How to play
Complete reference manual — from sign-up to international competitions.
bolt Quick start
person_add Create your account
Sign up for free with your email and pick a manager name. You'll get a verification email. No credit card required.
sports_soccer Choose your team
Go to the active game, pick a country (you'll see how many free clubs it has per division, and you can search it by name) and claim a free club. If the country you want is full, press “Alert me when a spot opens”: with IFM PRO you'll get an email as soon as a club in that league becomes free. If later on you want to manage another club —for example in a country that had no room at first—, in Team data you can switch clubs keeping your points: once per season, or with no limit with IFM PRO. In private leagues the club is fixed. When you arrive at a club, its squad welcomes the new coach: +20 morale for every player (up to 100). You can't go back to a club you've already managed in the same season.
grid_on Set up your lineup
Drag (or tap) your 11 starters onto any of the 26 positions on the pitch: the formation (4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2…) comes out of the positions you use. Name up to 9 substitutes. You can save a different lineup for League, Cup, International and Friendly; the tab marked "Next" is the one your next match will use, and the screen warns you if you are editing another.
swap_horiz Schedule substitutions and tactics
Schedule substitutions conditioned by minute and score (the engine applies at most 5 per match, +1 in extra time). You choose who goes off, who comes on and in which position, and you can tick several moments and scores at once.
emoji_events Compete in the competitions
Matchdays are processed automatically according to the calendar. The dashboard and the header tell you how long is left until your next match (days, hours and minutes, in your local time). Check the event-by-event report of each match (with its timeline of goals, cards and substitutions), the standings with your position matchday by matchday, your balance over time, income and expenses by concept and your stadium attendance in Economy, each player's skill radar and rating per match, your squad's ages and your final position in every season in the history.
payments Manage your finances
Every week wages are paid and gate receipts, TV and sponsor income come in. Expand your stadium to increase capacity. A team in the red loses player morale.
group Squad and lineup
Clubs are created with 22 players and from then on every squad changes with signings, departures and youth players. You need at least 18 players of your own to transfer, loan out or release anyone, and you can't go over 30 to sign. Each player has the following attributes:
Each player is known by their first name, their surname or both (in bold in lists). On the pitch, the bench and the match report that short form is shown; if two players share it, the missing initial is added: “Sabas P.” or “P. Sabas”.
bar_chart Skills (1 – 110)
| Skill | Description | Key position |
|---|---|---|
| Dribbling | Skill to beat opponents with the ball | DEL |
| Pace | Movement speed | DEL DEF |
| Control | Skill to control the ball after a cross or pass | MED |
| Heading | Ability to head shots or clearances | DEL DEF |
| Tackle | Skill to intercept the opponent's play | DEF |
| Marking | Skill to cover and mark an opponent | DEF |
| Passing | Accuracy and range on passes | MED |
| Crossing | Quality of crosses from the wings | DEL MED |
| Shooting | Power and accuracy of shots on goal | DEL |
| Saving | Reflexes and ability to stop shots (goalkeepers) | POR |
| Coming out | Decision-making when coming off the line to cut out crosses (goalkeepers) | POR |
Fitness and morale have a maximum of 100. Both act as multipliers: a player at 80% fitness and morale performs at 80% of all their skills.
layers 4 lineup types
| Type | Competitions |
|---|---|
| League | Only for the league competition |
| Cup | National Cup and National Super Cup |
| International | IFM Champions Cup, IFM Community Cup, International and Intercontinental Super Cups |
| Friendly | Friendly matches |
rule Lineup rules
- check_circle You must field exactly 11 starting players.
- check_circle Two players cannot occupy the same position.
- check_circle There must be one goalkeeper (GK) and only one.
- check_circle Minimum 3 defenders: LIB, DCI, DCD, LI, LD, LIO, LDO.
- check_circle Minimum 2 midfielders: MCDI, MCDC, MCDD, MI, MD, II, ID, MC, MPI, MPC, MPD.
- check_circle Minimum 1 forward: AI, AC, AD, EI, ED, EIO, EDO.
- check_circle The minimums per line are a recommendation: the editor warns you if you don't meet them, but you can still save. What's mandatory is 11 starters with a goalkeeper.
- check_circle You can add up to 9 substitutes to the bench.
- check_circle A player performs at 100% in any of their positions (their versatility); outside them they play out of position and perform 20% worse.
child_care Youth intake
Every season, your club receives between 1 and 3 new youth players who join directly the first team — there's no academy or waiting time: as soon as they're generated, you can already call them up and field them.
- check_circle They appear in matchday 1, the mid-season matchday and the last matchday of your league (depending on how many you're due that season).
- check_circle They're between 16 and 21 years old with a skill level somewhat below average — they need experience, but can become important pieces over time.
