Back when Football Manager 25 was first announced last year, Sports Interactive had promised that women’s football — which has been progressively growing in popularity over the years — would be included in the game for the first time ever. Unfortunately, Football Manager 25 was later cancelled due to issues with development, so players were unable to see how women’s football would be implemented in the world’s leading football management sim.
Despite FM 25‘s cancellation, it seems developer Sports Interactive is dedicated to incorporating it into the Football Manager series, as it remains a marquee feature for the upcoming Football Manager 26, along with its new graphics engine and UI. As of right now, we don’t know much about women’s football or what it will look like in FM 26. However, Sports Interactive has alluded to some of its larger details in a recent announcement.
Here’s everything we know about the new mode, and why it seems to be a bit starved for content.
What We Know About Women’s Football In Football Manager 26
#FM26 will introduce women's football with playable leagues from across the globe
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) September 15, 2025
This week, we'll dive deeper into this new chapter in the FM story
Stay tuned, more news coming soon… pic.twitter.com/YiYCg2NfA5
Earlier this morning, Football Manager‘s social media pages revealed the first details about the women’s game in Football Manager 26. Here’s what we know so far.
For starters, there will be a total of 14 women’s leagues in FM 26. These leagues will be spread out across 11 nations in three different continents — North America, Europe, and Australia. The video promises that a deeper dive into the women’s side of the sport will be revealed soon.
On the surface, I must admit, women’s football in Football Manager 26 seems light. Sure, its mere presence adds another layer to the already-established Football Manager formula. However, from the looks of it, women’s football will only have top-flight leagues, eliminating the possibility of FM players doing promotion or Road to Glory saves, which could make the mode less enticing to those looking for a more layered and deeper experience. On top of that, it looks unlikely that women’s clubs in North America (which only includes the United States, according to the map) and Australia will be starved for continental competitions, akin to UEFA’s Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League competitions.
Again, I don’t want it to come across as me being critical, because the presence of women’s football alone promises an added dimension to the established loop that Football Manager players have come to expect over the years. All I’m saying is that, given the information we’ve been given to this point, it doesn’t seem to be a well fleshed-out dimension.
We’ll stay tuned for more news on women’s football in Football Manager 26.
