The English Football League (EFL) has announced the extension of its long-running partnership with Football Manager, ensuring all 72 member clubs and five competitions will remain fully licensed in Football Manager 26.
The renewed agreement continues a collaboration that began in 2004 and was formalised in 2014, when Football Manager first became an official EFL licensee. Fans will once again be able to manage authentic EFL clubs across the Championship, League One, and League Two when the new edition of the game launches worldwide on November 4, 2025.
Beyond licensing, the extension deepens the relationship between the two organisations. The EFL and Football Manager will collaborate on new content initiatives designed to connect global audiences with the drama of EFL football, further strengthening the link between the digital and live-game experience.
Commenting on the occasion, Miles Jacobson, Studio Director at Sports Interactive, said, “The EFL are one of our longest-running and most successful partners, so we’re delighted to have signed a long-term extension with them. Their popularity in our games has always been incredibly high, but in FM24 it broke all previous records; more than 8.6 million unique careers were started with EFL sides, a 473% increase on FM23, and the Carabao Cup was the most won domestic cup in-game. With the EFL competitions continuing to grow in real life too, we’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together on and off the pitch in the years to come.”
Ben Wright, Chief Commercial Officer at the EFL, added, “We’re incredibly proud to run some of the world’s most watched and respected competitions, with a fan base that continues to grow both in the UK and abroad. Football Manager has been a much-loved part of football fan culture over many years, and we’re delighted to extend a long-standing partnership which brings the excitement of EFL football directly to fans’ fingertips and creates more opportunities for us to engage with them throughout the season.”
The renewal comes during a period of strong growth for the governing body. The league recently set a record for attendances at its Play-Off Finals and entered into a landmark broadcast agreement with Sky Sports, which will see more than 1,000 matches televised per season from 2025–26.
By extending their collaboration, the competition organiser strengthens its reach within the global gaming community, while Football Manager continues to reinforce its position as the world’s most authentic football simulation.