- check_circle The position is random: goalkeeper in 1 case out of 10 and, otherwise, defender, midfielder or forward in roughly equal shares.
- check_circle They don't use up any market action or special squad quota: they count like any other player on your team.
grid_view All positions (26)
Goalkeeping
- POR Goalkeeper
Defence
- LIB Sweeper
- DCI Centre Back L.
- DCD Centre Back R.
- LI Full Back L.
- LD Full Back R.
- LIO Wing Back L.
- LDO Wing Back R.
Midfield
- MCDI Def. Mid. L.
- MCDC Def. Mid. C.
- MCDD Def. Mid. R.
- MI Midfielder L.
- MD Midfielder R.
- II Inside Mid. L.
- ID Inside Mid. R.
- MC Central Midfielder
- MPI Att. Mid. L.
- MPC Att. Mid. C.
- MPD Att. Mid. R.
Attack
- EI Winger L.
- ED Winger R.
- EIO Inside Forward L.
- EDO Inside Forward R.
- AI Striker L.
- AC Striker C.
- AD Striker R.
swap_horiz Substitutions during the match
Every manager can schedule up to 5 substitutions at half-time and at the end of regulation time (min 90, before extra time). PRO managers can also schedule them at any other point in the match (15, 30, 60, 75 and the extra-time break). You can also set up an emergency goalkeeper who comes on if the starting goalkeeper is sent off or injured; if you don't set one, the best goalkeeper on your bench comes on automatically.
For each substitution you define: the player going off, the player coming on, the position they will take (green if it is among their positions; ⚡ out of position if not), the moment (15, 30, half-time, 60, 75, 90 or extra-time break) and the score at that moment (always, winning by 2+, winning by 1, drawing, losing by 1, losing by 2+). You can tick several moments and scores at once and one rule is created per combination. If the score does not meet the condition the substitution is not made; each player comes on or goes off only once. The screen warns you if, at the same minute, more rules could be met than the engine can apply.
strategy Tactics
Mentality
- Attacking — more chances for you, but you also concede more
- Balanced — balance between attack and defence
- Defensive — fewer goals conceded, but less attacking threat
Playing style
- Down the wings — focuses on crossing and control skills
- Long balls — prioritises crossing and pace
- Ball control — possession via passing and control (+chance bonus)
- Break up play — tackling and marking, reduces total chances
- Counter-attack — pace and tackling; when it prevails, it takes a few chances away from the opponent
sports Match system
The match is split into 6 phases of 15 minutes each (90 min total), plus up to 2 extra-time phases if the rules require it. In each phase the engine calculates each team's scoring chances based on:
- grid_on Players' positions on the pitch — each position has an attack and defence value.
- strategy Each team's mentality and playing style — they change the number of chances generated.
- favorite Each player's fitness and morale — they act as a percentage multiplier on all their skills.
- person_remove The number of players on the pitch — a sending-off creates a numerical disadvantage from the next phase onward.
For every chance generated, a play is simulated: the attacking player takes on the defender using the relevant skills (passing, crossing, dribbling, shooting…). If the attacker beats the defender, the play advances toward goal. The goalkeeper gets one last chance to stop the shot.
Possession is decided in each phase by comparing both teams' tackling and passing: a team with more than 55% of the ball gets 1 to 3 extra chances, and below 35% the opponent gets them. The home team has an edge: a bit more possession and 2 more chances per phase, except on neutral ground: single-match finals, the Intercontinental Cup, the World Championship and the Continental Cup.
Fitness & morale
If a player is at 75% fitness and 80% morale, their skills are calculated at roughly ~77% of their maximum values. Morale of the whole matchday squad (substitutes too, whether they play or not) rises when you win and drops when you lose; in knockout ties what counts is who goes through, and friendlies don't change it. Fitness drops according to the minutes each player plays (extra time is more tiring) and recovers a little every day. In the lineup and substitutions, an amber battery flags players whose fitness is below 60. In the lineup player card you also see their latest ratings and their numbers this season, so you know who is in the best moment.
Cards and injuries
A direct red card or a second yellow sends the player off: the team plays with a numerical disadvantage in all the following phases. If the injured or sent-off player is the goalkeeper, the emergency replacement comes on: the one you chose or, if none, the best goalkeeper on the bench. Injuries heal in 1–8 weeks. A sending-off also bans the player from the next match of that same competition (league/cup, international, or national team). Friendlies are the exception: there can be cards, but they never carry a ban.
League scoring
Standard points system: 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss. League titles award extra title points that accumulate in the manager's historical ranking. Friendlies don't score. The ranking is per manager: if you also coach a national team, its points are added to the same row.
