There’s one country you can’t play as in Football Manager 26’s World Cup update.
Football Manager 26 just got a cool new World Cup update! Now, you can manage teams competing in the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer.
The World Cup 2026 will have 104 matches with 48 national teams, and FM26 lets you play through this exciting tournament right from your screen.
Since FM26 launched last fall, opinions have been mixed. A year ago, Sports Interactive made the bold choice to cancel Football Manager 25 because they were worried about the new match engine and how the game would play.
In February 2025, SI said, “After lots of careful talks with SEGA, we decided to cancel Football Manager 25 and put all our energy into the next game.”
With the big football event coming up, FM26 promised a special World Cup mode. You can manage 47 of the 48 teams in the update, and thanks to a new deal with FIFA, the game will include official kits and branding for the World Cup, Women’s World Cup, and Club World Cup.
But here’s a small catch: even though FIFA has a deal with Japan’s J.League, the Japanese national team coach Hajime Moriyasu will stay in charge during your World Cup save. FM says, “At launch, 47 of the 48 teams will be playable. Unfortunately, the Japanese team won’t be playable right now because of licensing rules.”
The Japanese Football Association (JFA) has a special deal with Konami, the company behind the eFootball series and older games like Pro Evolution Soccer. Because of this, Japan won’t be in the game just yet. But the new FIFA agreement with Football Manager is a big step forward for the game’s international mode.
It’s a shame for managers who want to try Japan, as they’re a fast-improving team with a real shot at doing well in World Cup 2026. The JFA, supported by the J.League, is working hard to make the Japanese team a strong competitor.
To help improve the national team, Japan is making some changes, like developing young players, giving them enough playing time, and making the J1 league more competitive in the global market. Plus, starting this year, Japan’s men’s football season will switch to an autumn-to-spring calendar.