Football Manager 2026 ships with a fully licensed FIFA World Cup 2026. The tournament runs across the USA, Canada, and Mexico in summer 2026, with 48 teams, 12 groups, and a 32-team knockout that runs from the round of 32 to the final on 2026-07-19. The licence covers branding, broadcast presentation, match-day graphics, and the trophy itself. Save-import from FM23 and FM24 is supported, so a long save can chase the trophy without starting over.
This guide covers the tournament structure, which nations are realistic to manage from a fresh save, the hardest groups, save-import mechanics, and how to plan a four-year qualifying cycle so you arrive at June 2026 with a squad built for the heat, the travel, and the six-match knockout.
Tournament structure
The 2026 World Cup is the first 48-team tournament. The format runs as follows.
- Group stage: 12 groups of four, each team plays three matches. Top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams progress.
- Round of 32: 32 teams across 16 ties. Single-leg knockout.
- Round of 16: 16 teams, 8 ties.
- Quarter-finals: 8 teams, 4 ties.
- Semi-finals: 4 teams, 2 ties.
- Third-place play-off and final: 2026-07-18 and 2026-07-19.
If your team qualifies and reaches the final, you play seven matches inside a five-week window across three host countries. The travel alone is brutal. Your tactic, your roster depth, and your set-piece routines have to absorb that load.
Save-import from FM23 and FM24
SI confirmed FM23 and FM24 save imports. Bringing an existing save across does three things.
- Manager reputation transfers. A 200-hour FM24 save keeps your national-team eligibility intact. You can apply for top jobs without rebuilding from a regional league.
- Player histories carry across. Caps, declarations, tournament minutes, and persuasion records come with the import. A player who declared for England in your FM24 save stays declared.
- Squad pools survive. Your National Pool and National Shortlist (if you held the job in FM24) populate the new screens automatically.
The import is one-way. You cannot port an FM26 save back into FM24, and a finished FM23 save will not retain FM23-only features. Stable mods that were FM24-specific (tactic packs, league megapacks) do not carry across either, which means a clean save might run faster than the imported one.
Best nations to manage in FM26
The realistic picks depend on what you want from the save. Three tiers cover most playstyles.
Tier 1: title contenders with depth
France, Spain, England, Argentina, Brazil, Germany. Realistic favourites. The squad depth lets you absorb a bad form spell. The pressure is the difficulty. A group-stage exit ends your tenure. Pick one of these if you want to manage a side built to win and you do not mind the press cycle that follows a quarter-final loss.
Tier 2: dark horses with a route
Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, Uruguay, Morocco, Japan, USA. A semi-final is the realistic ceiling. The Provisional Squad gets interesting because your bench is the difference between round-of-16 and a final. Best tier for a player who wants the tactical challenge without the binary press cycle of Tier 1.
Tier 3: long-build national rescues
Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Egypt, Nigeria, Mexico, Canada. Qualifying is the project. Tournament-day depth is short. The dual-national hunt matters more here than anywhere because uncapped heritage players can transform a 22-man pool. Pick this tier if you want a four-year build with the qualifying cycle as the main story.
Easiest nations to manage in FM26
Three traits make a nation easy to manage in FM26: a deep talent pool, automatic qualification for major tournaments, and a national association with realistic expectations. The easiest picks share most of these.
- USA. Co-host nation, automatic qualification, deep pool of MLS and Europe-based players, and a federation that grades a semi-final as a success.
- Canada. Co-host, automatic qualification, federation expectations at quarter-final level, and a fast-improving pool led by Bayern Munich and Lille talent.
- Japan. Deep, well-organised talent pool, smooth qualification through the Asian region, and a federation that respects a thoughtful long-term project.
- Netherlands. Top-tier depth without the press cycle of England or France. Realistic semi-final expectation.
- Portugal. Top-tier talent, manageable qualifying group, federation accepts a quarter-final.
Hardest nations to manage in FM26
Hardest is a different problem from worst. Some nations are difficult because expectations are unrealistic versus the squad. Others are difficult because qualifying is brutal. A few are both.
- Italy. Federation expects a final. Talent pool has thinned for three cycles. Qualifying is no longer guaranteed.
- Argentina (post-2026). Title defence pressure plus an ageing core means rebuilding without losing matches.
- Scotland. Tartan Army press cycle versus a squad that genuinely needs every dual-national you can find.
- Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana. Depth and quality are there, but federation politics, friendly scheduling, and player release rows make management an admin job as much as a tactical one.
- Saudi Arabia. Reputation and infrastructure outrank the squad. Press cycle around an early exit is short and savage.
Four-year qualifying plan
Treating the World Cup as a four-year project changes how you use the international windows. A workable plan looks like this.
- Year one. Build the National Pool. Run two Scouting Focuses: dual-nationals and U21 prospects. Cap the players you intend to build around so rivals cannot take them.
- Year two. Settle the tactic. Run the same XI in four of six friendlies. The Provisional Squad screen rewards continuity. A squad of 35 with thirteen who have played together for a year is stronger than a 35 of better individuals who have never lined up together.
- Year three. Qualifying. Two windows. This is where the youth bench earns minutes. Treat the dead rubbers as cap-tying opportunities for your dual-eligibility prospects.
- Year four. Tournament window. The Provisional Squad screen opens four weeks before kick-off. Submit a 35 weighted to tournament minutes, not form. Narrow to the 26 two weeks before. Pick the bench on personality and versatility.
Build a tournament squad in 30 seconds
FAQ
When is the FM26 World Cup 2026?
The in-game tournament runs across June and July 2026, mirroring the real schedule. The final is dated 2026-07-19.
How many teams are in the FM26 World Cup?
48 teams in 12 groups of four. The top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams progress to a 32-team knockout.
Can I import a save from FM23 or FM24?
Yes. SI confirmed save-import from both FM23 and FM24. Manager reputation, player histories, and squad pools transfer.
Which is the easiest nation to manage in FM26?
USA and Canada lead on combined ease. Both qualify automatically as co-hosts, both have access to deeper talent than their world ranking suggests, and both federations grade a semi-final as a success.
Which is the hardest nation to manage in FM26?
Italy is the standout. Federation expectations are still set at finalist level. The talent pool has thinned for three cycles. Qualifying is no longer a formality. Scotland and Saudi Arabia run close on press-cycle savagery for different reasons.
Can I manage a club and a national team at the same time in FM26?
Yes. The two calendars run in parallel and a national-team workload sits alongside a club job. Most FM26 saves do both.