Copyright scotsman
The SPFL have confirmed that they have agreed a long-term extension with the studio behind the world famous Football Manager (FM) gaming franchise, Sports Interactive, continuing its licensing partnership for a further four years. Following an agreement between the organisations, a new deal on improved terms will see SPFL clubs continue to play a starring role in the world’s leading football simulation game until at least the end of the 2028/29 season in a deal that has been described as “fantastic” by SPFL Group chief executive Neil Doncaster. “We know fans across the country love the Football Manager series,” said Doncaster. “It’s great to confirm a longer-term partnership with Sports Interactive to continue our involvement in the game until at least season 2028/29. Football Manager has a truly global following, which gives us a fantastic platform to continue to showcase Scottish football and our competitions to its millions of players worldwide.” With all 42 of the country’s SPFL club now fully licensed within the game, fans can look to forward to their sides having official logos, kits and player photos featured across all versions of Football Manager 26, which is due to launch on Monday, November 4. Football fans will be be able to compete for the William Hill Scottish Premiership, Scottish Championship, Scottish League One, and Scottish League Two titles within the game, with as the Premier Sports Cup and KDM Evolution Trophy forthcoming editions of the game. Miles Jacobson, Sports Interactive Studio Director, said: "We're delighted to have extended our long-running partnership with the SPFL. “As the data shows, the Scottish leagues are some of the most popular in our games and we look forward to seeing that continue with our latest release, FM26, and beyond." The most recent Football Manager data has also revealed the top 10 most played Scottish teams in the club, with several unexpected names appearing in the list of most chosen clubs by gamers. While some of the country’s biggest outfits make the list, such as Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen, Dundee United, and Motherwell, they are also joined by Falkirk, Peterhead, and The Spartans, who were the SPFL’s newest club when the game first launched. According to the latest FM data, more than 1.4 million saves began with SPFL sides on FM24, with 1.8 million SPFL trophies won across that time, including 400k cups and 1.4 million league titles. Sign up to The Scotsman’s daily football newsletter to get unrivalled Scottish football news and analysis - subscribe for free here.