Match preview and match page
Before kick-off, a match page shows no lineups (the rival's tactics are secret) but the preview: head to head in that competition and overall, latest meetings, each team's recent form, current standings if it is a league or group, the first-leg result if it is a second leg, and absences (injured and suspended for that competition). Once played, the preview disappears and the page shows the result instead: the chronicle, the actual lineups, the statistics and the 3D viewer.
payments Economy
IFM's economy is based on virtual euros. You can check your funds in the Economy section. Every matchday the following movements take place:
| Item | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Wages | Every week players are paid their weekly wage, calculated from their skills and playing position. | Expense |
| Match organisation costs | The home team covers the costs of organising the match. | Expense |
| Travel costs | The away team covers travel costs (higher for international competitions). | Expense |
| Stadium upkeep | Weekly cost proportional to the stadium's capacity. | Expense |
| Gate receipts | Revenue depends on the competition, the opponent and ticket prices. The home team keeps all of it, friendlies included, except in single-match finals and in the Intercontinental Cup, where it is split in half with tickets at a fixed price of €30. National-team matches produce no gate receipts or TV rights. | Income |
| TV rights | Income from televised matches, varying by competition and round. | Income |
| Sponsors | You will receive regular offers from sponsors that you can accept or decline. The deal lasts a number of weeks and brings in regular income. While it lasts, the sponsor appears on your dashboard, on the club's public page and on your match pages, and its logo on the shirt if the deal includes a shirt spot. IFM's automatic offers carry no logo. | Income |
| Competition prize money | Every competition pays out prize money based on the round reached. International competitions offer higher prizes. | Income |
Stadium expansion
In the Team details section you can expand your stadium's capacity if you have enough funds. The expansion takes several weeks and permanently increases gate revenue, but also raises weekly upkeep.
In the red
If your team's balance is negative when the weekly costs are charged, all your own players lose 5 morale points. Low morale reduces performance in the following matches (this way it never drops below 30) — keep an eye on the budget!
badge Transfers
IFM has a free market: there are no restrictions on foreign players. To sign or sell players, you have several mechanisms:
Search for players
The search (game menu → Players) finds any player in the game by age, value, country, position (by versatility), minimum and maximum skills, transfer-listed, loan-listed, last contract year or only clubs with a manager. You can also browse other teams' squads or the Market (transfer-listed, auctions, loans and free agents). In the Market, every tab (transfer-listed, auctions, loanable and free agents) has the same filters as the search and can be shown as a table or as cards.
Direct negotiations
Open a negotiation with another club that has a manager. There can only be one open negotiation with each club: until it is resolved, you can't open another one with them. Careful: as soon as the other manager accepts, the transfer is immediate, so use internal mail if you're only exploring the market.
Negotiating with the player
Besides the agreement between clubs, you have to settle terms with the player: weekly salary and contract length (1 to 5 years, your choice). Players have club and country preferences that affect their decision; if you offer too little they turn the terms down, and the deal won't go through until you improve them. The player answers every offer: they accept, «almost there», «you need to improve it», «improve it a lot» or that they will never come. A «never» may be because they don't want to play for your club (money won't fix that) or because your offer is far below what they ask for; for free agents and renewals, after a «never» you can't make them another offer that season. Players' preferences change a little every season.
Auctions
You can put players up for auction with a starting price (at least 50% of their value) and a duration of 5 to 10 days. Each bid must beat the current leading bid, and all bids are shown on the player's page. If nobody beats the starting price, the player isn't sold; if the winner no longer has the money when it closes, the next bid wins. Free managers: 2 players up for auction at once and 1 bid per player per day; PRO: 4 and 2.
Free agents
Free agents are signed directly by offering them a salary; they may turn it down if it's too low, and contract length depends on age (3 years under 29, otherwise 2). If they became free less than a week ago, they go to a 7-day public auction first. Their club and country preferences also count, as in any signing.
Release clause
You can sign a player from another club that has a manager by paying their release clause, and their club cannot refuse. The clause is their weekly wage × 500 and it is recalculated every time they sign a new contract. Paying it costs the clause × the years left on their contract, so a player on a long contract is very expensive. The player has to accept the wage you offer, and you can't go over 30 players of your own. They join 5 days after accepting. During that waiting period, no one can make transfer or loan offers for them — not even the buying club — until they join their new club.
One transfer per season
A player who has already been transferred (regular sale or via clause) during the current season cannot be transferred again until the following season. They can still be loaned out.
Releasing a player
Cost: 4 times their weekly wage. Use it carefully — it's an expensive severance. You can't release a player if you'd be left with fewer than 18 players of your own.
Renewing a player
You can offer a renewal to a player in the last year of their contract. You set the wage and the length depends on age (3 years if under 30, otherwise 2). The player answers: they accept, «almost there», «you need to improve it», «improve it a lot» or that they won't renew. If they accept, the new contract starts when the season closes, and until then they can't be transferred, auctioned or released. If they say they won't renew, you can't offer again that season. If no renewal has been accepted when the season closes, the player may still stay on their own (the better they are, the more likely) or become a free agent.
