SEGA Shows First Gameplay of Football Manager 26 on Unity Engine

SEGA and Sports Interactive have shown off the gameplay of Football Manager 26 for the first time, showing off what matches will look like on the new technological foundation. For this installment of the franchise, the team has switched to the Unity engine, which is expected to provide more realistic immersion, smooth animations and add drama to matches, comparing the project in terms of visual presentation to such series as EA Sports FC and eFootball.

The release date for Football Manager 26 has not yet been announced. The decision to focus on the new part was made in early 2025, when SEGA and Sports Interactive officially closed the development of Football Manager 25. The reasons for abandoning the previous version were the difficulties that arose during the transition to Unity.

The Football Manager franchise remains unique in the sports simulation genre: the player is assigned the role of the manager of a club or national team. The main focus is on tactics, transfers, training and financial management, while the match itself is presented as a simulation built on statistics and analytics, without arcade control of football players on the field. FM 26 should be the first step towards a new visual and technical level of the series.