Football Manager 2024 has been released live on Steam through early access and fans of the popular game are already sinking their teeth into the latest edition.
The series is now over 30-years old and an impressive worldwide database of clubs, players and staff gives gamers the opportunity to take charge of their beloved clubs and attempt to guide them to unprecedented successes. Just for fun, we simulated three years into the future with the new game to see how clubs across the EFL and the rest of the world had fared.
Here is how the Preston North End starting XI looked in our simulation at the close of the 2026 summer transfer window:
9. CAM - Dan Rigge
Has a promising loan spell at Dutch club VVV-Venlo in 25/26 and joins Preston on loan the following seasons from West Ham | Getty Images
10. ST - Elijah Adebayo
Signed from Luton Town in January 2026 for a fee of £1.6m and scores an impressive six league goals in just 10 games in the second half of that season | AFP via Getty Images
11. ST - Milutin Osmajic
Manages just 8 league goals in the 23/24 season but doubles that figure in consecutive campaign to be top scorer for both 24/25 and 25/26 | Getty Images
12. Manager - Mark Robins
Ryan Lowe is sacked in December 2023 and replaced by John Eustace who is then dismissed in the summer with Preston relegated to L1. Robins comes in, leads the to the play-offs in 24/25 and then promotion in 25/26 | Getty Images