Football Manager 26: The End of an Era?

"It's a diamond that needs polishing," warned Miles Jacobson in an interview with an English media outlet in November 2025, just two days after the launch of Football Manager 26. Jacobson is the director and mastermind behind the decisions at Sports Interactive, the developer of the most significant sports management franchise. In that same conversation, he dropped another line that resonates louder than ever today: "We won't bring everyone with us," referring to the changes in the new release and the inevitable discontent of old-school Football Manager players. And the truth is, Miles, you were right about that. Very right.

The origin of this saga that has gifted us thousands of hours of dopamine dates back to 1992, when in England, brothers Paul and Oliver Collyer launched Championship Manager. The proposal was unprecedented for its time. Not controlling footballers but managing a club. Squads, tactics, transfers, morale. All text, all data. The success was immediate among the English public, but not so much in the rest of Europe. Years later, PC Fútbol would burst onto the Hispanic market, including its memorable Argentine versions.

Championship Manager became a cult phenomenon. Each edition added leagues, statistical depth, and tactical complexity. Jacobson's story with Sports Interactive began almost by chance. In 1994, a fan of the game, he offered his services as a tester. At that time, he was working in the management of Britpop bands, including Blur. Over time, he transitioned from informal collaborator to a key player at the studio: first as part-time commercial director and, since 1999, as general director with an increasingly central role.

In 2001, Championship Manager 01/02 was released, just as the internet began connecting communities and football was not yet saturated with public data. The game offered increasingly precise information and solidified the phenomenon of wonderkids as a cultural myth. Names like Maxim Tsigalko and Cherno Samba stopped being virtual promises to become shared references among players.

The proposal was unprecedented for its time. Not controlling footballers but managing a club. Squads, tactics, transfers, morale. All text, all data.

In 2003, after years of collaboration, Sports Interactive and Eidos parted ways due to contractual conflicts and brand ownership. Eidos retained the name Championship Manager; Sports Interactive kept the code, the database, and the development team. One kept the brand, the other the technical knowledge.

The new era

Now under Sega's wing, in 2004 Sports Interactive launched Football Manager. They changed the name but not the essence. Same structure, same obsessive focus on data, and the same simulation logic.

Under Jacobson's leadership, the studio transformed from a small company into one of the most important developers in the UK, with over 280 employees and a global network of scouts feeding the game's database.

Now in the present, Football Manager 26 was the most anticipated edition after the embarrassment of canceling the 2025 release. And not just once, but twice. There was a pre-sale before the originally scheduled launch for November 2024, which was then postponed to March. Among the hardcore FM fans, alarms went off, but it was time to hold on. The leap to the Unity graphics engine was the big challenge, along with the inclusion of women's football. The reasons for the delay might have sounded reasonable, but it was striking that a bullish company after the solid FM24 stumbled like this. The worst was yet to come.

On February 7, 2025, Sports Interactive released a statement acknowledging that, despite the delays and the "huge effort invested in recent months," the final result of Football Manager 25 "did not meet expectations." The edition was officially buried to focus entirely on Football Manager 26. They also clarified that there would be no official database update: wonderkids, transfers, promotions, relegations, CA/PA changes. For many, this was a slight against the loyal players who pay for their copy each year. In practical terms, it wasn't that severe. Football Manager has one of the most dedicated communities in the gaming universe, and they were the ones who updated markets and extended the lifespan of Football Manager 24. Even up to today.

The problems with Football Manager 26

After two years of development and rumors, on October 23, 2025, the beta of Football Manager 26 was launched. Problems appeared quickly. After choosing whether the manager wore a suit like Ancelotti or sportswear like Scaloni, it was time to explore the dashboard. And something didn't add up. The classic inbox-style skin had been completely modified. The result was a UI that many of us described as clunky and non-functional, especially in a game whose core is information management.

