Football Manager 26's first trailer teases the game's Unity engine and a 'match day first look'

Football Manager 2026 key art.

• Football Manager 26 has been announced with a Match Day teaser trailer
• The footage provides our first look at the game running on the Unity engine
• Football Manager 26's announcement comes after the cancellation of Football Manager 25

Sega and Sports Interactive have unveiled the first look at Football Manager 26, showcasing the game running on the Unity engine.

Following the cancellation of Football Manager 25, the sports series has made a surprise return with the announcement of Football Manager 26 in a short trailer teasing a 'Match Day first look' coming soon.

The trailer features live-action scenes filmed of the Match Day experience through the lens of the official Premier League license, but also provides a first look at some rendered footage running on the Unity engine.

However, the video does note that "actual game footage - not final".

In a press release, Sega said, "FM26 promises to take players on a journey to define their footballing destiny with our most immersive and visually rich Football Manager experience yet. The potential for storytelling is redefined by taking players closer to the heart of the beautiful game."

A website is also live, displaying the announcement trailer and text that reads, "Back. Better. Building for the season ahead. FM26 Match Day First Look. Coming Soon."

There's no release date just yet, but Sega has previously revealed in its internal sales showing its launch roadmap that it has plans to release FM26 in Fall 2025.

Understandably, fans of the series are excited about the announcement, as evident by the replies to the X / Twitter post, now that there's confirmation that FM26 hasn't been canned, just like FM25.

Football Manager 25 was canceled in February after it was delayed twice, with Sports Interactive stating that it "hasn't achieved what we set out to do."

At the time, the developer said it couldn't release the game in its current state and would "shift our focus to the next release."

You might also like...

• The Nintendo Switch 2 is the company’s least ambitious console to date, but its improvements are astronomical
• Assassin's Creed Shadows devs tease the return of some past series lore, including the Assassin vs. Templar conflict, the Isu, and a modern-day storyline – 'You can expect it to be expanded at some point, in some fashion'
• Monster Hunter Wilds patch notes reveal a new endgame expansion, 9-star monsters and additional stability fixes for PC