Football Manager 25

Football Manager 26 is not a typical annual update. It’s a full reimagining of the series. Sports Interactive rebuilt it from the ground up, introducing a new engine, a redesigned interface, and gameplay that embraces modern football in ambitious and risky ways. This is a game that dares to reinvent itself, and in many ways, it succeeds.

Football Manager 26 represents the biggest change for the franchise in two decades, with improved tactical options and the best match engine in series history. FM26 is still a strong offering, although some missing features combined with the need to learn a whole new UI might be too much of a challenge for series veterans.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of football fans get to live out their dream as the boss of their favorite club with Football Manager. I’m one of them, with over 340 hours in FM24 alone, and countless others in years gone by. Plenty of conversations with friends revolve around iconic Football Manager saves with Celtic, Aston Villa, Fulham, Everton, and Crewe.

Sports Interactive’s decision to not release a Football Manager game in 2024, opting for an extra year of development in order to deliver a fully revamped Football Manager 26, was something that frustrated me as a fan (nay, a truly addict), but also something that made me curious as to what the developer would do with its seminal sports management franchise. They were promising a new generation of Football Manager, a next step, a total revamp. And it’s finally out. This is one of the most...