There were also massive crashes and bugs everywhere, which were corrected with updates. But the root problem is what Jacobson anticipated: "We won't bring everyone with us." The intention was to attract console players, and for that, the game was pushed into a more arcade territory.

On the positive side, the transition to Unity is noticeable. Better graphics and smoother performance. The tactical division into In Possession and Out of Possession is a success. With the ball, the offensive phase is more specific: width, pace, and space occupation integrate better with the roles. It's no longer just about "maintaining possession" or "playing direct." You can perceive when a team progresses through the middle, when it opens up, and when it structures the exit with intention.

Without the ball, the leap is even clearer. The pressure and height of the block have visible consequences. If you push high, you leave spaces; if you drop back, you concede ground and transition. Intensity impacts fatigue and disorder. Now you can win like Mourinho and not just under the Guardiola mold.

The problem is that for many, the match was almost secondary. Some of us still play in 2D because this is sports management. Opening the game and resuming a save can mean two hours without playing a match. It's about finding that 18-year-old kid who is tearing it up at Fluminense, bringing him in, and assigning him a veteran tutor to enhance his mentorship. Or spending hours scouting using the moneyball method, which filters players by statistics. For example, center-backs by aerial duel ratio, tackles, or clearances. A concept popularized in Major League Baseball, whose experience was captured in film starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. This resource has been applied with relative success in real-life football by clubs like Brentford. Many of those layers were relegated in Football Manager 26. The game became more straightforward and to the point, as if the only thing that mattered was matchday.

"They ended up with neither bread nor cake. The console players didn't join, and those of us who play on PC are unhappy," says content creator FMCarrilero in conversation with 421. He also points out that the main issue is the UI: "You need more clicks to get to the same place, there are more panels, everything is unintuitive, and it's designed for a joystick."

For him, the data that closes the discussion is Steam: "Today, there are fewer people playing Football Manager 26 than Football Manager 24." The initial reception placed it among the worst of the year in reviews.

Falso Bohemio, creator of megapacks that included 234 leagues and nine new countries in Football Manager 24, argues that Football Manager 26 "is not a disaster," but that it has lost its essence: immersion. "In recent editions, we could see the city of a club, review the complete history of a tournament, understand the context of a final. In 26, that's not there, at least for now. When it fails, the meticulous work loses impact." He also downplays the negativity on social media and talks about "visibility incentives," although he notes that "the potential" will depend on future updates.

Immersion is the key factor in Football Manager. A game that, while it has a relatively steep learning curve (or did), once you start finding rewards can become a problem. A problem, yes, like any addictive video game. But in Football Manager, there's an added layer, and that's that you can constantly compare it to real life. It's seeing the evolution of that reserve promise, how you gradually bring him along, how you give him minutes, confidence, and suddenly see him debut in the Premier League, for real. Or that player who has been tearing it up in your save for two seasons, and one day you see him on TV or on the pitch as a star. That constant overlap between your save and real football is what makes it so addictive.

Everyone at Todo Gordo FM knows what we're talking about.

My most troublesome experience with Football Manager happened with Football Manager 22. My then-girlfriend, with whom I had recently moved in, had gifted it to me for my birthday. Coincidentally, my birthday is in November, which, give or take a few weeks, coincides with the release. I had already been playing several editions of the franchise, with significant peaks of addiction, although that was when I was living alone and working from home.

The problem arose during our cohabitation, right after a streak that had me on a high: I won the League Cup with a last-minute goal from Merolla against Boca, and at the same time, the Sudamericana. In my game with Huracán, Leeds United was in the relegation zone, they let Marcelo Bielsa go, and called me to take over the team. Off I went. I saved them just a few matches before the end. In my first full season, I fought for mid-table while helping my girlfriend choose plants for a corner in the dining room.

In the second season, with a sharper tactic, I made some changes to the squad. I sold Sumerville, Forshaw, and Robin Koch. I brought in Jhonatan Calleri, Jesús Vázquez, and Leandro Giménez, the right-back from Huracán who had performed well during my time with the Globo. Things started to click. Calleri was unstoppable. Raphinha was at an all-time high. Meslier was peaking under the crossbar.

