The return of International Management and a review of FM26 

In this update you’ll once again be able to manage national teams and see our licensing agreement with FIFA come to life with official FIFA World Cup 2026™ branding, Broadcast Graphics, licensed kits* and the FIFA World Cup 2026™ match ball.  

The initial launch of International Management in FM26 will be supplemented by a second update in June to finalise licensed assets*, including the official 26-man 2026 FIFA World Cup™ tournament squads for participating nations.  

Ahead of that, I want to be transparent with you and manage expectations for what is coming in this update. While the mode represents an improvement on FM24, the full revamp will not be realised at launch and will instead be developed further over time.  

Challenges within the existing game that I'll touch on below have limited the scope of what we set out to deliver. Looking ahead, your feedback and the improvements already under way will help shape our priorities for future game development.  

FM26: Our missed expectations  

Reflecting on FM26 overall, we understand the changes we made to the User Interface weren't well received by everyone. It’s also clear many were frustrated by the changes to navigation and the loss of immersion compared to previous editions.  

For FM26, the intention was to deliver a UI that was more fluid throughout the game, alleviating the disconnect between old and new items we had in FM24. I was open that we wanted to create a UI for our games that would make productivity tools envious, but that we’d rolled back some of our more overambitious changes in FM26.  

I also said that we wanted to build something that was ultimately platform agnostic, enabling smoother implementation for our teams across our various products. Instead, this shift was ultimately detrimental to some of your experiences.  

Since launch we have worked hard to try and rectify or remedy issues as best as we can. Direct responses to your feedback include the redesigning of certain game screens, as well as the reintroduction of some features and functionality. Doing this on an active game wouldn’t have been possible without moving to Unity.  

While we haven't been able to address or fix everything you've reported, I hope that the regularity of updates offers some reassurance for the challenges you have encountered. FM26 is now a better game than at launch and the foundations we have in place are much stronger for future iterations.  

That said, we know that what we released has failed to meet the expectations of many. This was the first instalment of a new era and our first release in two years. We know how excited and enthusiastic you were, and so to have come below expectations for some is extremely disappointing. You expect nothing less than excellence from Football Manager, and that’s what the brand stands for. But, despite all the updates thus far, we haven’t got to that level.  

This is something I take full responsibility for.  

Looking ahead  

I know that as a studio we are still filled with tenacious, passionate and talented people who want FM to thrive and evolve.  

To ensure everyone is best equipped to do that, we’re turning as many learnings from this cycle as we can into actionable changes. Whether that’s internal role changes, new hires or new ways of working, I am leading a team committed to putting things right and releasing games more of our fans will love. 

For our next release, we’ve got a clear set of priorities, informed by the recurring pain points you’ve raised. Immersion is the main element we're focused on - be that game world, UI navigation or the UI itself. We are looking to elevate all of them and are making good headway.  

Everyone at the Studio is committed to rebuilding your full confidence in us, but we know that trust is earned not given. So, we will speak with you about our work when the time is right and look forward to sharing updates with you.  

Miles Jacobson  
Studio Director  

*While we previously indicated that official kits would be included as part of the international management feature, licensing approvals are still ongoing. As a result, not all FIFA World Cup 26™ team kits will be available upon launch of the feature and some may be added at a later date.