Football Manager 26 may have been a bust this year with horrid user reviews and a dwindling player count months after launch, but SEGA has another card up its sleeve: Sega Football Club Champions.
Developed in-house at SEGA, the new sports management simulator is officially “powered by Football Manager, featuring player data from FIFPro”. Previously a Japan-only series dubbed SakaTsuku, this new global release allows players to try a new style of management sim.
Releasing on January 22, 2026 for PC, Mobile and PlayStation 5 (here on Steam), the new allows you to compete in major European Leagues as well as allowing players to compete in J League, K League, and more. All of this is playable within Football Manager 26, but SEGA Football Club Champions does so with a more casual style than the traditional spreadsheet sim most Western management fans are used to.
When the game launches later this month, the sports mnaagement game will be completely free tor all players on all devices. Additionally, the game boasts cross-platform and cross-play features “so you can play anytime, anywhere between Mobile, PC, and console”.
Using real players from real leagues, you’ll be able to take your home-grown local team and “challenge other players in PvP mode” with cup matches and international skirmishes, all with a user-friendly UI.
The game boasts the following features:
- Lead your local club to the top of the world!
- Build a team where you can recruit the best global football players.
- Compete in your selected league and rise from the bottom to be the best.
- Develop facilities and training programs to increase your player potential.
- Set training programs to shape the player skills.
- Recruit and nurture young rising players to become global stars.
- Search the transfer market and spot the best buys.
- Experience a journey from local beginnings to global greatness together with your team!
As a free-to-play game, there will be some annoyances for fans of paid management simulators in the form of gacha mechanics and premium currencies. However, for fans who just wish to try the game out, SEGA Football Club Champions is giving players the following freebies on launch day:
- Either Erling Haaland, Tijjani Reijnders or Rúben Dias
- Guaranteed 3-star Prime Scouting Ticket x2
- 6,000 GB (currency)
- Pre-registration Training Card Ticket x4
- Training Card Pack Ticket x10
- One Scouting Ticket and one Training Card for every 50,000 pre-registrations in total
- 19 Scouting Tickets, Training Card Tickets, or other tickets
As an entry for a sports management sim that has rarely ever popped up in the Western world, despite its 30-year legacy, it will be interesting to see if this new title manages to grab an audience. Will you be giving it a go? We don’t have a comments section so tell yourself the answer.
