The global expansion of Football Manager – where the beautiful game is played around the world

Football Manager has come a long way from its Championship Manager roots. What started out as a cult PC game played in bedrooms across Britain is now a multi-platform juggernaut with a global player base that stretches from Birmingham to Beijing.

Over the last 15 years, the series has grown not just in numbers, but in cultural reach. It’s been used by real-life scouts, made its way into club data departments, and become a genuine part of how fans interact with the sport. Countless real-world players and managers are just as addicted to FM as you or I, and we’ve even interviewed one of them.

So where is Football Manager played the most? And how has that changed over time? Let’s take a closer look.

The Top Football Manager Countries (2024 Edition)

If you want a rough idea of where the Football Manager fanbase is strongest, Steam and PC player data gives a pretty solid steer. It doesn’t cover console or mobile completely, but PC still makes up the core of FM’s most dedicated audience:

Rank	Country	Estimated Player Share (FM24, Steam)
1	China	15%
2	United Kingdom	14%
3	Germany	7%
4	Turkey	High (exact % n/a)
5	Italy	High (exact % n/a)

China’s rise has been one of the biggest stories in recent FM history. The game wasn’t even officially supported there until a few years ago, but now it has more Steam players than any other country. In fact, they’ve even released some of the best mods for FM24 that turn the game into a completely different beast.

Germany’s growth has been steady too, especially since FM2019 launched with full Bundesliga licensing. Turkey, on the other hand, has always been a passionate hotspot—ask any long-time FM player and they’ll tell you about Turkey’s loyal and vocal community.

There are a few other countries that deserve an honourable mention:

• In Portugal, a staggering 780,000 people pirated FM2013. For a country of that size, that’s an unbelievable number.
• Brazil was once a major market, though licensing issues meant the game wasn’t officially sold there for a few years.
• South Korea is fast becoming a major FM hub thanks to a few popular Twitch streamers who’ve turned the game into a spectator sport.

Global Growth Over Time

Football Manager’s player base has grown dramatically over the last decade. Here’s how:

• 2010: FM is still a mainly British and Western European obsession. The U.S. gets its own rebrand (“Worldwide Soccer Manager”), but it never really catches on.
• 2013–2015: The player base explodes, including via unofficial means. Over 8 million people are playing annually, but more than half of those are using pirated copies. China alone accounts for 3 million of those cracked downloads, and Portugal isn’t far behind. These years show that the demand exists far beyond FM’s traditional markets.
• 2015: SI starts thinking bigger. FM16 has localised data and research for dozens of new leagues. The database is global now, with over 50 countries represented in the scouting network.
• 2019: A major breakthrough. FM gets full licensing in Germany for the first time and launches officially. Two million copies are sold in eight months, Germany quickly becomes a top-three market. Meanwhile, Brazil is left out due to a licensing dispute, which limits official sales.
• 2020: The COVID lockdowns supercharge FM’s growth. A free giveaway on the Epic Games Store brings in over half a million new players in a day. FM20 passes two million players. It’s a turning point.
• 2023–2024: FM23 attracts nearly 7 million players. FM24 does even better, hitting 7 million within its first three months and eventually crossing 14 million players across all platforms. With Xbox, PS5, Mobile and PC all in the mix, the FM audience is more global—and more varied—than ever before.

Football Manager’s Cultural Impact

What makes Football Manager unique is that it’s not just a popular game—it’s a culturally influential one.

• Stats are one thing, but Football Manager’s influence goes far deeper. In some countries, it’s genuinely part of the footballing landscape.
• In the UK, it’s basically a national pastime. Everton once used FM’s database for scouting. Solskjær said the game helped him prepare for real-life management. And Andros Townsend’s girlfriend once believed a fake in-game news item about him skipping training—it’s that immersive.
• In Portugal, FM is legendary. The game’s been known to land people real-life jobs. One fan impressed a club so much with his virtual success that he ended up working there. Even André Villas-Boas has said he used FM for tactical ideas.
• In Italy, older players still remember it as “Scudetto.” It’s got serious history there. One fan travelled thousands of miles to watch the real-life version of the team he’d been managing on FM for years.
• In South Korea, it’s become something of an eSport. A popular streamer regularly pulls in audiences of 10,000+ for his FM content.
• And in Turkey, it’s hard to overstate its cult status. There are entire Reddit threads about FM’s national popularity.

Platform Trends

Not everyone plays FM the same way, and the choice of platform can tell you a lot about gaming habits in different parts of the world.

• PC reigns supreme in Europe and the UK. Players love the depth, the mods, the tactical complexity. It’s still the gold standard.
• Mobile is king in Southeast Asia. FM Mobile topped the paid app charts in Malaysia and Singapore. With over 8 million mobile copies sold, it’s a huge part of FM’s global footprint.
• Console is catching on in places like North America, where Xbox Game Pass brought in a wave of new, more casual players.
• Latin America and Africa likely skew mobile too—especially in Brazil, where the mobile version is often more accessible than the full PC game.

Now that FM is on Switch, Xbox, PS5, PC, Mobile, and even Netflix’s mobile games platform, it’s easier than ever for new players to jump in, no matter where they are or what device they’re using.

Final Thoughts

What started as a spreadsheet simulator for die-hard football nerds is now a global gaming giant. The UK might still be the beating heart of Football Manager, but its limbs are everywhere, from Korea to Germany to Turkey. The jump from 2 million to 14 million players in just four years is massive and shows no sign of slowing down. With FM25 and the introduction of women’s football just around the corner, the next generation of fans might be the most diverse and international yet.

No matter where you are in the world, chances are someone nearby is currently arguing with their assistant manager, searching for a 16-year-old Brazilian wonderkid, or trying to convince the board to expand the youth facilities. That’s the magic of Football Manager, it’s local and global, niche and mainstream.

And the best part? The next 14 million are already loading their saves.