Football Manager 26 Announced with Game Footage Tease

Football Manager 26 Announced with Game Footage Tease

Sports Interactive officially confirms Football Manager 26, ending months of speculation and marking a major turning point for the iconic football management series.

The upcoming release introduces a fully licensed Premier League and debuts on the Unity engine. This emphasized SI’s promise for the most immersive and visually rich Football Manager experience to date.

Back. Better. Building for the season ahead.#FM26 Match Day First Look. Coming soon. pic.twitter.com/zLcBEUvOQq
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) August 13, 2025

The confirmation follows an unprecedented year without a mainline FM title, after SI cancelled Football Manager 25. The said cancellation, according to SI, was for the developers to focus on the transition to Unity and the integration of women’s football.

That extra development time, the studio says, is now set to deliver the series’ biggest technical advancement for some time.

Central to FM26’s evolution is the Unity-powered 3D match engine. This showed promises for more realistic player animations, detailed stadium environments, and an enhanced matchday atmosphere

Early previews highlight the Premier League license, which brings authentic club crests, kits, and potentially player likenesses. This is the first tine that the England’s top division granted license to appear in the base Football Manager game.

For long-time fans, this replaces the need for community-made graphic packs, setting a new standard for realism straight out of the box.

While SI has yet to reveal the full suite of gameplay updates, the studio’s statement emphasizes its goal to “redefine the potential for storytelling” in sports simulation. Developers will reveal further features, including UI improvements and expanded league content, in the coming months as the launch approaches.