‘The discussion kind of annoys me – but I was part of the problem and I’m part of the reason that these discussions are still happening’ Football Manager studio director reveals why women’s football is so ‘late’ to be added to the game

Football Manager 26 launches next month, with women’s football available on the game.

The integration was announced four whole years ago – in part because it would have been impossible to keep such a huge project quiet – but now, we’re on the cusp of seeing women’s players in the game for the very first time.

In truth though, getting women’s football into the game has taken much longer than even that…

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Sports Interactive’s Miles Jacobson (R) (Image credit: Getty Images)

“We’re late to the party on this. I was looking at this from a commercial perspective,” studio director of Sports Interactive, Miles Jacobson, tells FourFourTwo.

“I was on a panel where we were talking about it and I was asked why we hadn’t done women’s football – and I said it wasn’t commercially viable.

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“Three Lionesses grabbed me afterwards and sat me down, and said, ‘Unless we get the support from other games companies and media companies, it’s never going to be commercially viable. You need to help us break through the glass ceiling.’

“This was at a time when it wasn’t at a level that it is now. The discussion kind of annoys me – but I was part of the problem and I’m part of the reason that these discussions are still happening.”

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“Let’s hope that us, Sky, the BBC, FourFourTwo, EA Sports FC and everyone else – let’s hope that we can get to a point where we don’t have to have this discussion anymore. And to be frank, to have the discussion, ‘Why the f*** didn’t you do this before?’

Real-world football clubs now use Football Manager as a scouting tool – and now, Jacobson says that he hopes that FM can help as a source that will improve data in the women’s game.

Bunny Shaw, as seen in FM26 (Image credit: Sports Interactive/SEGA)

“We were late to it but we’re trying to fix that now,” he says. “I think data will be invaluable to football clubs and will hopefully open doors to more people to do data on this side of things as well.

“Because you look at the importance that women’s football is having on kids around the world: everyone across society needs role models. Let’s hope that we help, even if it’s a tiny bit. Women’s football is football. It’s football.”

Football Manager 26 is out on November 4, 2025.

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