Here is a comprehensive summary of the Wikipedia article on Football Manager:

The Football Manager series, developed by British studio Sports Interactive and published by Sega, originated in 1992 as Championship Manager. Following a significant partnership breakup with original publishers Eidos Interactive in 2003, Sports Interactive lost the "Championship Manager" naming rights but retained the game engine and data. This led to a re-branding as Football Manager with their new publisher, Sega, with the first title, Football Manager 2005, releasing on November 5, 2004, becoming a rapid success.

For North American audiences, the series was known as Worldwide Soccer Manager from 2004 to 2008. Sports Interactive was fully acquired by Sega in April 2006. The latest entry, Football Manager 2024, launched on December 7, 2023, and has become the most played title in the series' history, attracting over 17 million players by March 2025. Looking ahead, Football Manager 2026 was announced on August 13, 2025, after the cancellation of the previously planned Football Manager 25.