Sports Interactive and FIFA Announce New Partnership for Football Manager
Licensing deal supports inclusion of International Management in FM26 Content Update next year
London – Friday, October 17th – Elevating authenticity to truly global heights, Sports Interactive are delighted to have signed our first partnership with FIFA, football’s world governing body.
The multi-year deal brings official licences for FIFA’s biggest competitions to the Football Manager series, including the FIFA World Cup 26™ held in Canada, Mexico and USA.
The inclusion of officially branded and titled FIFA competitions will begin in FM26 with the FIFA World Cup™, FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and FIFA Club World Cup™, with further tournaments set to follow.
This coincides with the future inclusion of a revamped International Management module in a Content Update next year for FM26, FM26 Console and FM26 Touch* in advance of FIFA World Cup 26™.
Full feature details will follow in due course but this deal means that the official kits of the final 48 FIFA World Cup 26 teams will be included in FM26 when they’re available alongside broadcast graphics and tournament branding.
FM26 is released worldwide across platforms from November 4, setting the stage for football fans to define their destiny by taking them to the heart of the beautiful game.
Made with the Unity Engine for the first time, FM26 refreshes the entire managerial experience and sets a bold new standard in Sports Interactive™’s and SEGA©’s iconic history.
Sports Interactive Studio Director Miles Jacobson said: “Revealing this partnership with FIFA is an incredibly historic moment for the studio.
“Heading into a World Cup year, revamping International Management and making it a much more feature-rich module for our players was important.
“To be able to do that with the support of FIFA with an official licence, giving us the tournament broadcast graphics and tournament kits in-game, is a real honour and something we’re delighted our fans will be able to experience next year.
“And this is just the start of our relationship – stay tuned for more to come in 2026 and beyond.”
*International Management will be available in FM26 Mobile (Netflix) from launch.
The partnership video is available to download here.
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About Sports Interactive™:
Sports Interactive is the world’s leading developer of sports management simulations. From their home at Here East, Stratford, SI creates immersive alternate realities that don’t just emulate sport, but shape it. The SI team are tenaciously passionate creators, bringing talented, ambitious people together to craft gaming experiences that forever stretch the possibilities of sports entertainment. It’s this ethos that caught the attention of SEGA®, who brought SI onboard as a subsidiary in 2006. More info on the studio and its work can be found at www.sports-interactive.com.
About Football Manager™:
Football Manager (FM) is the world’s leading football management simulation title and our iconic, award-winning series has captivated a global pool of players for two decades. FM takes players to the heart of the beautiful game and lets them create their own football story as manager of their favourite club. With more than 50 of the top footballing nations to manage in and a database of more than 800,000 active players and staff from around the world of football, the game offers tasks players with making the key decisions at their club offers an unrivalled simulation experience. FM has grown to become more than just a game and is now deeply embedded in the football industry with the FM database now powering the recruitment strategies of professional clubs around the world of football. The game has become an integral part of modern fan culture, shaping the discourse around the professional game. It has been the inspiration for several books, a stand-up comedy show and even a feature-length documentary. For more information on Football Manager, visit footballmanager.com.
About SEGA® Europe Limited:
SEGA® Europe Limited is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA CORPORATION, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. SEGA wholly owns the video game development studios Two Point Studios, Creative Assembly, Amplitude Studios, Sports Interactive and HARDlight. SEGA Europe’s website is located at www.sega.co.uk