What we know about Football Manager 2026

Hello everyone, it is that time of year! Football Manager 2026 was confirmed on August 13rd 2025, in the form of a 30-sec teaser video that showcases pre-match footage.

Then on August 29th, Miles Jacobson finally broke months of radio silence in interviews published on Eurogamer, BBC and The Athletic, where he explained what went wrong with FM25 and what to expect from FM26.

The preorder started on September 10th, alongside a video revealing the new UI and the release date.

Pre-Purchase FM26 from FM Scout Start playing 2 weeks earlier with advanced access, and enter a special giveaway for 5 chances to win GS26g.

On this page, we're listing all officially confirmed facts alongside estimates of what we can expect and when in the latest installment of the Football Manager franchise.

This way you can be easily checking everything we know about Football Manager 2026 during the pre-release period.

I'll keep this article constantly updated, so check back often for new information. Without further ado; let's get started.

FM 2026 Release Dates

• All editions of FM26 are set for release on November 4, except FM26 Touch. It remains to be confirmed if the PC/Mac edition on Games Pass will also launch day one.


• FM26 will be released on the following platforms: Steam, Epic Games, Microsoft Store and Games Pass for PC/Mac, PS5, Xbox and Xbox Games Pass for Console, Nintendo Switch for Touch, iOS and Android for Mobile as a Netflix exclusive.


• FM26 Touch on Nintendo Switch launches digitally on December 4.


• FM26 Beta version will be made available roughly two weeks prior to the official release date. For PC users only.


• The free FM2026 Demo is expected on the same day as the final game release (4 November).

Football Manager 2026 Screenshots

Timeline of official FM26 News

Sports Interactive's studio director Miles Jacobson and the official Football Manager account (both on Twitter) are the 2 sources of verified news about the game.

Schedule

Gameplay feature complete early June (estimate)	UI feature complete mid July (estimate)
Art complete early August (estimate)	Start taking screens/videos 13 August onward
Feature announce 4 September	Pre-order begins 10 September
Beta release on or before 21 October	Final release 4 November

Estimates are more of an educated guess.

FM26 New User Interface - 10 September 2025

• The developers unveiled a video showcasing the new user interface which they like to call the "biggest UI upgrade in a generation".


• Key new features include the Portal (replaces the old Inbox), redesigned navigation, and customizable Bookmarks.


• Introducing FMPedia, a brand-new in-game glossary and user guide.


• FMPedia guides will cover everything from Financial Fair Play and Board Confidence to the new tactical changes in FM26 (that probably confirms the FM26 Player Roles Leak was legit).

Football Manager 2026 News

• SI also published a blog post hinting towards "a host of licensed competitions set to be revealed in the coming weeks", as well as further significant upgrades ranging "from transfers and tactics to manager creation and controller integration".


• On a side note, FM26 Mobile is the only title in the suite not switching to Unity at this time.


• FM26 Mobile will be the first edition in the Mobile series with save game compatibility functionality, though restricted to FM24 Mobile careers only.

FM26 Announced on Steam and Microsoft Store - 4 September 2025

• Football Manager 2026 is added on Steam and Microsoft stores as a wishlist item with no option to pre-purchase and no release date yet.


• The FM26 System Requirements are revealed.


• Five matchday ccreenshots are added on the official product page, alongside an excerpt of the game's official description.


• 19 languages confirmed, including the addition of Arabic; that's likely a cue that new playable leagues will be introduced.

FM26 Matchday Experience - 4 September 2025

• First reveal of the Unity-powered 3d match gameplay, showcasing a significant leap forward compared to FM24 match graphics.


• We immediately notice improved graphics, including better pitch shading, more realistic crowd models and more lifelike player animations.


• New on-screen graphics for player ratings, stamina, tactics, and mentality adjustments, mirroring real-life broadcast presentations.


• Premier League licensing evident throughout the video and screenshot stills.


• We screen-grabbed 36 stills from the first match engine video and added them on our FM26 Screenshots page.


• A SI employee explained that the match engine hasn't been re-written from the ground up as that would likely require an entire decade to get right. Therefore the core simulation is a continuation from FM24 and the Unity integration is about the visualizations and animations.

FM26 Plans - 29 August 2025

• The release of Football Manager 26 is expected in the usual FM launch window, which means mid-late October for early access and early-mid November for the final game.


• FM26 will have a mix of features that were originally set for FM25, some from FM24, and some entirely new ideas already in the works for FM26.


• International Management, which was cut from FM25 due to quality concerns, will return in FM26 in a "much more feature-rich way".


• The development team has course-corrected, abandoning the problematic UI in favor of a new design that re-implements fan-favorite features like search bars and back/forward buttons, while introducing new, player-friendly navigation tools.


• The Premier League license, which was ironically announced for the cancelled FM25, is confirmed to be intact for the new release.


• Women's football is coming to FM26 and the work on that has also continued, with the number of leagues in the "low double figures" and "over 35,000 women’s footballers" rated.


• The extra year of development helped the developers properly translate the C++ code into C# (for Unity engine).

FM26 Finally Confirmed - 13 August 2025

• Sports Interactive shared a 30-second video teaser with glimpses of FM26 actual game footage.


• The graphics quality of this pre-match day first look is impressive compared to what we were used to in previous FM versions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the new features of FM26?
FM26 will come with a reimagined UI, new tech for Newgens, new and more real-life animations, graphical upgrades everywhere and women's football. Also saved game compatibility with FM23 and FM24 saves (FM26 Mobile will only support FM24 saves).

Will my computer be able to run FM26? It runs FM24 no problem.
If your computer runs FM24 okay, it's possible it should cope fine with FM26. However, the minimum system requirements changed towards more demanding specs. Make sure to check our page with the minimum and recommended System Specs for FM26. And if you're in the market for a new laptop, we've got you covered with our FM26 Laptop Buying Guide featuring 4 budget builds.

Football Manager 2026 System Requirements

When is the Pre-Release Beta?
The pre-release Beta is out approximately two weeks before the final release and is only available for PC/Mac users. It's expected to drop on or before October 21, 2025.

What's happening with the Nintendo Switch version?
The game will be on Nintendo Switch once again. FM26 Touch (Nintendo Switch) is scheduled to release digitally on 4 December.

Will FM26 come to PlayStation?
Yes, Football Manager 2026 Console will be returning to PlayStation 5 for a third season. It will also be available on Xbox One/S/X.

If you have any questions, feel free to post in the comment section down below.

Get access to the FM26 Beta for free

Purchase FM26 through fmscout.com much cheaper than Steam store & enjoy early access to the Beta version as soon as it's out, get a 5x chance to win a key for the 'g' edition of Genie Scout 26, & our gratitude for supporting our community financially.