International management will return in a much more feature-rich way to FM26, FM26 Console and FM26 Touch in what will be an exciting year for international football with the World Cup expanding to 48 teams. To be clear, this will return as part of the base game and not as any form of additional downloadable content"[15].

However, on 30 September 2025, Jacobson stated in an interview with Korean publication Game Donga that the feature would not return for the launch of FM26, citing a need to focus on other aspects of the game and feedback from players that international management mode lacked fun.[16][17]

On 17 October 2025, Sports Interactive announced a multi-year partnership with FIFA, which will bring official licensing for the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women’s World Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup to Football Manager. The agreement covers official kits, broadcast graphics, and tournament branding. Sports Interactive also confirmed that while international management will not be in FM26 at launch, it will return in a revamped fashion as a free content update ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[18][19]

Reception

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Early previews praised the decision to delay FM25 and relaunch with FM26 as a “course correction” for the series.[11] Critics highlighted the Unity engine’s graphical improvements and the inclusion of women’s football as landmark changes for the franchise.[3][7] Fan response on community forums was mixed, with some players expressing concern over feature cuts, while others defended the decision as necessary for long-term stability.[20]

References

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  1. ^ Isaac Stacey Stronge (September 11, 2025). "Football Manager 2026: Everything we know about FM26, including best price, new features and more". FourFourTwo. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  2. ^ "Build dynasties in Football Manager 26 Touch on Apple Arcade". Apple Newsroom. October 3, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Goodman, Jacob (August 20, 2025). "Football Manager 26 trailer: release date and new features revealed". ESPN. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Football Manager 26 sets November release date". TheXboxHub. August 20, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Football Managers 2026's Move to the Unity Engine". Ingenuity Fantasy Football. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  6. ^ "Football Manager 26 Launches on November 5!". SEGA Corporation. September 11, 2025. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Football Manager 26 es el mánager que sí cumple sus promesas con un gameplay revolucionario". AS (in Spanish). August 21, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Walton, Stephen (August 20, 2025). "Football Manager 26's first trailer teases the Unity engine and a matchday first look". TechRadar. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  9. ^ "Football Manager 26: Reimagined User Interface". Sports Interactive. August 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  10. ^ "FM26 release confirmed as series continues after 2025 cancelation". Yahoo Sports. September 11, 2025. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "'We looked stupid': Football Manager director reveals costliness of embarrassing FM25 cancellation". FourFourTwo. February 7, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  12. ^ "Football Manager 26 unveils details on women's leagues". ESPN.com. September 25, 2025. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  13. ^ "EFL and Football Manager Extend Winning Partnership". www.footballmanager.com. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  14. ^ "The minimum PC requirements for Football Manager 26 start so low that 15-year-old CPUs are good enough". PC Gamer. August 20, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  15. ^ "Development Update: Football Manager 25". www.footballmanager.com. Sports Interactive. September 4, 2024.
  16. ^ "No international management mode for FM26 launch". www.fmscout.com. FM Scout. October 7, 2025.
  17. ^ "International management won't be in Football Manager 26". www.operationsports.com. Operation Sports. October 7, 2025.
  18. ^ "Football Manager and FIFA sign multi-year partnership". www.footballmanager.com. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  19. ^ Stanton, Rich (October 17, 2025). "Football Manager 26 announces partnership with FIFA, so get ready to take the mighty Scotland to glory in World Cup 26". PC Gamer. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  20. ^ "FM26 News – or more like the absence of any?". Reddit. August 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
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