Football Manager 26
First Unity-based entry; mixed reception after delayed launch.
Football Manager 26 is a football management simulation video game developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega, released on 4 November 2025 for multiple platforms. It is the first entry in the series to use the Unity engine and to adopt a two-digit naming format, following the cancellation of Football Manager 2025. The game holds the series' lowest Metacritic rating and received a mostly mixed or negative response after launch.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Sports Interactive
- Publisher
- Sega
- Series
- Football Manager
- Engine
- Unity
- Released
- Windows, macOS, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, 4 November 2025, Nintendo Switch, 4 December 2025
- Genre
- Sports management
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Windows
- macOS
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X/S
- Mobile (via Netflix and Apple Arcade)
- Nintendo Switch
Facts from the source article.
Development
Sports Interactive cancelled Football Manager 25 in February 2025, citing internal quality concerns, allowing more time to polish features for FM26. This title fully integrates women's football for the first time, with over 35,000 licensed players and 14 playable leagues, including the English Women's Super League, NWSL, Frauen-Bundesliga, Damallsvenskan, A-League Women, and the UEFA Women's Champions League. Full Premier League licensing debuts, and the EFL partnership continues. The SPFL extended its partnership in October 2025, licensing all 42 clubs. New playable leagues include Egypt, Lithuania (A Lyga), and the United Arab Emirates (ADNOC Pro League). International management, planned for return, was delayed at launch; studio director Miles Jacobson confirmed in September 2025 that it would not be included, prioritizing other areas.
Reception
Early previews praised the delay of FM25 and the relaunch as a course correction, highlighting Unity and women's football. Critics gave mixed or average reviews on Metacritic. Ben Sledge of The Guardian noted impressive 3D match highlights but called the game unpolished. Phil Iwaniuk of PC Gamer said matches look more like real football. Connor Bennett at Dexerto found the new layout confusing. Alex Raisbeck of Radio Times wrote that despite updated graphics, the game was not better. Steam user reviews were mostly negative, criticizing the interface and performance. In July 2026, Sports Interactive ended updates for FM26, revealing it became the second-most played series title with 8 million players, behind FM24's 19 million.
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