In a move that has caused lots of discussion within the Football Manager community, Sports Interactive has announced the removal of international management from FM25.

While it’s certainly proved to be a controversial call, it does, however, open the door for it to be completely overhauled for its reintroduction in FM26.

Why Was International Management Removed?

Sports Interactive has admitted that international management has struggled to engage its users; just 5.6% of players have used it during FM24. Many have thought it was far too disconnected from the more involved aspect of club management, with fewer games and a lack of depth giving it a less dynamic or interesting feel.

As SI are now putting their focus on a complete overhaul of the game engine by moving to Unity, this seems an appropriate time to cut back and temporarily remove some areas of the game. This mirrors their pledge to bring an overall improvement in the gameplay experience by taking out features that don’t quite work right in their current format.

How Could International Management Be Improved?

As a long-time FM player, international management has never really been a big part of the game for me; I dabble in it every release but soon get bored of the wait between games and the lack of things to do during that time.

Since the announcement, I’ve had a bit of a brainstorm about features I would like to see added, which could potentially add more excitement and involvement to managing your favourite nation.

Player Promises and Pathways

Watching players break into the national squad is what makes international football so exciting; sometimes it’s based on recent form, and sometimes it’s part of the natural pathway of coming up from youth football.

  • Form-Based Notifications
    Players with outstanding performances for their clubs should automatically warrant consideration for selection for the national team. For example, a striker scoring in 5 consecutive matches would trigger an inbox notification to be considered for a call-up. Similarly, a keeper securing 5 consecutive clean sheets would also trigger the same notification.

  • Youth Breakthroughs
    To simulate the excitement of young talent breaking onto the global stage, the 20-year-old with an average rating of 7.5 over their last 10 under-21 games could be promised a chance in the senior team for the next friendly.

  • Positional Promises
    Managers can make positional promises to players who they think are crucial to the national team setup. Promising a starting role as the first choice right back in the upcoming qualifiers would send a clear message that they are indispensable and don’t need to worry about their future.

  • Tournament Guarantees
    To motivate in an even bigger way, managers could offer tournament guarantees. If a player fulfils certain criteria with regard to performances, then they will be included in the squad for major tournaments.

These suggestions could provide players with clear pathways to represent their country, and give them realistic goals to strive towards throughout the course of a season.

New Staff Roles

The introduction of new staff roles would make international management more in depth:

  • Youth Development Specialist
    A role for implementing long-term strategies for spotting talent at all age levels within the nation’s youth system.

  • Tactical Adaptation Coach
    A position whose role is to quickly get the players adapted to working in different tactical styles, a very crucial function for national teams that have minimal time together.

Player Choices

The refusal of players like Benjamin White to represent their country could be replicated in the game to add more realism.

  • Player Autonomy
    Players can have a say in whether they are willing to play in a particular match, which is common in real life when they are carrying minor injuries and want to rest for non-competitive games.

  • Background Stories
    Backstories could be implemented that influence decision-making, such as prior clashes with the manager or coaching staff.

  • Media Scrutiny
    Comments over poor performances or undeserved callups could see a player withdraw from international duty for mental health reasons.

FA Interaction

Allow managers more interaction with the FA in order to influence decisions on areas such as youth development, funding for training facilities, and the general aims and direction of the national team.

While this is just a few little ideas I’ve had, it showcases the options available to really expand the depth and realism of international management.

What do you want to see added to international management in Football Manager?

Whether it be new staff roles or the finer details of player interaction, our feedback and ideas might just help shape the future of the game.