Early Impressions of Women’s Football in Football Manager 26
This isn’t a quick glance – it’s a proper first look at Football Manager 26, and what it’s like to finally see women’s football inside the game. If you’d rather skip ahead, here’s what you can jump to:
- That First Load Feeling – when you open FM26, scroll through the WSL, and realise it’s finally real.
- FM26 Feels Different – the new look, layout, and why it might take a while to settle in.
- The WSL in FM26 – a team-by-team dive into how England’s top flight plays.
- Why It Matters – why this moment hits differently for long-time FM fans.
- What’s Next – where the series is heading and what’s still to come.
- Final Thoughts – wrapping it all up: what FM26 gets right and what comes next.
That First Load Feeling
When the FM26 Alpha build dropped into my inbox, the first thing I did was load up the WSL and start clicking through every squad. Within minutes I was grinning like an idiot. Even at this early stage, women’s football already feels right at home in Football Manager.
You know the ritual when a new FM lands: you promise yourself you’ll just have a quick look, then somehow three hours vanish into scrolling, scouting, and quietly judging attributes. That was me. Except this time, every name I clicked felt new. Familiar faces from the WSL suddenly had ratings, personalities, and potential. It wasn’t theory anymore – it was real.
That first scroll through the WSL tells you everything you need to know: the foundation’s solid, the detail’s serious, and the women’s game already feels at home inside Football Manager.
FM26 Feels Different
Before we get into the teams, it’s worth saying this upfront: FM26 itself feels different.
The interface has had a complete overhaul. It’s cleaner, brighter, and clearly designed to help new players find their feet. For long-timers, it’ll take some adjusting – buttons have moved, your go to screens hide behind new menus, and your muscle memory will trip over itself for a bit.
It’s not broken; it’s just different. You’ll get used to it, even if there’s some muttering along the way.
There are a few quirks left in this build – dropdowns that don’t quite work unless you hover in an exact position, panels that don’t stretch wide enough, and the occasional flicker like the game’s a little confused about what to do next – but it’s nothing that spoils the experience, and the Beta should iron most of that out.
Once you’ve spent a few hours with it, the new look starts to make sense. It’s designed for a future where FM welcomes more players than ever – and now that includes fans of the women’s game.
What I Miss
I miss exporting data straight into spreadsheets – my inner nerd feels personally attacked. I miss throwing water bottles at half-time and barking touchline shouts that didn’t actually change anything but felt like they did.
I’m still looking for the option of being able to hold a team meeting to calm everyone down after I’ve upset the club captain within an hour of taking over. It happens every single save I do. I’d love a “Look, it’s my first day – can we all relax?” button.
But the truth is, all of that fades the second you start clicking through the WSL. The moment you see familiar players represented properly – with personalities, traits, and attributes – you forget about the missing features.
The WSL in Football Manager 26
That first scroll through the WSL hits differently. It’s not just the names – it’s the context. For the first time, women’s football isn’t tucked away in a separate file or a future promise. It’s right here, part of the same Football Manager universe we’ve lived in for years.
You click through the squads and instantly start connecting dots. Players you’ve watched in real life suddenly have attributes, personalities, and potential. You can see who’s the leader, who’s the technician, who’s the flair player you’ll spend weeks trying to get consistent.
It’s familiar, yet new and within minutes, all the Alpha quirks and UI changes fade into the background. What really lands is how right it feels that women’s football is finally playable.
Club-by-Club Breakdown
Below are quick snapshots of every WSL team. Each image is from the Alpha build’s Club Site screen.
Arsenal
Arsenal are exactly what you’d expect: smooth and technical. The first thing you notice is how high their technicals are. Everyone’s neat on the ball, and there’s so much flair and vision that half the squad could run a passing drill blindfolded.
Little, Pelova, and Maanum will glide through games, and with Russo and Caldentey up top, you’ll have plenty of creativity. But that’s also the problem – they’re elegant, not explosive, so when the rhythm’s gone, the whole thing looks fragile.
Arsenal are built for rhythm, precision, and patience. You’ll dominate the ball, just be ready for the days it refuses to go in the goal.
