It’s official. Football Manager 26 will include women’s football as a fully integrated part of the game from day one.

That means thousands of real players, complete leagues, and fully connected saves where men’s and women’s careers exist side by side. For fans who’ve been waiting since the first announcement in 2021, this is the update they’ve been asking for.

Football Manager 26 Women’s Football

It’s a complete, interconnected system. You can manage a men’s team and a women’s team in the same save file. Players can be scouted, signed, and developed under the same logic, with league structures and transfer rules based on the real world. It’s the biggest expansion the series has seen in years.

Built From the Ground Up

Sports Interactive didn’t just adapt existing systems. They built an entirely new database: 34,000 players and staff across about 4,000 clubs. That’s more data than the early FM games had for the entire men’s side.

This new layer includes leagues from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and more. Every league follows real-world rules, including unique transfer systems and registration formats. Match AI, staff roles, dynamic text, and behind-the-scenes behavior have all been adapted specifically for the women’s game.

New Animations, Real Movement

A dedicated motion capture team recorded animations tuned to how women move on the pitch. The result is more realistic gameplay, down to the movement, stamina, and tempo. Transfer markets and contract structures were also overhauled to match the real conditions in women’s football.

Playable Leagues at Launch

  • England: Women’s Super League, FA Cup, League Cup
  • Germany: Frauen-Bundesliga
  • Italy: Serie A Femminile
  • France: Top division and national cup (with licensing in progress)
  • Spain: Four tiers, hundreds of clubs
  • Sweden, Denmark, Norway: Full data and structure
  • Brazil: Four divisions, at least two playable
  • USA: National Women’s Soccer League
  • Canada: Multi-tier system
  • South Africa: Women’s Super League, over 400 players
  • Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, India: National teams and league structures
  • Kosovo, Luxembourg, and other smaller nations: Registered players and clubs

From launch, you can run both sides of the game in the same career. Manage a women’s side while still competing in the men’s Champions League, or switch between jobs like a real-world coach.

Years in the Making

Back in 2021, Sports Interactive said they were working on integrating women’s football. The community was excited, but expectations had to be managed. FM25 was originally set to be the debut, but after multiple delays, SI made the tough call to cancel the launch. Studio Director Miles Jacobson said they couldn’t hit the quality level they were aiming for. Rather than release something half-finished, they chose to go back and get it right.

What Made It Happen

Jacobson once said women’s football wouldn’t be commercially viable. Then, a Lionesses player told him, “It’ll never be commercially viable unless people like us start supporting it.” That was the turning point.

Jacobson called this the most ambitious feature Sports Interactive has ever added. EA Sports even helped, offering licensing support in some markets. It’s rare to see that kind of cooperation in the same space.

Bringing women’s football into FM isn’t just a milestone for the game, but it also signals a wider shift in sports gaming, with more representation, more options and more stories to tell. It’s a sign that simulation games are finally catching up to where sports are heading in real life.

Leagues to Watch

Here are five leagues that should be on your radar when FM26 drops:

  • Brazilian Rebuild: Four tiers of women’s football. Start low and aim for continental success.
  • Scandinavian Dynasty: Sweden and Denmark offer rich youth systems for long-term saves.
  • South African Challenge: A 16-team league with over 400 players. Tons of room for discovery.
  • Spanish Super Project: Hundreds of clubs and four divisions. Underdog to powerhouse potential.
  • American Expansion: NWSL structure with drafts, salary caps, and a growing global footprint.

Football Manager 26 FM Just Got Bigger

This update changes the scope of what a Football Manager career can be. One world, connected. Twice the stories.

Ready to start yours?

Source:

  • https://www.footballmanager.com/features/introducing-womens-football