In a landmark move for the sports simulation genre, the developers behind the acclaimed Football Manager series have confirmed that the next instalment will feature women's football for the very first time.
A Historic Inclusion for a Gaming Giant
Sports Interactive (SI) has announced that Football Manager 26 (FM26) will break new ground by integrating women's football into its famously detailed management simulation. This decision marks a significant step for the studio, which has built its reputation on an obsessive attention to the men's game's realism over two decades.
The inclusion has been described by studio director Miles Jacobson not as a simple add-on, but as a core part of the game's DNA, developed with the same depth and authenticity players expect. The project has been in development for several years, involving extensive consultation with football experts, players, and officials from the women's game to ensure an accurate and respectful portrayal.
Building the Women's Game from the Ground Up
Creating the women's football database was a monumental task, separate from the men's game. SI had to build entirely new data sets, encompassing thousands of players, staff, and clubs across multiple leagues worldwide. This required a dedicated research team to compile attributes, histories, and statistics that reflect the unique landscape of women's football.
The game will launch with over 50 women's leagues from more than 30 nations, offering players the chance to manage clubs from the English Women's Super League (WSL) to divisions in the United States, Germany, France, and beyond. The development team has also adapted the game's renowned match engine to authentically represent the stylistic and physical nuances of the women's sport.
More Than a Feature: A Statement of Intent
This move is seen as more than just a new gameplay mode; it's a powerful statement about the growing status and commercial importance of women's football. By placing it at the heart of one of the world's most popular football simulations, SI is effectively legitimising the women's game for millions of fans and aspiring managers.
Jacobson emphasised that the goal is to provide the same immersive, career-defining experience for which the series is famous, regardless of whether a player chooses to manage a men's or women's team. The announcement has been broadly welcomed by the football community, with many praising it as a long-overdue and positive evolution for the franchise.
Football Manager 26 is scheduled for release in late 2025, with the women's football integration set to be a flagship feature. This development promises to attract a new audience to the game while offering existing fans an unprecedented and fresh managerial challenge, solidifying the series' position at the pinnacle of football simulation.
