New features and upgrades bring you closer to your squad than ever before and tilts the world’s favorite management simulation even closer to reality. Welcome to the job!

Football Manager 2019 will be saying goodbye to the iconic ‘Manager Man’ who has featured on the cover of every Football Manager game since FM 2005, to be replaced by a manager’s eye view of the pitch as the gaffer and players head down the tunnel ahead of a big match. With redesigned logos, loads of new and improved features, and the implementation of the DFL Bundesliga license for the first time, Football Manager 2019 is set to be even more comprehensive in its realism than ever before.

In Football Manager 2019 YOU are the author of your club’s success: you define the tactics and style of play, and drive player recruitment to build the ultimate squad. You take an active role on the training ground, developing your squad and fine-tuning the preparations for upcoming matches.

Then, when Match Day arrives, you take your place on the touchline, overseeing proceedings as your players cross that magical white line. Now, your footballing vision is put to the test!

SEGA and Sports Interactive are delighted to announce the headline features for Football Manager 2019 which combine to make this the greatest ever release in the history of the world’s most popular football management simulation.

Training has undergone the biggest overhaul in the series’ history. The all-new module now includes a wealth of new options, sessions and programmes to help managers get the best out of their senior players and develop their young stars. Sports Interactive has worked closely with real-world clubs and coaches to ensure that the new methods are truly representative of what happens on training pitches across the globe.

The changes are just as significant when the players move from the training pitch to full match mode. Managers now have much more control over the way their team plays, as FM’s tactics module has also enjoyed a significant revamp. New preset tactical style options allow managers to either select from some of the most popular systems from world football or develop their own, unique tactics and philosophies. Experienced managers will notice the greater range of team instructions on offer, as well as the fact that different instructions are available depending on whether your team is in a phase of attack, defence or transitional play.

Fans will be able to apply these tactics to any one of the 36 fully licensed clubs in the top two flights of German football, as Sports Interactive has signed a licensing agreement which will see clubs from both the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 kitted out with official club badges, kits and player faces – a first in the series’ history. The introduction of German clubs and leagues also means that FM19 will also feature a full German language translation, increasing the portfolio of in-game languages to 19.

There’s a lot in FM19 for less experienced managers too, particularly the brand new ‘manager induction’ system which acts as an intuitive and interactive tutorial system that allows fledgling gaffers to find their feet without having to leave their save game. FM veterans can also make use of the induction system to find their way around this season’s new and updated features.

Something that will be immediately noticeable to all players is the game’s new look, which combines a fresh presentation with an air of familiarity. The combination of the updated user interface and new manager induction system make this not only the best-looking version of the game to date, but also the easiest to pick up and play.

Miles Jacobson, Director of Football Manager, says: "We've been through a major shift as a studio over the last year; moving office, improving our working practices as a team and spending a huge amount of time looking 'under the hood' of Football Manager. The result of all this work can be seen throughout Football Manager 2019 – it has a clean new look, and lots of freshness under the hood too, not only with the new features, but also lots of other changes that make it an even more compelling experience to play. We're all very proud of what we've achieved with FM19 and are very much looking forward to hearing what our fans have to say when they get their hands on it."

Having been the subject of much debate and controversy in the world of football over the past year, video technology makes its debut in FM19, in the form of both the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and goal-line technology. Both technologies will feature in competitions that make use of them in real-life and will be sure to create as many talking points over the course of a save game as they have in the real world.

More information on lots more new features and tweaks to expect in FM19 will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Will the perfect substitution or tactical tweak be the difference between an agonising defeat or an ecstatic victory?

• Test your skills in 50 of the biggest footballing countries
• Climb to the top of the table and beyond with any one of world’s top 2500 clubs
• Play the transfer market and scout more than 500,000 real players and staff
• Watch your unique football vision play-out on our acclaimed 3D engine

The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 are fully licensed and playable for season 2018/19 and give a very early flavour of what’s to come as we build towards kick-off on November 2nd.

In total, there are 26 fully-licensed league competitions from 11 countries as well as a host of individual club licences from some of the world’s biggest leagues, with more still to be confirmed.

Licensing updates along with new features and game upgrades will drop towards the end of September on our social channels, so get following now to get ahead of the game.

Football Manager 2019 is available to pre-purchase now and managers who do so prior to full release on Thursday, November 2nd will net a cool 10% off.

Advanced pre-purchase will also permit early access to a fully-playable Beta version of the game which should be available at least two weeks prior to the official release date. Single player careers started in this Beta version will also continue into the full game.

All purchases of Football Manager 2019 also include a free copy of Football Manager 2019 Touch for PC/Mac only.

All three versions of the game – Football Manager 2019 (for PC and Mac), Football Manager 2019 Touch (for PC, Mac, iOS and Android) and Football Manager 2019 Mobile (for iOS and Android) will be released on November 2nd.