Top Attributes: Technique • First Touch • Vision
Aston Villa
Villa have that “proper project” feel – organised, hardworking, and built on a strong spine. You can see straight away how good their mental attributes are: teamwork, determination, and work rate all jump out. It’s a squad that just gets it.
Daly will lead from the front, Roebuck can keep things calm at the back, and everyone in between knows their role. The only catch is creativity – once you lose a starter or two, the spark will fade a little.
Still, they’ve got that FM charm. Structure, effort, and the kind of discipline that makes clean sheets feel earned.
Top Attributes: Teamwork • Determination • Concentration
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton look like a side halfway between a rebuild and a proper mid-table setup. Flick through their attributes and you’ll see really strong physicals across the board – stamina, pace, work rate – the sort of energy that drags you through tight games.
They’re well-balanced defensively and tidy in possession, but the attack feels a little undercooked. There’s potential though – the kind of squad that’ll frustrate bigger sides if you get your system right.
Brighton are raw but ready. They’ll run all day, they’ll fight, and they’ve got enough bite to survive the tough spells.
Top Attributes: Stamina • Work Rate • Aggression
Chelsea
Chelsea are just ridiculous. You don’t even have to scroll far before you start seeing green numbers everywhere. Technical, mental, physical – they’ve got it all. The average attributes everywhere are so high it feels like cheating.
Cuthbert brings the bite, Walsh brings the calm, Bright brings the leadership, and then you’ve got Kerr, James, and Reiten making defenders question their career choices.
You can win any way you like – tiki-taka, route one, gegenpress – it doesn’t matter.
Top Attributes: Decisions • Anticipation • Technique
Everton
Everton are a manager’s dream – solid, sensible, and structured – it’s all consistency and work rate. Physically and mentally, they’re one of the most balanced squads in the league.
Holmgaard and Ladd give you reliability, Finnigan anchors the defence, and there’s a clear identity of graft over glamour. It’s not flashy, but it’s steady – and that’s half the battle in FM.
They’ll need more creativity up top, but if you like organised football, Everton are perfect.
Top Attributes: Work Rate • Positioning • Teamwork
Leicester City
Leicester are the classic “better than you think” team. Every area of the squad screams balance. Nothing extreme, nothing broken – just a lot of solid 12s and 13s that add up to something much stronger than expected.
Rantala’s technical quality stands out, Van Egmond’s mental attributes are elite, and Cayman’s a proper FM forward who’ll outwork defenders for fun. It’s not a star-studded squad, but it’s well-drilled and very playable.
Leicester are that save you start for a challenge and end up loving for its reliability.
Top Attributes: Determination • Work Rate • Passing
Liverpool
Liverpool’s squad is like a masterclass in mentality. The technicals are fine, the physicals are decent, but the mentals are what jump off the screen – teamwork, anticipation, positioning, all rock solid.
You can tell this team’s built to be stubborn. Nagano’s intelligence and Höbinger’s work rate make them tough to play through, and defensively they’ve got real leadership. Goals might be a problem, but they’re hard to break down.
It’s a team that wins ugly and loves doing it.
Top Attributes: Teamwork • Anticipation • Positioning
London City Lionesses
London City are pure FM – tidy, composed, and built for managers who love control. You’ll spot straight away how strong their technicals and mentals are in midfield. Kumagai and Geyoro basically radiate composure, while Van de Donk brings the creative spark.
They’re not rapid, but they’re smart. They’ll win games by thinking faster than the opposition rather than running past them. You’ll have to bring creativity into the attack, but everything else just works.
This is the thinking manager’s dream: steady, strategic, and well-organised.
Top Attributes: Composure • Vision • Passing
Manchester City
City are absurd, their squad screen is like staring at a spreadsheet of 15s, 16s, and 17s. Every player rates ridiculously high in technical and mental attributes – it’s FM on easy mode.
Greenwood and Casparij could double as playmakers, Hasegawa’s vision is unreal, and the attack is basically a greatest hits album: Miedema, Hemp, Fowler, Shaw. Even the backups would start for most teams.
There’s not much to fix – just pick your favourite system and enjoy.
Top Attributes: Technique • Vision • Off The Ball
Manchester United
United are one of the most balanced squads in the league – and the first thing that jumps out is how mentally strong they are. Decisions, teamwork, and positioning all score high, which makes them feel calm even under pressure.
