For the first time since the franchise started back in 2005, Sports Interactive have officially cancelled their (near) annual release of a new Football Manager game.
Usually released around November of the previous year, FM 25 had already been delayed twice to a projected date in March this year. However, it seems that the issues with this years edition have become too serious to warrant continuing development as they would likely cause even further delays.
Due to a variety of challenges that we’ve been open about to date, and many more unforeseen, we currently haven’t achieved what we set out to do in enough areas of the game, despite the phenomenal efforts of our team. Each decision to delay the release was made with the aim of getting the game closer to the desired level but, as we approached critical milestones at the turn of the year, it became unmistakably clear that we would not achieve the standard required, even with the adjusted timeline.
The full statement from SI and Sega is here, together with details on how to obtain a refund should you have pre-purchased the title.
The disappointment from Football Manager 25’s repeated delays and eventual cancellation should hopefully fade when the GOAT football management simulator returns this November. Football Manager 26 releases on November 4th and promises to be a massive update to the game’s engine, mechanics, visuals, and audio compared to the franchise’s last release, FM24.
Football Manager 26 is the legacy, redefined – and it launches globally from 4 November.
Powered by the Unity engine for the first time, FM26 refreshes the managerial experience and sets the stage for you to define your football destiny.
FM26 Console (Xbox/PS5) and FM26 Mobile (Netflix) are also set to launch day one, with FM26 Touch (Nintendo Switch) scheduled to release digitally on 4 December.
That UI overhaul combines with our most immersive matchday experience yet, delivering greater drama and spectacle in every match thanks to new volumetric animations from real-life matches and gloriously upgraded on-pitch visuals.
Introducing the Portal
You’ll become familiarised with the tile and card system immediately in your first save with the new-look Portal.
Game data and design insights made us realise that use of the ‘Home’ screen in previous editions was limited, with most of your time spent in the Inbox. To drastically improve that experience and give you a true home screen, we’ve combined the two together to create the Portal – a one-stop shop for the key happenings in your FM universe.
The arrival of the Premier League provides the ultimate stage for this redefined era, taking authenticity to new heights with fully-licensed club logos, kits and official player photos.
A new world of possibilities is opened up by the debut of Women’s Football. Seamlessly integrated into the FM ecosystem as one footballing world, its backed by the most comprehensive database of its kind and a host of licensed competitions.
FM26 women’s football database consists of more than 36,000 players and a further 5,000 non-players. For launch, there will be 14 playable leagues across 11 nations and three continents,
Despite being on a whole new engine, technology that converts your saved games to the new format means that FM26, FM26 Console and FM26 Touch will all launch with save game compatibility for Football Manager 2024 and Football Manager 2023.
Match Days in Football Manager are where your dreams are realised. The highs of victory, the lows of defeat and the theatre of the big occasion – it’s why you play the game.
In Football Manager 26, we’ve elevated every aspect of the Match Day experience. From on-pitch details to more authentic player movement, and from gameplay to the overall match experience and how you celebrate success, it’s all been upgraded.
No matter who you’re managing, you’ll feel closer to every moment that matters thanks to a rebuilt camera system that changes the way you experience every game with a much wider range of angles across the pitch. Inspired by real-life TV coverage, we’ve added a new Broadcast mode that combines multiple camera points and all-new cinematic angles to give you the best view of the action every time.
FM26 brings wholesale changes to the entire match experience, from the match environments your teams play in to the way your players move on the ball. Everything has been done to level up your immersion in the action and elevate the theatre of the big occasions.
FM26 releases 4 November for PC (Steam, Epic, Windows, Game Pass) and Console (Xbox, PlayStation5, Game Pass). FM26 Touch for Nintendo Switch and FM26 Mobile for Netflix Games versions will follow soon™.
Wishlist (or Pre-purchase now for a 10% discount).
