Sports Interactive signs multi-year Football Manager partnership with FIFA

• The multi-year deal covers FIFA’s biggest tournaments, including the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
• A revamped International Management mode will arrive in a 2026 content update ahead of the World Cup.
• FM26 will include official kits for all 48 World Cup teams, plus authentic broadcast graphics and tournament branding.

Sports Interactive has signed a multi-yeaer partnership with FIFA to bring more licenses to Football Manager games. 

The deal grants the Football Manager series official licences for FIFA’s major tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico, and the USA.

Starting with Football Manager 26, the series will feature officially branded FIFA tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women’s World Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.

Getting set for launch 

The partnership also coincides with a revamped, playable International Management mode coming in a 2026 content update for FM26 across all platforms ahead of the FIFA World Cup 26.

Full details are yet to be shared, but Sports Interactive confirmed that FM26 will include official kits for all 48 FIFA World Cup 26 teams, along with authentic broadcast graphics and tournament branding for next year's edition.

The new FIFA deal comes after Sega and Sports Interactive cancelled FM25 across all platforms due to development challenges, marking the first time the series has skipped a release since 2004. 

The title, which was set to deliver the series’ biggest technical and visual leap through a switch to the Unity engine, faced setbacks related to player experience and interface design. FM26 will now launch globally on November 4th, 2025.