Football Manager 26

About this game

New foundations set the stage for you to define your football destiny. Made with the Unity engine, FM26 is the legacy, redefined and where storytelling evolves. A reimagined interface and more immersive match day experience brings you closer to the action and combine to elevate every match-defining moment. Transform your squad with advanced transfer tools and craft your footballing philosophy like never before with new innovations that deliver unrivalled game-changing tactical realism. 

Victory in football’s biggest international tournament is within your reach. Explore new tools for managing national teams alongside a competition-specific start date for FIFA World Cup 2026™, now officially licensed with authentic broadcast graphics, tournament branding, match balls and kits.

Savour the richest Match Day experience in series history, bringing new levels of depth and drama to every match with enhanced player movement and greater on-pitch detail. Feel the adrenaline of a weaving run, inch-perfect through ball and unforgettable, last-gasp title winner with more personality thanks to fresh motion capture and volumetric animations.

Compete at the pinnacle of English football as the Premier League debuts with fully-licensed club badges, kits and official player photos. Authenticity reaches new heights as you pursue the biggest prize in domestic football with the full broadcast experience from the best seat in the house.

Exercise unparalleled control over how your team plays across every area of the pitch with the introduction of distinct In and Out of Possession formations. Redefined player roles and a dynamic visualiser that shows how your team shapes up in different scenarios levels up your pre-match prep game in, game out.

An overhauled UI primed for the modern manager offers a cleaner look-and-feel, with the new Portal bringing together every aspect of your footballing world. Tailor your game to your priorities with the introduction of quick link Bookmarks and learn more about the beautiful game with an overhauled Search and new FMPedia glossary.

Explore a new world of possibilities as the women’s game debuts, seamlessly integrated into FM as one footballing world. With 14 playable leagues from 11 nations, including the Women’s Super League and National Women’s Soccer League, there are fresh challenges and new talents to discover in each career.

Harness the power of TransferRoom™ to smartly shape your title-winning squads season after season. Broadcast your recruitment priorities with Requirements and gain direct insight into your rivals’ needs with Pitch Opportunities, giving you more targeted control over every signing and sale.

Express more of your personality and style in every career with a revamped manager creation experience. Craft your look with an enhanced character creator before developing a career backstory that’s unique to you and uniquely influential on your life in the dugout.

In FM26, football belongs to you and your vision. It’s your time to change the game. 

*Due to ongoing licensing approvals, not all FIFA World Cup 2026™ team kits will be available at launch of the feature and some may be added at a later date.

Latest news

• Announcements·5 Oct 2026Official

  FM27: Tactical Tweaks and Match Engine Upgrades   

  Football Manager's Match Engine is driven by an impossible pursuit of perfection, to replicate the art of football in its digital form.   The visuals of the match day environment help to make every fixture feel like a richer piece of football theatre, but core to your immersion as a manager are the ways your players come to life on the pitch and the control you’re able to exert from the dugout.   Powered by trend-setting industry partnerships and contacts, FM27’s Match Engine adds new layers of depth and influence with enhancements to player movement and behaviour, as well as the introduction of a brand-new Tactical Tweaks system. Now, every match feels like more of a tactical battle between both the players and your opposition manager. Learn more about the Match Engine upgrades you'll soon see in FM27 in the Deep Dive blog and check out a list of FAQs related to this update for more details.FM27 – Match AI - FAQs Q: In this FM27 deep dive, what were the main goals, changes and additions that the Sports Interactive team looked to address? A: Combining community feedback and internal reviews, the key goals we aimed to achieve for this area of FM27 were:    Create more realism in player movement and animations, supported by an expanded partnership with Hawk-Eye Innovations, leading to more believability and excitement when watching a match unfold Address defensive players’ behaviour by updating jockeying and player speed  Improve the behaviour of attacking players through more detailed and realistic movements, such as skill moves, running speed and attacking the box Introduce a new feature, Tactical Tweaks, to give you additional control over instructions during a match, alongside optimising Shouts Adding more data on player performance and behaviour during the match day layout, with adaptive elements, ensuring useful data is easily available  Q: What is the Tactical Tweaks feature and how does it work? A: Tactical Tweaks give you more influence as a match unfolds, so...
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• Announcements·30 Sept 2026Official

  FM27: An Elevated Match Day Atmosphere 

  If you’re to truly believe that you’re stepping into the shoes of a football manager, the world you’re immersed in needs to feel authentic to you as a fan. That's true of both the way the matches play but also the visual representation of the whole Match Day experience.  The beauty of FM is as much about exploring the wider footballing world beyond your club as it is about the tactical tweaks you convey to your players when stood on the touchline.   In FM27, we’ve enhanced the match day environment to give you the clearest sense of who you’re managing, when, and at what point of the season. That means elevating the crowd, the stadium and the pitch to make every fixture feel like a richer piece of football theatre.  Learn more about the match day atmosphere upgrades you'll soon see in FM27 in the Deep Dive blog and check out a list of FAQs related to this update for more details.FAQQ: In this FM27 deep dive, what were the main goals, changes and additions that the Sports Interactive team looked to address? A: Combining community feedback and internal reviews, the key goals we aimed to achieve for this area of FM27 were:    Add further detail and variance to the surrounding visual aspects of Match Day, such as quality and behaviour of crowds, as well as stadium designs, adding more realism and believability  Improve the representation of different weather and seasonal conditions during a match day, including a time-of-day system and realistic effects of snow and rain, to create a more immersive atmosphere Further work on cutscenes to add more variance and authenticity in scenes before and after a match Bring a general uplift to the visual presentation of Match Day, combining the above work with more technical tweaks and an upgrade in character models, including body types and hair physics  Q: How have the appearance and behaviour of match day crowds been updated for FM27? A: Additional detail on match day crowds aims to make their presentation more believable and accu...
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• Announcements·30 Sept 2026Official

