We didn't have enough football simulators, so SEGA presented Football Club Champions 2025, but at least this game will be free

Get ready to manage another football empire of your own. Sega has announced a huge event: its long-running football management series SakaTsuku is coming to the Western market for the first time in a long time, and it will be a free-to-play game. Sega Football Club Champions 2025 is preparing to conquer PS5, PS4, Steam, iOS, and Android.

Here's What We Know

According to Sega, the game is "based on Football Manager", although the extent of this integration is still unclear. "Sega Football Club Champions is SEGA's latest multi-platform football management simulator," the game's description reads. "Play for free! Start with a small club competing locally and aim to conquer the world."

Despite the link to Football Manager on the English-language version of the site, the Japanese version - which gives the Japanese title Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou! 2025 - reveals that Sega Football Club Champions is the newest release in Sega's long-standing football manager series, which dates back to 1996.

The Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou series, better known to fans as SakaTsuku, began on the Sega Saturn and mainly focused on managing a Japanese football team with the goal of winning the J-League. Although there have been around 25 different SakaTsuku games released over the years, only one main title has previously received a Western release - Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou! Europe Championship, which was released on PS2 in Europe and Australia under the title Let's Make a Soccer Team.

The latest instalment will include a Career Mode where players "manage a team, make decisions on the pitch and strive to create the greatest club of all time", as well as a Dream Team Mode, which will feature PvP matches with players around the world.

According to Sega, the game will have an official FIFPro licence with 10,000 real players, including 1,500 from the J1-J3 leagues in Japan. South Korea's K League and Manchester City have also received licences for the game.

Sega will hold a closed beta test on 19-30 June "in order to improve the game as much as possible before launch". Players have until 13 June to apply for the test, with only 15,000 spots available.

There is no news about the return of Football Manager yet. After numerous delays, Football Manager 25 was officially cancelled in February, with Sega and developer Sports Interactive stating that their attention would be turned to the next game in the series.

So, while Football Manager fans wait for the next big release, Sega Football Club Champions 2025 offers the opportunity to dive into the world of football management with a Japanese flavour, and for free.

Source: SEGA