Football manager game online: play against real managers

This page explains what makes an online manager game tick, how a season at OFM unfolds and how to take over your own club in a couple of minutes.

A football manager simulator with real opponents

In an offline manager game you play alone against the computer and set your own pace. You save, reload and race through a season over a weekend. An online manager has no pause button. Every club on a server plays in the same world and on the same calendar. Sell a player today and you might be strengthening your next opponent.

That is what a good online manager game has to offer:

• Real opponents Every club in your league is run by a person who, just like you, decides on the line-up, training and transfers.
• A world that keeps going Matchdays, transfers and player development happen in real time. Your club plays even on the days you don’t sign in.
• A market with real prices Other managers bid on the transfer market too. Supply and demand set the price of a talent, not a fixed list.
• A community League rivalries, clans, the forum and shared events are all part of the game.

How a season works at OFM

A season has 34 matchdays, and there is one on every calendar day, which adds up to around ten seasons a year. Matches are calculated overnight, so in the morning your result, the league table and the match report are waiting for you. At the end of the season promotion and relegation are settled and new youth players join your squad.

Alongside the league there are other competitions:

• Cup a knockout tournament with 256 teams per country, where an underdog can go a long way.
• World Cup the competition for the best clubs from every country on your server.
• FunCups short tournaments organised by managers themselves.
• Friendlies against clubs of your choice, ideal for trying out a new formation.

On top of that there are regular events with their own competitions and rewards, such as the Weekend League.

An online manager that fits your schedule

How much time you put in is up to you. Some managers check the result in the morning and set up the next line-up in a few minutes. Others study every opponent, plan training weeks ahead and spend whole evenings on the transfer market. Both work, because OFM never tells you when to play, only when the next matchday starts.

Getting started: server, country and club

First choose a server. Each server is a football world of its own with its own leagues and managers, and the English server is the home of the English-speaking community. Then create a free account with your email address or your Google or Apple account. Next you name your club and pick its country from 32 countries. You start in a lower league with a small squad and the welcome pack: extra starting capital and 200 additional stadium seats.

Online in your browser or as an app

OFM runs in any up-to-date browser without a download. If you prefer to play on the go, the free app for iPhone and Android lets you run the very same club. More on that in our guide to the football manager browser game. What is free and what the premium currency Kixx is for is explained in our guide to the free football manager game.

Frequently asked questions about OFM

Do I play with real footballers?

No, the players at OFM are fictional. That way every club starts on equal terms and nobody begins with a world star. What is real are your opponents: every other club is run by a person. If you want to predict real matches, OFM also has a prediction game for real leagues.

OFM, Online Football Manager, OnlineFootballManager: are they all the same game?

Yes. The full name is OnlineFootballManager, OFM for short.

How long does a season last?

34 matchdays plus one rest day, so five weeks. Then the next season begins, possibly one league higher.

Can I play with my friends?

Yes. Pick the same server and you play in the same world, meet each other in friendlies and in the cup, and take part in the same FunCups.

Ready for your first matchday? Signing up is free and takes a minute. All the rules in detail are in the rules.