That's right folks, another year has been and gone and another new FM game is set to land, with Football Manager 2024 now officially confirmed.
Not only that, but Sports Interactive has confirmed major changes are coming to the FM franchise, with FM24 set to be the last release of Football Manager as we know it.
We've already received some small indicators as to what will be added this year, as well as a huge announcement regarding past saves.
Check below for everything we know so far about Football Manager 2024.
Latest news - Set piece coaches
In Football Manager 24, we're excited to introduce new additions to the backroom staff, including a fresh face known as the 'Set Piece Coach.' This addition aims to enhance the effectiveness of set pieces, as these coaches will play a pivotal role in developing players' set-piece skills.
The inclusion of these new coaches in FM24 will have an immediate impact on your career in the game, especially about the revamped Set Piece Creator. This revamped creator marks a significant departure from our previous approach to set pieces. Instead of concentrating on player positions within your tactic, the primary focus now shifts towards selecting players with the most appropriate attributes for each specific routine and scenario.
J League confirmed
After teasing us with the addition of the Japanese language, SI has now confirmed that the J League will be in Football Manager 2024.
That means you can now scout or manage 60 clubs split over three tiers in Japan. As a fully licensed league, there will be official logos, kits, and player photos for all the teams too.
Football Manager 2024
Football Manager 2024 is coming, with the game's release confirmed by FM Gaffer Miles Jacobson.
In a statement confirming major changes to the Football Manager franchise, Jacobson described FM24 as "the last of its kind".
Does that mean the Football Manager franchise is dead?! Far from it, it simply means that a new era will be ushered in once Football Manager 2025 arrives.
Jacobson went on to confirm that a "host of improvements, big and small, both in new features and revamps to existing areas of the game" will be coming to Football Manager 2024.
Below, we'll take a look at what some of those new features could be, as well as run down all of the other important details.
Release date
We now have an official Football Manager 2024 release date! Included with the announcement trailer is a full release date.
Football Manager 2023 was released on 7 November, with Football Manager 2022 launching on 8 November. This year's game follows the same cadence and drops on 6 November.
Beta & early access
As expected, pre-ordering FM24 will get players access to the beta, or early access as SI is now calling it.
While there is no firm date for this, the usual "approximately two weeks before the release date" is quoted for when players can expect access.
This will just be for PC players, with console and mobile players unable to enjoy this perk.
Pre-order & price
Pre-orders for Football Manager 2024 are now available on both Steam and Epic.
Just as expected, the price for PC players is £44.99, with a 10% discount for those who have last year's game in their library.
FM24 will be £44.99 on PlayStation. The game is not listed on the Xbox Store at the time of writing, but we can expect it to be £44.99 too.
Platforms
Football Manager 2023 was released for the very first time on PlayStation 5, bringing another new platform into the FM family.
That now means that Football Manager 2024 will be available on the following platforms:
- PC
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X|S
- Nintendo Switch
- Mobile
There are no changes to this lineup for FM24, however, you can now get access to FM24 Mobile via Netflix. So if you are a subscriber to the streaming service you can play FM24 on the go for free!
AI managers will be smarter than ever
Sports Interactive has announced its first set of improvements for FM24, and they are largely focused on AI transfers, finances, and player development. They also look like they will make the game HARDER to have a god squad that crushes everyone.
The biggest change is that AI teams and managers will have a much clearer identity when it comes to transfers, and also have a mind to develop young players by giving them more sub appearances.
There are also bigger FFP regulations, more dynamic income streams, and a big change to how transfer budgets work. You can check out the new changes here.
New features
Now we come to the interesting bit, Football Manager 2024 new features.
It has been confirmed that a brand-new engine will be used to power the FM series from FM25 onwards, so we aren't expecting any major upgrades to be made when it comes to graphics.
That being said, we could see more focus placed on the matchday experience, with improvements hopefully arriving for things like club interaction and data analysis.
Women's football has also been confirmed to be arriving in 2025, so we won't be seeing this as part of the Football Manager 2024 new features list.
In Jacobson's statement, he did offer a particular line that got players excited:
The vast majority of the team at Sports Interactive is working on FM24, with the idea that it will inarguably be the most complete version of Football Manager to date.
We will update this page as soon as new features are announced for Football Manager 2024.
Inverted full-back coming to FM24
We've had inverted wing-backs in Football Manager for a few years now, and they can be effective in the right environment, but in recent years the position has had another revolution, and so SI is adding a new role... The inverted full-back.
We have only had a little tease about this and can expect more details soon but think Zinchecko at Arsenal or Rico Lewis at Man City. The IFB is likely to play a similar way, being a deep-lying midfielder in attack and a traditional full-back in defence!
First trailer drops
Football Manager season has started as the first trailer for FM24 has dropped. As we are now used to, it is more of a hype trailer than full of feature reveals. However, it gives us a good look at what we can expect from the new game.
The key part is in the tweet itself. "Develop your vision season after season". This is likely pointing to an evolution of the Club Vision. We also get a look at a tactic evolving from a 4-4-2 to a 2-3-4-1. It doesn't look like we will finally be getting in- and out-of-possession formations, but only time will tell!
Save data transfer
One major new feature has been confirmed for Football Manager 2024 and that's the ability to transfer save data from Football Manager 2023 into the new game.
This means that all of your players, history and save data can effectively be upgraded into the new game with all the bells and whistles that come with that. Jacobson spoke on the subject:
This means, that when you first launch Football Manager 2024, you'll be given the option to continue your FM23 story, picking up exactly where you left off - powered with the new features and revamps that FM24 will introduce. And it’s not only for this year’s version of the game that this feature will be active. It’s also the plan to bring saved games from FM24 into FM25, despite the big changes coming for FM25, which I’ll talk about more shortly.
The arrival of this feature is huge for all FM players as it truly lets you carry your experience to the next level.
Instead of having to stop your save and start again, you can simply keep rolling and continue to create memories that could last for a long, long time.