First look at Football Manager 26: Unity, new leagues and more realistic matches

Sports Interactive seeks to revolutionize football management with a new graphics engine and more leagues.

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The long wait is almost over. After a period of silence and promises of change, Football Manager 26 has finally revealed its first official images. And the truth is that the new installment of the most influential football management saga on the market is aiming high: more leagues, more countries, and above all, a technical change that could mark a before and after.

Sports Interactive, the veterans behind the franchise, as we already knew, FM26 will run on Unity for the first time, an engine that should translate into more realistic match simulations and a much more fluid visual environment. It’s not just a simple makeover: we’re talking about a complete overhaul of the interface and faster menus, a feature that veterans have been asking for for years.

Football Manager 26, the evolutionary leap of the saga

In addition to the technical improvement, FM26 will expand its database with new leagues and competitions so that virtual managers can track talent and plan signings with more options than ever. The idea is to offer even more global control over what happens in world football, with the possibility of following several competitions at the same time.

For now, the confirmed release is on PC for 2025, although Sports Interactive has not yet confirmed whether we will see versions on Xbox or PlayStation consoles. Given the technical leap and the project’s ambition, it’s not unreasonable to think about a wider adaptation, but for now, we have to wait for official confirmation.

Watch it in action here

What is clear is that after the 2024 hiatus, the return of Football Manager promises to be a real turning point for the saga. The next few months will be crucial to see if the switch to Unity meets expectations and manages to make the leap that fans have been demanding for so long.