  Football Manager 27 launches from 10 November 

  Flow from the tactics board to the touchline in Football Manager 27, launching globally from 10 November and available to wishlist now. Foundations evolve to deliver greater control, smoother discovery and a deeper, more immersive football world, with new, returning and reimagined features that invite discovery from the moment your save begins. Day one platforms include Steam, Epic Games and the Xbox PC app, including Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers. FM27 Console (Xbox/PS5), including Game Pass Console subscribers, and FM27 Mobile (Netflix) will also launch from 10 November, with further platform details to follow. What’s new in FM27?We’re dropping a series of videos and deep dive blogs detailing some of the features and improvements that shape the core of FM27. So far, you can learn how smarter navigation and a more intuitive full-screen experience make it easier to get what you need with fewer clicks. Or explore how Cup Draws, Transfer Deadline Day, and an overhauled news feed keep you plugged into the world beyond your club. We've also announced upgrades to the match day experience that make every fixture feel like a richer piece of football theatre, with a lot more feature news still to come. Early play informationYou can wishlist FM27 on Steam, Epic Games or the Microsoft Store and get notified when it's time to play. A Launch Preview version of FM27 will be available to play 1-2 weeks before the street date, with further information on that plus digital pre-purchase and discount incentives to follow. There’ll be more announcements ahead of release, so join FMFC or follow our community channels to stay up to date.
  Read full article on Community Announcements (Jimmy Wong)

• Announcements·25 Sept 2026Official

  Deeper Football World: Increased Immersion in FM27

  At the heart of the Football Manager experience is being part of a living, breathing football universe that exists well beyond the confines of your club. In tandem with navigation improvements that make exploring the football world easier, for FM27 we needed to elevate your curiosity levels with more relevant and dynamic content to spark greater interest in what’s happening beyond the confines of your club.The return of Cup Draws and Transfer Deadline Day elevate every season’s big moments, ups and downs further, while giving you additional power in how you flow through the game creates a more connected experience every time you move forward.Learn more about the Immersion upgrades you'll soon see in FM27 in the Deep Dive blog and check out a list of FAQs related to this update for more details.FAQs Q: In this FM27 deep dive, what were the main goals, changes and additions that the Sports Interactive team looked to address?A: Combining community feedback and internal reviews, the key goals we are aiming to achieve for this area of FM27 are:  Creating a deeper and more inviting football world, making it more compelling to become truly immersed and emotionally investedImprove the delivery of information and provide you with more choices and actions, minimising the chance of feeling disconnected with what’s going on in your saveAdd more depth and meaningful details to the wider events in your save beyond your chosen club and league, making discovery easier and encouraging you to explore the footballing worldReintroduce and, in some cases, revamp features and elements that better connect you with the game, bringing key moments to life Q: What changes have been made to ensure important information is shared faster on key screens?A: The Nation, News, Competition and Club screens have been revamped to quickly show you important information and helpful insights. For example, the Club screen shows key current-day details such as the manager and top goalscorer, but also transf...
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• Announcements·22 Sept 2026Official

  FM27: Clearer Interface & Smoother Navigation

  Elevating game flow and navigation has been at the heart of the work on Football Manager 27’s User Interface and Experience.Driven by internal reviews and your feedback, FM27 evolves our existing design language while reintroducing familiar behaviours, creating a cleaner, more intuitive experience from the start of every career.By reducing the number of clicks, reshaping menus to elevate the full-screen experience and introducing more adaptivity and customisation, you can get to the information and areas you need more efficiently; giving you more time to explore the wider game world.Learn more about the changes you'll soon see in FM27 in the Deep Dive blog and check out a list of FAQs related to this update for more details. FAQQ: In this FM27 deep dive, what were the main goals, changes and additions that the Sports Interactive team look to address? A: Combining community feedback and internal reviews, the key goals we are aiming to achieve for this area of FM27 are:  A more intuitive navigation system, making it easier and faster for you to find the information you need and are interested in Reduce the clicks and unnecessary navigation by improving how information is shown on a single screen Give you the ability to better tailor some of the information you can access via customisation options with some tiles and navigation preferences Provide the ability to tailor the game and its layout to the way you play, maximising the space on screen Introduce flows and options that make the experience more familiar to long-time FM players  Q: How have the navigation bars been addressed to help with navigation and discovery? A: Both the primary and secondary navigation bars at the very top of the screen have been revamped to be clearer and more helpful in finding what you need, faster. The majority of the options in the navigation bars include drop-downs so you can quickly find the area you need. For example, the Squad option drop-down includes the overview page, first team, ...
  Read full article on Community Announcements (Jimmy Wong)