I make no secret that I was a little disappointed by the “lack” of Women’s football leagues announced for Football Manager 26. Personal reasons aside, the depth of leagues for the most part feels a little “early development” of this wider system. I’m not bemoaning Sports Interactive’s greater efforts by having over 40,000 personnel (players and staff) in the database, but I am left asking myself, what are (and should be) the next round of leagues added down the line?

Scotland! Scotland! Scotland!

Listen, I bang on about it like a populist politician does about helping home-grown people while quickly filling their pockets and the pockets of millionaires, give me the SWPL! Not just because I want the best left foot in Scottish football, but because I want to develop Scotland as a powerhouse in Women’s football. If the SFA won’t do it, I’ll do it myself… in a game.

Put simply, the SWPL is one of the most interesting leagues in the entire UK, with the press constantly discussing how there is always final-day drama for the title fight. Last season’s run had an amazing final four to five months. The fact that some players are scoring goals for fun (hi Katie Wilkinson and Kathleen McGovern), the aggressiveness on the pitch, and most importantly, the hunger to prove something, Scottish women’s football (physical and hungry) is what I want to see the game as. Better still, we saw this summer how people will get behind these young women in an instant.

The SWPL 2 side Kilmarnock signed the 16-year-old Skye Stout this year, and the vile parts of the internet tried to break this young woman’s spirit. However, I saw hundreds of people who wouldn’t know where Kilmarnock was on a map stand up for her, stand up against those trying to bully her, and best of all, in August, she went out and scored her first goal in a game that ended 4-0. To be wistful about it, Skye is the spirit of Women’s football in general, constantly told horrible things online, verbally harassed (nothing new in football), and somehow being better by default. Something particularly true in Scottish Women’s football.

As an addendum to my original point of the SWPL, simply because it is in the database and I can have a moan at every opportunity, give me the Championship too at the very least. That way, I can play as Falkirk Women, and when I do the usual check the mortgage for those wages and check a real estate portal, I can move into the shadow of the stadium again – maybe. That and a mountain of roadworks on the Westfield Roundabout because Falkirk Council enjoys wasting money like me when I give out contract offers. Told you I can moan!

Hashtag Women’s Sunday League –

The second league I’m looking for at the next opportunity is sort of a two-for-one deal, as I’m looking at the English Women’s National League. At the very least, I’m looking at the North and South Premier Divisions, though I wouldn’t complain too much if we got all four leagues in the fourth tier also. Not only do you have some of the major teams like Stoke, Watford, Middlesbrough, Wolves, and Wimbledon in there for both Premier Divisions, but you have Hashtag United and Gwalia.

However, with the fourth tier, you’d also have Norwich City, Bristol Rovers, Fulham, Luton Town, Sheffield FC, Notts County, York City, Leeds United, and most importantly, Blackburn Rovers. The latter of which could prove interesting after the mess that was last year’s relegation from what is now the WSL 2 (second tier) down into National League Division One North (fourth tier). That could be an interesting save and an interesting set of circumstances. Aside from this long list of teams to play as (24-72 teams), it would give a massive amount of depth to the English divisions at the very least.

Not only could you play as QPR playing in Division One South East (fourth tier) and make it up to the WSL (1), but it would give these lower-tier teams a massive amount of support they might not otherwise have. What I love about FM saves where you play outside the big teams is finding the likes of Fujieda MYFC and falling in love with them, as I have. I mean, very few people are going to fall in love with MK Dons, but these lower-tier teams need that light shown onto them like this or otherwise to build as a team. The more teams with bigger support means the bigger the league is, the game improves, meaning boring men can’t complain anymore – win, win, win!

Expand on the US system –

Third on my list, simply because I know it will never happen, is USL Super League, WPSL Pro, and NWSL Division 2. Yes, I did say that when it came to the launch of FM26, I wasn’t bothered by the US women’s pyramid, and you might be shocked to understand that I still stand by this. The professional leagues sanctioned by the USSF, while they are making waves in certain sections, aren’t, in my opinion, the heart of US women’s “soccer.” The heart of women’s football in the US, in my opinion, is still from that collegiate level simply because few of the very best players stay within that US system.

I’m looking at Tullis-joyce, who is at Man U, Crystal Dunn is at PSG, Emily Fox is at Arsenal, Lindsey Heaps is now at Lyon, and Catarina Macario is at Chelsea, to name a few. Aside from Alyssa Thompson and Naomi Girma, both at Chelsea, few of the core USWNT are being challenged by staying in the US system right now. In my opinion, the best player for the USWNT that plays for a NWSL team is Gotham FC’s Rose Lavelle. The point being that much like Scotland, albeit without promotion-relegation because you people are allergic to common sense, these could be good nation-building leagues.

The US is one of the few places where Women’s football (“Soccer”) is held up, oddly enough. Having that full set of professional leagues by the launch of the WPSL Pro in 2027 could prove really good for the teams moving up/being formed, but also prove to help the broader impression on professional football in the US, given we’ve only had the MLS and now NWSL up to this point. It is near impossible that we’ll get those NCAA conference divisions, but this would be the second-best thing to build the US as the powerhouse in Women’s football again.

More of Europe!

Maybe I’m pushing my luck with being so broad with this one, but I’d like second tiers in Europe. With the launch of FM26, we know some leagues like the English WSL and Swedish Damallsvenskan get their second tiers, but something I was sorely missing from the announcement was the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga. Instantly, when we got the announcement, I felt that drop of disappointment because I knew I wouldn’t get to play as VfL Bochum. I can’t explain why I picked them as the team I liked and picked in German football, probably because Borussia Dortmund was in the Westfalenliga last year, thus about as notable as a fart on the wind.

Nonetheless, as I said about the English FA’s National League system for women, this would offer much more depth when it comes to playing in those mainland European leagues. It would also offer something more interesting when it comes to the Women’s UEFA Champions League. Instead of taking PSG or Lyonnes to the Champions League, you take Toulouse or Le Mans FC. Maybe having Bochum win something, which is more than could be said of the men’s side, apparently.

The obvious point to make here is that it gives you, as a player, a greater reason to play in those leagues than obviously picking Arsenal, Southampton, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Man City, Man U, and so on. Maybe I’m weird, but the reason I’ve played outside of the Scottish Premiership until now with women’s football is either because Falkirk aren’t there or I’m taking a team like Fujieda into the AFC Champions League Elite. Part of me wants to do the journeyman save with those second tiers in Europe.

Basically, all of them.

It is unrealistic, but basically all of the leagues from everywhere. Currently, Africa is lacking a showcase for several reasons, but hopefully this gets corrected by the national football module that is expected to release before the FIFA CUM World Cup. That said, I wouldn’t be disappointed with seeing more “obscure” leagues on offer in the future as well, be it the Philippines, South Africa, it would be interesting seeing the Brazilian side of things when it comes to Women’s football, Canada could be interesting, and as I say, those second-tier leagues in now established countries.

We are seeing with Steam Workshop and FM Scout downloads, there is a desire for Portugal, Morocco, Nigeria, Ukraine, and beyond. I get it, it happens every year as people fill out the database with Papua New Guinea tier 2 and the Dutch 7th tier for the Men’s side, but I think the point still stands that there is a hunger for more leagues including the “obscure” ones. 14 women’s football leagues is fine, to start with, but it only works if that expands and sees proper growth, allowing for more players to play as their local women’s team or find interesting ones.

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