In what is supposed to be an "In Real Life" FM26 save, since November 4th 2025 I have been playing catch up. Not because I'm not enjoying my save, but let's be honest, it's because FM26 has not delivered upon its promises and been a dumpster fire. Not wanting to sh1t anymore on SI and FM26 here, but like everyone else I'm not playing the game as before so the purpose of this blog post is simply record-keeping in not wanting to let my IRL save die having spent the past two years playing it religiously day-by-day.

The rapid rise of Barcelona's Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu continued as their exciting young team survived with relative ease in their first-ever season in Spain's second tier. And Ultras leader turned manager Oriol Ribas continued to focus on youth ahead of his fifth season at the helm.

The streets of Gunma Prefecture hosted the biggest party the region had ever seen in June 2038 as Robaato Rasamu and his team of homegrown stars were treated to an open-top bus parade. They showed off the Emperor's Cup and the J1 League trophies as they celebrated not only winning the club's first major honour but also an unexpected double.

To the surprise of everyone in Spain, let alone in Barcelona, little Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu secured promotion to Spain's second tier for the first time in club history in 2028. This saw the Turf Wars begin to simmer, with the club now just one league below their city rivals FC Barcelona for the first time.

Thespakusatsu Gunma finished 2nd in J1 League for the third time in five years as Robaato Rasamu's exciting youngsters excelled again in 2036/37. But, after 12 years in charge of Gunma, Rasamu was keen to take the next step and secure the club's first major silverware.

Oriol Ribas led Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu to survival in Spain's third tier, relying on young players to avoid the bookies' prediction of a surefire relegation. But Ribas' job wasn't getting any easier ahead of his third season in charge of the Barcelona club.

An improved season saw Thespakusatsu Gunma compete for the Japanese title for the second time in four seasons, two years on from a relegation battle. That improvement saw the club qualify for the Asian Champions League for the second time. Last season's record-breaking sales of star academy talents left Gunma in a very strong financial position, with £26m in the bank, £32m in the transfer budget and £37k spare in the £73k weekly wage budget.

If you've read any of our FM Stories, you'll know that one of my favourite elements of playing Football Manager is developing young players to become world beaters. I'd love the ability to get deeper into youth development in FM and gain more knowledge of youngsters coming through the system.

Oriol Ribas was the toast of every Catalan native as he led his beloved Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu to playoff glory and back into the Spanish third-tier Primera Federación. However, he quickly encountered a few challenges ahead of his second season in management.

Revolution was afoot in Cataluña as Ultras leader Oriol Ribas was elected as manager of fourth-tier club Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu. The rookie manager was entrusted with the mammoth task of restoring Catalan glory by leading the charge to usurp the mighty FC Barcelona.

Thousands of people descended on Camp Municipal Narcís Sala ahead of one of the most highly anticipated nights in recent Catalan history. The football culture in Barcelona had been shifting rapidly, as club memberships had increased 600% over the last five years, passionate fans created electrifying stadium atmospheres, and local vendors were completely sold out of replica kits. But this wasn't due to a surge in support for the club you might be thinking of.

After enjoying several seasons of success, Thespakusatsu Gunma and Robaato Rasamu came down to earth with a thump as they got drawn into a J1 League relegation battle in 2034. But, 12 months on from a title challenge, they finished the season well to maintain their top-flight status.

A strong season back in her homeland of Sweden saw Freja Holm tick the Damallsvenskan title off her list with Malmö FF. That wrapped up an eighth top-tier title of the 11 playable women's leagues in Football Manager 26, leaving Holm with Australia, Denmark and Germany to tick off.

Freja Holm finally ended Arsenal and Chelsea's domination of England's WSL as she led Manchester City to their first title in 29 years. Now 20 years into her Trailblazer challenge to win the top 11 women's football leagues, Holm had ticked off seven.

Manchester City Women finished as best of the rest behind Arsenal and Chelsea and lost Freja Holm's second FA Cup Final to Arsenal in 2044. And it was safe to say the Swedish manager was a little sick of the two London clubs' domination in England.

Thespakusatsu Gunma recorded a fifth successive record high finish under the tutelage of Robaato Rasamu, who led the club into the Asian Champions League for the first time by finishing 2nd in J1 League in 2033. However, Rasamu was a little concerned about how well his youthful homegrown team would cope with domestic and continental matters.

Madrid CFF stormed to a goal-hungry maiden Spanish title led by serial title winner Freja Holm in 2043. But, with her sixth of 11 possible domestic titles in the bag, Freja Holm left Madrid with a heavy heart and went in search of her tenth job as a Football Manager.

Swedish manager Freja Holm led Madrid Club de Femenino to its first major trophy, lifting the Spanish Cup against city rivals Atlético. An exciting young squad also racked up the club's highest-ever finish to qualify for the Champions League for the first time. And that gave Holm the challenge of usurping a dominant Real Madrid.

Thespakusatsu Gunma upset all the odds to not only avoid relegation but finish 7th in their first-ever season in the Japanese top tier. Robaato Rasamu was excited about the potential at the club as his promising youngsters continued to deliver.

Freja Holm rebuilt a Wrexham AFC Women squad to claim a historic Welsh treble and add the Adran Premier title to those won in Italy, Japan, France and USA. A few days on from that success, Holm resigned yet again and went in search of her ninth club.

A dramatic injury-time winner saw Bay FC claim their maiden NWSL Championship and Freja Holm become the 11th greatest women's football manager in November 2039. The 49-year-old Swede added the American title to those won in Italy, Japan and France, leaving, in theory, titles in Australia, Denmark, England, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Wales to tick off her Trailblazer challenge.