
All we know about Football Manager 2026 after Sports Interactive's shock cancellation
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Football Manager 2025 has been cancelled, but with fans crying out for updates on the series' future, we've rounded up everything we know about Football Manager 2026Tech08:00, 20 Mar 2025Football Manager 2024 just gained a whole new reason to pick it up(Image: Sports Interactive)The latest edition of the Football Manager series, FM25, has been cancelled, leaving fans of the long-running franchise feeling a little lost.The decision to switch game engines to Unity, while also adding features like the women's game, created too many problems to overcome and Football Manager's 2025 entry has been canned for good despite being planned for launch at the tail-end of 2024.Article continues belowThat means we're left waiting for Football Manager 2026, which will seemingly arrive in November as is the series tradition, and we've rounded up all we know about the cancellation and how Sports Interactive plans to get back on track.Sports Interactive's lengthy statement on Football Manager 25(Image: SEGA)In a lengthy statement, Sports Interactive said: Sports Interactive regret to inform that, following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with SEGA, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release.We know this will come as a huge disappointment, especially given that the release date has already moved twice, and you have been eagerly anticipating the first gameplay reveal. We can only apologise for the time it has taken to communicate this decision. Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today was the earliest date that we could issue this statement.We have always prided ourselves on delivering the best value for money games that bring you countless hours of enjoyment, that feel worth every moment and every penny you spend. With the launch of FM25 we set out to create the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation, laying the building blocks for a new era.Due to a variety of challenges that weve been open about to date, and many more unforeseen, we currently havent achieved what we set out to do in enough areas of the game, despite the phenomenal efforts of our team. Each decision to delay the release was made with the aim of getting the game closer to the desired level but, as we approached critical milestones at the turn of the year, it became unmistakably clear that we would not achieve the standard required, even with the adjusted timeline.In short, the shift to the new engine, plus the other features planned, weren't hitting quality milestones and so the studio decided to take a year out, which is unprecedented in its history.With there now being a considerable gap in the Football Manager timeline, we'd imagine the 'stakeholders' that Sports Interactive's statement refers to will push for the next game to launch on schedule.As a result, we'd expect the game to launch in November 2025, likely with a beta available beforehand as has been customary although we'd hope Sports Interactive will look to give much more regular updates between now and then.The studio tends to announce release dates around September with the start of a new football season, so keep an eye out then.Fans have often updated the game's database between the start of the season and the launch of the new game, but two big players in the Football Manager community have pulled together to release what are essentially overhauls to the database which essentially allow players to 'play' Football Manager 2024 as if it's the cancelled version.FMInside.net and FMScout have both put together sizeable updates that collect multiple smaller updates together, essentially doing what developer Sports Interactive said they wouldn't as they concentrate on Football Manager 26.Not only are transfers updated, but player ratings have been tweaked, contracts and ages are adjusted to be a year in the future, promotions and relegations are sorted. The new Champions League format has also been introduced albeit with the caveat that the in-game editor doesn't allow for 100% accuracy.The YouTube video from Zealand above is a great way to learn how to install and everything included, but it certainly goes beyond any data pack in the almost 20 years I've been playing the series.Considering these are free updates, I'll definitely be downloading them.The Daily Star reached out to SEGA on January 31 and was told that the publisher had "nothing to share at this point", a week prior to the cancellation announcement.The title, which was to be the first on a new game engine, will now be eligible for refunds if you've pre-ordered itArticle continues belowFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
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