Football Manager fans were gutted when the 2025 edition was delayed, then cancelled outright. Now, studio boss Miles Jacobson admits the decision was “embarrassing” but insists it was the only way to protect the game’s long-term future.
Why Football Manager 25 never made it
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, Jacobson explained that FM25 just wasn’t good enough. Despite months of work, the build failed to meet quality expectations. “I wasn’t prepared for people to be going out and spending their hard-earned money on something that wasn’t good enough,” he said.
Releasing it anyway, he argued, would have left lasting damage: “If we had released FM25 in the state that it was in, it would have damaged us forever.”
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The most expensive decision Sports Interactive ever made
Scrapping the annual release wasn’t just unusual it was costly. Jacobson called it the studio’s “most expensive decision ever.” Because Sports Interactive is part of Sega, the cancellation even had to be disclosed to the stock market before fans could be told.
The fallout? Angry players and accusations of poor communication. But Jacobson insists the team was as transparent as possible under the circumstances.
FM26 inherits FM25’s biggest upgrades
The cancelled game won’t go to waste. The team is folding its core features into Football Manager 26, which Jacobson describes as the series’ “biggest technical and visual advancement in a generation.”
That includes:
- A brand-new graphics engine
- A redesigned user interface
- Revamped communication systems (though the experimental WhatsApp-style inbox has been dropped)
Women’s football finally arrives in Football Manager 26
Fans most anticipate the addition of women’s football. The team planned it for FM25, but they will debut it in FM26 after spending years capturing motion data and building an entirely new player database.
Jacobson admitted he once doubted the feature’s commercial value, but said England’s Lionesses changed his mind. “It would never be commercially viable unless people like us got behind it,” they told him.
Streamer Gwen Archer, a longtime FM player, admitted the delay was frustrating but believes it’s worth it. She said adding women’s football will create a brand-new experience for female players while giving male fans a chance to connect with the game in a deeper way.
Fans now turn to FM26
There’s no confirmed release date yet, but anticipation is high. For many, the lost year is easier to swallow knowing the next entry will be more polished and more inclusive than ever.
Sometimes, sitting out a season is the only way to stay in the game.
