‘Football Manager’ Game To Feature Women’s Teams For First Time Ever

For the first time in the history of Football Manager, players of the soccer-based video game will get to manage women’s soccer teams and players. The popular Sports Interactive title, which debuted in 2004, has only featured men’s teams till now.

While not much is known about the addition just yet, studio director Miles Jacobson revealed in an update that the series had made progress in terms of research, match engines, and translations of the women’s game.

However, there are still legal issues to be ironed out, and for women’s soccer to have the best playable experience possible, gamers will have to wait for when the game’s brand-new graphics engine rolls out.

As per the game maker, the introduction of women’s teams was only made possible due to help from key people from within the sport, who have spent time ensuring the video game delivers “the most authentic experience possible.”

Unfortunately, those looking forward to managing all-female teams will have to hang on till 2025, as the feature will not be included in Football Manager 24—which is scheduled to be released in late October this year.

Another key update is that from this year’s edition onwards, players will be able to carry over teams’ careers into the next year’s iteration, so both men’s and women’s games will be able to be played across several generations of the game.

The move certainly signals the greater push for women’s soccer among viewers and gamers, with FIFA 23 also spotlighting a female player on its special Ultimate Edition cover for the first time last year.

[via BBC and Goal.com, cover image via Yobro10 | Dreamstime.com]