The launch of Football Manager 26 was promising in terms of player numbers. However, 45 days later, the mood has shifted—a historic negative development in the FM series.
It has been a turbulent year for Sports Interactive. First came the cancellation of Football Manager 2025, then a period of quiet crisis with limited communication. It was only with the announcement of Football Manager 26 that things seemed to be looking up again. But the hype did not last long.
Bugs, a controversial user interface, and a lack of depth in content led to massive criticism early on. Instead of a successful start to a new era, many quickly concluded that the release had been more of a “fiasco.”
Player numbers on Steam almost halved
Even at the end of the year, there are no really positive signs, despite several updates. A look at the player numbers on Steam paints a sobering picture: on the first day after the release, 84,909 users were still playing FM26. 45 days later, there were only 48,587 active players.
The slump between the 13th and 25th day after release is particularly serious: during this period, the number of players fell from 76,850 to 55,013.
This is a new development for Sports Interactive. Since data collection began with Football Manager 2008, no other game in the series has had such a weak start. By comparison, the figures for FM24 remained largely stable for months. While there were 84,209 players at release, the curve even rose to 89,478 in January before falling to 78,169 in February – a level that remained until around August 2024.
With the cancellation of FM25, player numbers actually rose again. FM23 also showed a similar, overall stable development between its release and September 2023.
Developer plans lifeline for 2026
Sports Interactive now wants to take countermeasures for 2026 and throw out a lifeline. The navigation and user interface are to be further revised. In addition, pass cards, an improved international management module, and possibly new game modes are planned. According to the developers, no details can be given about the latter at this time. However, they want to provide information in a timely manner.
Not only is the game itself set to improve, but so are the numbers. In addition to the decline in active players, Football Manager 26 is currently among the 20 worst-rated games on Steam. This is another warning sign for a series that has been considered the benchmark for the genre for years.