Sports Interactive has officially confirmed that Football Manager 26 is going to receive official FIFA Tournaments ahead of the 2026 World Cup. They have finally secured an official FIFA licence, allowing them to branch off into international leagues. The lack of international management has been a major complaint about the game since its release.
The news came via the studio’s official X (Twitter) account, which teased licensed FIFA content, tournament branding, and national team competitions in a future free update.
Football Manager
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) October 17, 2025@FIFAcom
Official FIFA tournaments debut in #FM26, with a revamped International Management module arriving in a free future content update ahead of FIFA World Cup2026.
https://t.co/s1k5QdJgiU pic.twitter.com/FsKwxxRUH6
What Does This Mean For Football Manager 26?
At launch, FM26 dropped one of the best features—the ability to manage international teams. They blamed the new Unity engine and problems with quality as the reason for this. Fans were angry that a crucial feature was removed. It was even more frustrating as the World Cup was near.
Now that the feature is announced to return, fans couldn’t be happier. Sports Interactive announced that FIFA tournaments are back with an official license. This means real kits, logos, and authentic representations of each team to improve the World Cup experience.
Sadly, there is no confirmed release date yet. However, the update is supposed to hit just before the real tournament starts next summer.
This move could go a long way toward rebuilding trust with the Football Manager community. The lack of international play was one of the biggest complaints against FM26, and its return, especially under the FIFA banner, signals that Sports Interactive is listening to fan feedback.