Le Tissier and Turner are composed defenders, Janssen’s a rock in midfield, and Toone’s creativity ties it all together. There’s not a lot of chaos here – just smart footballers doing smart things.
They’re built to think their way to wins, not brute-force them.
Top Attributes: Decisions • Teamwork • Vision
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham are… messy, but fun messy. It’s like two squads mashed into one – half possession, half pressing, none of it quite settled. But there’s quality there.
Summanen’s got great mentals, Grant’s consistent, and England’s finishing is still elite. What they really rate highly in is work rate and aggression – this team will battle. You just need to give them some direction.
Fix the balance and you’ll have a mid-table side that can push even further.
Top Attributes: Work Rate • Determination • Strength
West Ham United
West Ham are all heart. You can tell the second you scroll through their attributes – determination, stamina, aggression – they’re all top-tier.
Katrina Gorry’s the engine, Endo and Ueki add pace and sharpness, and everyone else looks ready to scrap for every ball. You’ll need to get creative in attack, but they’ll fight for every inch of the pitch.
This is a proper graft save. Get the morale right, and they’ll play like they’re running on caffeine and pure spite.
Top Attributes: Determination • Stamina • Aggression
What Stands Out
By the time I’d finished going through every squad, I’d already planned several different saves – which probably says everything about how well-built the WSL feels in FM26. The league has personality, balance, and variety. Every club makes sense, and that’s what really makes this first version of women’s football in Football Manager so exciting.
Who’s the Best Team to Manage?
The short answer? It depends what kind of FM player you are.
If you like possession and precision, you’ll love Arsenal or City.
If you like power and dominance, you’ll end up at Chelsea.
If you like graft and structure, you’ll click with Villa or Leicester.
If you like mentality and balance, try United or Everton.
If you like chaos, energy, and fight, West Ham or Spurs will be right up your street.
Even in Alpha, the league feels properly tiered. You can tell the data team didn’t just copy and paste attributes; every squad has a different rhythm, and a different FM puzzle to solve.
Why It Matters
We’ve spent years talking about this moment – speculating, hoping, and writing wishlists about what women’s football might look like in Football Manager. Now it’s here. Not as a side project, not as a DLC, but as part of the same football world we’ve been managing for decades.
And it’s not just a database drop. The women’s game moves differently, and FM26 captures that. Sports Interactive used motion capture with real professional women footballers, and it shows. Players turn, accelerate, and balance differently; tackles have a different rhythm; even the way midfielders shield the ball or forwards roll defenders feels distinct. It’s subtle, but it changes how you read a match.
When you see a winger drop a shoulder, or a midfielder open up her body to switch play, it’s not just animation – it’s authenticity. The game doesn’t just include women’s football; it understands it.
Football Manager has always been about stories – promotions, rebuilds, heartbreaks, spreadsheets – the human side of it all. And now, finally, women’s football gets to tell its stories too.
What’s Next
So where does Football Manager go from here? Honestly, this feels like the turning point. This isn’t just an update, it’s a foundation.
The move to the new engine, the rebuilt UI, and the integration of the women’s game all point toward a Football Manager that’s going to evolve fast. The Beta will smooth out the rough edges, and soon we’ll see international management return – the missing piece that’ll tie long-term saves together.
But most of all, I’m excited to watch the women’s side grow from here:
– The first community saves.
– The first custom databases and challenges.
– The first wonderkids everyone falls in love with.
FM26 feels like a bridge between eras – part nostalgia, part reboot. But give it time, and we’ll look back at this one as the version that changed everything.
Final Thoughts
FM26 isn’t the finished article, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s new, messy, exciting, frustrating, and full of potential. The kind of version we’ll moan about for a few months but then not give the UI changes a second thought.
For me, it’s simple: women’s football is finally here, and that alone makes every rough edge worth it. There’s so much more to come – deeper saves, new challenges, and new stories. And I can’t wait to see what the community does with it all.
If you’re planning to dive in as soon as the Beta releases, our FM26 Beta & Pre-Order FAQ has everything you need to know – how to play early, what’s included, and where to buy safely.