Cohabitation was going well too, except for minor frictions, like delaying the choice of a movie for a few minutes to advance the calendar or finishing a match before dinner. Nothing serious. I had already returned to in-person work, and one day, on my way home from the office, I found myself thinking about how to replace Junior Firpo, who was injured. He might not have been brilliant, but he did his job. The end of the season was approaching, and the chances of winning were real. Guardiola's City was dropping points away, and I was closing in with decisive performances from Giménez and Kalvin Phillips. With two matches left, I was just two points behind. In my second season. With Leeds.

It's Friday. I have work piling up, and I can only sit down to play the last two matches around eight at night. My girlfriend arrives, greets me with a kiss, and while taking off her shoes, tells me to "hurry up" because we're soon heading to her parents' place to celebrate her grandmother's 82nd birthday. I say "okay," barely moving my lips. The in-game calendar moves slowly, as always. I hit the spacebar as if that could speed up time.

First match, away. A mistake from the Aston Villa goalkeeper puts me in the lead. I shout in celebration. She, already dressed for dinner, lets me know that she ordered a taxi. I ask if we can cancel it and leave in a few minutes. She says no, that she wants to help her mom and spend some time with her grandma before dinner. I try to explain that it's not every day I'm fighting for the Premier League in my second season with Leeds. She doesn't get it. She asks what I'm going to do. I tell her to understand that I'll be there shortly. And I remind her that the next day we're going to spend the day at a country house and I won't be bringing my computer. She replies that it has nothing to do with it and can't believe we're having this conversation. She slams the door harder than usual and leaves.

I cover my face with my hands, shake my head, and carry on. I don't change the tactic because Football Manager 22 tends to "punish" you if you sit back too much. I win. City loses to Arsenal. I'm one point ahead with one match left. Unbelievable.

I send a WhatsApp: "How's everything? I'll be there in a few minutes." No reply. I move on to the last match. City hosts Leicester, who are having a poor season. My Leeds plays at home against Newcastle, who are fighting for cups. I set up a 3-5-2. We're fatigued: Phillips is exhausted, Raphinha too. It's a back-and-forth match. My goalkeeper is the star. So is theirs. It's nil-nil at halftime. City is also tied.

I check my phone. Nothing.

The second half starts, and two minutes in, Calleri scores a stunning goal. One-nil. It's all celebration until Haaland puts City ahead. I'm still one point ahead, but who knows how many points behind in my relationship. Minute 30, Phillips gets sent off. Disaster. I take off Raphinha and hold on with Calleri. I resist as best I can, but Bruno Guimarães equalizes. As I try to hold on with exhausted players, I glance at the other result. Rodri unleashes a thunderbolt from outside the box, and City is crowned champions. They snatch the title from me at the last moment. That's Football Manager for you.

I call a taxi, still feeling frustrated. I arrive at my in-laws' place with the barbecue already served. "We thought you weren't coming," says my mother-in-law. I greet her, kiss my grandma-in-law on the forehead. My girlfriend looks at me and gives a nod. I sit next to her, serve myself some meat with Russian salad. With irony, she asks if I won the championship. My mouth is full, and I can only shake my head. "Oh, great," she replies. "On top of that, you lost." I finish swallowing, wipe my mouth, and give her a lingering kiss on the cheek.

The next day, the weather is nice, and we have a great day at the country house. The anger fades. I resolve to control myself with Football Manager. We lived together for two more years.

After that, we each went our separate ways, but it wasn't because of the creation of the Collyer brothers. To this day, we text each other on our birthdays, but no more Football Manager gifts.

For now, it's hard to see how Football Manager 26 could create any conflict with our relationships. The immersion just isn't the same, and the lingering question is whether the franchise will deepen these changes in Football Manager 27 or decide to return, at least in part, to what defined it until recently.