The World Cup 2026 update to FM26 release next week

The year is 2028, Tranmere have lifted the FA Cup twice, they’ve won the Europa League, they’re top of the Champions League and the EFL Championship, and I’m on £60K a month, yet still the SFA hasn’t binned off Clark Ball. The funny thing about the World Cup being licensed in FM26 is that when France won it in my Tranmere save, I didn’t know about it despite this being one of the major parts of this development cycle. Well, yesterday on a whim, Sports Interactive announced that Football Manager 26 will get its international and World Cup 2026 update next Tuesday, on the 26th of May.

“International management arrives in FM26 ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026™ in the USA, Canada[,] and Mexico this summer. New tools and game upgrades prime you for glory on football’s biggest stage, elevated by our first-ever licensing agreement with FIFA. Let’s dive into what you can expect from May 26th,” notes the blog post announcing the details and provisions against this year’s international management.

Like a lot of FM26, it will be broken up into parts; however, “The first thing you’ll see when loading up FM26 following this update is a new quick start option allowing you to dive straight into FIFA World Cup 2026™ action*. You can kick off your campaign on May 11th in-game, giving you two final friendlies to run the rule over your players and complete your squad selection ahead of the summer’s action. In a subsequent game update in June, there’ll also be an early June start date available.

So, you’ll step right into the dugout before the first game of FIFA World Cup 2026™. The final 26-man squad all set, ready for your opening match day and the next step on their path to glory.” I mentioned provisions a minute ago, and the asterisks above denote that only 47 of the 48 teams will be available to select on the 26th. It is easy to speculate, but this could be due either to licensing (most likely) or to the political situation surrounding this year’s World Cup. We won’t know until next Tuesday.

For those just worried it is just a gamemode separate from the central focus of club management, don’t fret mon frère, “You can still manage national teams and clubs simultaneously in FM26, including with the FIFA World Cup 2026™ specific start dates. If you opt to begin in May or June, your club’s season will simulate in the background up to the point of your start date.

You’ll also be able to load your existing FM23 and FM24 saves and continue your national team saves. If you have started a club save in FM26, international management will be seamlessly integrated into your save file. You’ll be able to start a new save game or have international management brought into your existing save game; it’s entirely up to you.”

I won’t quote blow-for-blow here on in because you can read the full post yourself; however, there is a major update not only with adding international management, but also on how national teams work. Registration has been overhauled to allow up to a 55-player selection that will be whittled down to the proper 26-player squad. There is also an enhancement to scouting in national management to widen the pool, particularly when it comes to dual nationals. i.e., players like Scott McTominay, Barney Stewart, and Filip Lissah, all dual nationals eligible for two nations.

More importantly, you’ll also be given better tools to do match preparation training with the national team, you’ll have set-piece coaches, and most importantly, you can rest players to keep them ready for big games. This, alongside details about data in the data hub and the new tactical aspect, is a whole redevelopment of international management as we knew it from FM24. A lot of which are welcome additions and improvements that I don’t think anyone can truly complain about. Twitter and Steam comments will still do it anyway.

Of course, alongside all of this, “Official FIFA World Cup 2026™ licensed assets elevate your experience throughout the competition in-game. To give you that tournament feel, there’s a bespoke branded header in the Portal and a themed background as you navigate your pre-match preparations. Match Days are where the licence really comes to life. You’ll discover new cutscenes, broadcast graphics, teamsheets, kits** and the official Adidas Trionda match ball.” The asterisks this time are about officially licensed assets, such as kits, that won’t be available on the launch of international management.

Also buried in the lead is the confirmation that you’ll also have the opportunity to step into the dugout of women’s national teams. What I find interesting about this, other than knuckle draggers moaning that it is being forced into their face with one sentence here, is the new rule change. Announced earlier this year, FIFA will require all women’s national teams to have a woman in one of the top two positions in the management structure. Whether Sports Interactive and Football Manager 26 implement that will be interesting.

It will also be interesting, as it isn’t entirely noted here in plain text, that you can import saves from FM24 and continue national management. I have a save from FM24 managing Fujieda MYFC and the U19 Italian national team. Now, why is that important? Aside from Women’s national management, there is no mention of the teams outside of the 48 teams that qualified for the 2026 World Cup, not to mention (or lack thereof) the youth systems. Italy didn’t qualify.

Yeah, I know it is “cool” to bemoan FM26 because apparently, having no game is still better. I, however, am excited not just for this World Cup update, but also the fact that this should be about the final bits of the FM26 cycle, so in a few months, we’ll be looking towards FM27, too, possibly. I can’t wait until next Tuesday, when the World Cup 2026 and international management update come to FM26. Especially as Clark ball is to be announced today.