After a year's hiatus, marked by silence and almost unforgivable mistakes in a franchise that until then was seen as practically perfect, Football Manager 2026 is embarking on a new era.
Between 2024 and 2026, Sports Interactive didn't stand still, even if the brand's not very strategic silence gave the impression of complete suspension and even put at risk the end of a franchise that, for better or worse, managed to add a detail every year.
The lack of quality in Football Manager 2025, acknowledged by Miles Jacobson, director of the Sports Interactive studio, meant that the release went from postponed to cancelled.
Months later, communications resumed and the wish of all players was fulfilled: Football Manager 2026 will be released on the expected date and with the promise of many new features.
In this article, Flashscore outlines all the key details.
When is Football Manager 2026 coming out?
The official release date for the new Football Manager is Tuesday, November 4th, but for the first time in the history of the franchise, Sports Interactive itself has openly communicated and confirmed the existence of a beta (testing phase for the game), as well as its date.
You can play the new FM from Thursday, October 23rd. At the time of writing, the launch time has not yet been confirmed.
What platforms will Football Manager 2026 be available on?
As with the previous edition of the game, Football Manager 2026 will be available for PC, Mac, smartphone and consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch).
In addition to the usual retailers, the game can be purchased on Steam, Epic Games, Windows Store, Xbox Store, PlayStation Store and Nintendo Store.
The mobile version can be purchased exclusively on Netflix, as was the case with FM 2024.
Note: the Touch version, exclusive to Nintendo, will only be available on December 4th. The Mobile version does not yet have a release date.
Game engine
The main change for Football Manager 2026, and one of the reasons why the previous edition was cancelled, is the change in the game engine, which will have an impact on the performance, graphics and animations of the video game.
Visually stagnant since the launch of the 3D model, Football Manager is finally taking a visual leap forward, using the Unity engine, a tool that has been successful in titles such as Cities: Skylines and House Flipper and which promises livelier stadiums and more natural animations.
Although several images have already been released by Sports Interactive, which has been making videos and livestreams to promote the launch of the game, this is a change whose impact will only be known in the long term.
Those who fear that their machine won't be able to run the new game can test it on various external platforms, such as FM Scout. You shouldn't have any problems despite this change, but you may be forced to return to the past and use the 2D model, or, as is often mentioned in the community, the bottle tops.
Tactical renewal
Another addition for 2026 is in the tactics window that the player will want to use for their team, which will now have two windows: with the ball and without the ball.
In short, in order to give greater depth to the role of coach, FM 2026 will allow you to design an attacking and defensive tactic (example: you can press in 4-4-2 without the ball and build in 3-2-5 with the ball).
This change will also have an impact on the players' individual roles - from now on, each player has one role when on the ball and another when in the defensive phase.
Women's football and new leagues
In terms of the database, the big addition for Football Manager 2026 is the introduction of women's football.
In this first year, there will be 14 leagues available, in 11 countries. Unfortunately, the BPI League is not part of FM 2026, but you will be able to manage in leagues such as the WSL, LaLiga F, Frauen-Bundesliga, Women's Ligue 1 and Women's Serie A.
As for men's football, this year's edition adds three new playable countries: United Arab Emirates, Lithuania and Egypt.
Interface
Football Manager 2026 features one of the biggest visual overhauls in the history of the saga. Sports Interactive has completely redesigned the game's interface.
The new system is based on a concept of small dynamic panels that bring together the essential information for each area of the club - finances, squad, tactics, staff, scouting or development.
Another major new feature is the "FMPedia" global search, a kind of internal search engine that allows you to quickly find any element of the game.
Visually, FM26 has a cleaner design, with modern typography, minimalist icons and smooth transitions between screens, with the aim of "spending less time looking for menus", according to Miles Jacobson.
Partnership with FIFA with the World Cup in mind
For the first time in the series' history, Football Manager has formed an official partnership with FIFA.
Thanks to this collaboration, FM26 will feature the 2026 World Cup, the Women's World Cup and even the new Club World Cup, with all the national teams duly licensed.
However, not everything will be available at the game's launch. The mode for managing national teams will only arrive with a free update, expected before the 2026 World Cup kicks off.
Expectations and risks
As we wrote in the title, despite the various changes, this new Football Manager shouldn't be seen as a complete revolution, but rather as a renewal in a series that needed to reinvent itself slightly and take a risk that, let's face it, wasn't all that calculated.
Miles Jacobson himself, in a recent interview, took responsibility for these changes: "If we fail now, maybe Football Manager will come to an end."
Even so, the general feeling is one of optimism. The major changes, although risky, respond to long-standing requests from the community, although all these changes require time to adapt, something that older players of the series may be more resistant to.
At first glance, Football Manager 2026 may not be perfect, but all indications are that it's trying, for the first time in many years, to be different.
Bring on the new game!