Women's Football is Coming to Football Manager 26

Women’s Football in FM26

For years (since 2021), the Football Manager community has been aware of the planned inclusion of women's football in the game. What began as a distant promise will finally become a reality with the upcoming release of FM26.

The path to this point has been met with a wide range of opinions, from excitement for new challenges to skepticism and frustration over what some perceive as a controversial addition.

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The technical work behind the scenes has been immense. The developers had to form a separate team to build a brand new player database and record specific motion-capture that accurately represents female players.

And don't forget this also includes different transfer system, unique league rules, level of detail, in-game text. More specifically, the game models the women's game with shorter contracts, fewer release clauses, and a transfer market dominated by free transfers.

Furthermore, female players also have 1-20 ratings and a 20 rating for a female striker is on the same scale as a male striker, but it's relative to their respective sports.

You will be able to seamlessly move between managing men’s and women’s teams. One game, one ecosystem.

That means you can start a save with a men's team, a women's team, or as an unemployed manager and then seamlessly manage both men's and women's teams within the same game world.

Women's football to be included into FM

The Numbers Behind the Women's Football Revolution

Over 36,000 women's footballers and more than 5,000 women's non-players have already been rated for inclusion in the game.

This massive effort goes beyond just players; the database reportedly includes players and staff across 4,000 teams.

With 14 playable leagues across 11 nations and 3 continents, this focused approach allows for a deeper, higher-quality simulation of each league.

Women's Footballers:	36,000
Women's Non-Players:	5,000
Women's Teams:	4,000
Women's Leagues:	14

The 14 playable leagues include the following 12 licensed competitions:

• Barclays Women’s Super League (England)
  
• Barclays Women's Super League 2 (England)
  
• National Women’s Soccer League (USA)
  
• Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga (Germany)
  
• WE League (Japan)
  
• Serie A Femminile (Italy)
  
• OBOS Damallsvenskan (Sweden)
  
• Elitettan (Sweden)
  
• A-Liga (Denmark)
  
• A-League Women (Australia)
  
• Adran Premier (Wales)
  
• UEFA Women’s Champions League (Europe)
  

The top division in France and top two divisions in Spain will also be playable in FM26.

Official Video Deep-Dive

A Change of Heart and Industry-Wide Collaboration

The decision to include women's football marks a significant change of heart for the studio's leadership. Miles had previously been on record stating that the move was not commercially viable.

In a revealing interview, he shared that a conversation with some of England's Lionesses was the turning point. "At an event, some of [England's] Lionesses came and told me that it would never be commercially viable unless people like us got behind it", he reveals.

	Football Manager 26 Release Date
	FM26 New Features

The developers were persuaded to devote themselves entirely to the project by this compelling statement, acknowledging their duty to contribute to the game's expansion.

The project's enormous scope, which Miles has said is unheard of for a video game, demonstrates this dedication. Adding to this sense of ambition, the studio received help from an unlikely source.

Miles offered a sincere public thanks to EA Sports, noting that in areas where they had exclusive licenses, "they’ve actually agreed to carve us out so that we can have licenses as well".

This collaborative effort highlights how seriously the entire industry is taking the women's game.

Miles Explains FM26 Plans

The Community's Reaction and the Path Forward

The long development process and the eventual delay of the game's release has caused mixed feelings within the community.

A number of people even pointed the finger at the inclusion of women's football as a main reason behind the delays.

While some were frustrated by the cancellation of FM25, many stood with the developers' decision to take their time and ensure the game is top-notch.

There's a general feeling that perfecting the game's features is more important than rushing it to market, even if it meant an extra year of wait.

The belief is that this dedication to quality will ultimately result in a truly transformative experience for all FM enthusiasts.

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With the ability to run men's and women's leagues side-by-side, we're on the verge of a whole new era of management. What do you think the first team you'll manage will be, and which male and female leagues will you choose to run together in your first save?

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