EA and FIFA had a high-profile divorce, leading the publisher to rebrand its soccer franchise EA Sports FC, starting in 2023. The series continues to smash sales records, supporting EA's theory that there was no real reason to keep paying millions to FIFA for the license. Football Manager, however, is in a much different place. It wasn't even able to release a game last year, so it could benefit from a FIFA partnership.
Football Manager and FIFA are now besties, starting with Football Manager 26. This includes official licensing for FIFA's biggest events, including the World Cup being held in Canada, Mexico, and the USA. It will be weird for the world's biggest soccer event to come off without a mention by FC Sports 26, so EA's loss could be a huge gain for Football Manager.
There will also be a revamped International Management Mode in FM 26, FM26 Console and FM26 Touch in advance of FIFA World Cup 26.
“Revealing this partnership with FIFA is an incredibly historic moment for the studio," Sports Interactive Studio Director Miles Jacobsen said. "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.”