The developers of Football Manager have teased a special update in time for next year’s FIFA World Cup. After agreeing to a partnership with FIFA in the summer, Sports Interactive announced plans to bring back features previously removed from FM26.
Ahead of next year’s World Cup, the game’s creators have revealed their plans for FM26 in the near future. They teased exciting developments in 2026, including a new update schedule for patches. This comes after a number of updates to the game, which has had an eventful launch since its November release.
Members of the Sports Interactive Community team revealed in a post on the official forum that the international management team is scheduled to return next year. This reintroduction will be part of a free update scheduled after the World Cup Qualifiers in March.
The decision to lift international management was announced prior to FM26’s release and caused an uproar among many long-time players. How it will be incorporated into the game is still unconfirmed, but it is speculated that gamers may be able to manage one of the 48 national teams that will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, this is not the only change planned. Sports Interactive has committed to releasing its annual winter transfer update in February and March, while continuing to enhance the game’s user interface.
The post reads, “Following the release of our latest update on December 15th, we would like to provide an overview of what’s next for FM26.
“We plan to release approximately every two to three weeks, and expect to resume updates in mid-January. We’ve already made great strides in performance, polish, and quality of life improvements, and overall player engagement is strong across platforms, but we’re aware that some player issues remain.”
Specifically, there have been ongoing concerns from some new and existing players regarding various elements of the UI and navigation, and we are implementing every viable measure to enhance both, as we have already done with the halftime and post-match screens in our latest PC/Mac update.
“We are also introducing media tweaks and additional features to increase immersion. Pathmaps is just around the corner and we are also looking at additional areas to enhance that ‘connected world’ feel.
“We are also aware of recent community discussions regarding additional game modes. While we are not yet ready to divulge details, we hope you can expect another announcement about our future efforts in the near future. This demonstrates our continued commitment to further development in this area.”
“We understand that the changes highlighted above may not address the concerns of all players. As has been the case throughout our franchise’s history, rest assured that all comments, suggestions, and requests are thoroughly considered.
“We remain committed to listening and responding through continued updates and future iterations of the game.
“Everyone at SI is working tirelessly to deliver the improvements needed to further improve the customer experience.
“Thank you for your continued support and for helping us shape our future direction.”