Fair play
Managing more than one team is forbidden. Transfers that clearly aim to benefit a specific team (for example, loaning out players ahead of a final and getting them back afterwards) are considered fraudulent and can lead to the manager's expulsion.
emoji_events Competitions
public National competitions
| Competition | Format |
|---|---|
| League | Round robin (home and away) by divisions within the same country. How many teams go up and down depends on the size of the division: 1 with 6 teams, 2 with 8, 3 with 10 or 12 and 4 with 16. The table colours the promotion, relegation and international cup places. |
| Cup | Knockout rounds within the same country. Every round is two-legged except the final, which is a single match. If the aggregate is level, away goals count; if still level, extra time (where away goals also count) and, finally, penalties. |
| National Super Cup | League champion vs. cup champion from the previous season (or the runner-up if they're the same team). Played over two legs. |
language Continental competitions (clubs)
| Competition | Format |
|---|---|
| IFM Champions Cup | The most prestigious competition per continent. Each country's league champion enters the group stage directly; the 2nd and 3rd placed teams play a two-legged qualifying round. After the group stage, knockout rounds decide the final. The defending champion has a reserved spot: if they didn't qualify via their league, they take the 3rd-place spot (who moves to the IFM Community Cup instead). |
| IFM Community Cup | The second continental competition. Entry goes to each country's cup champion (or runner-up if already in the Champions Cup), the league's 4th, 5th and 6th place finishers, and the team displaced from the IFM Champions Cup if applicable. It starts with a group stage followed by knockout rounds. This competition's defending champion also has a reserved spot if they didn't qualify another way, displacing the lowest-ranked qualifier. Teams that lose the preliminary round of their continent's IFM Champions Cup also move to the IFM Community Cup, whose group draw waits until that round is over. |
| International Super Cup | A single match on neutral ground between the IFM Champions Cup winner and the IFM Community Cup winner from the previous season. |
| Intercontinental Cup | Pits all the IFM Champions Cup winners from every continent against each other. Decides the best club in the virtual world. |
flag National teams
| Competition | Format |
|---|---|
| World Championship qualifying | Groups by continent where national teams earn one of the 48 World Championship places. Each continent has a fixed quota: Europe 16, America 12, Africa 10 and Asia and Oceania 10. All group winners go through first, then the runners-up, and so on until the quota is filled with the best-placed teams. |
| IFM World Championship | 48 national teams in 12 groups of 4. The top two of each group and the 8 best third-placed teams reach the round of 32, and from there knockout ties are single matches. It decides the best national team in the world. Every qualified team plays, but only IFM PRO managers can coach a national team. |
| Continental Qualifying | Groups by continent that hand out up to 24 places in each continent's Continental Cup, with the same rule: group winners, then runners-up, and so on until the quota is full. |
| Continental Cup | Each continent's national-team tournament. With 24 teams: 6 groups of 4, the top two of each group and the 4 best third-placed teams reach the round of 16, and knockout ties are single matches. |
National-team competitions run in a four-season cycle, one per season: Continental Qualifying, Continental Cup, World Championship Qualifying and World Championship.
handshake Friendlies
Propose a friendly to another club with a manager (or, if you coach a national team, to another national team): you choose the date among those you both have free, and whether you play at home or away. The opponent accepts or declines it; until they accept, you can cancel it. It's played at 22:00 (Spanish time), like official matches. It's played with your Friendly line-up. Morale doesn't change, there can be cards but they never lead to suspensions, it gives no points and doesn't count for records, and the gate receipts go to the home team. In the Community, the Friendlies section helps you find an opponent.
map In Leagues, "View map" opens the map of the country with every club in the game placed in its city; you can switch country and division, and hover a club in the list to locate it.
trophy Records
Records holds the best marks in the whole history of the game: scorers, thrashings, titles, runs and historic seasons. You can see them for the whole game, for one country or for national teams, split across five tabs: highlights, players, teams, matches, and leagues and countries.
Each record shows the best mark large, and the next four if you expand “See the top 5”. Friendlies do not count towards any record, and national-team marks are never mixed with club ones.
schedule Records are recalculated once a day, overnight. If your team breaks one today, it shows up tomorrow.
play_circle There are two kinds of record. A thrashing or a career total counts from the very first match. Season totals (points, goals, top scorer), on the other hand, only compete once the season is over: while it is being played, the current best is shown separately, marked “in play”.
whatshot Runs (wins in a row, matches unbeaten, clean sheets) count every competition together and do not stop at the end of a season: only a result that breaks them ends the run.
shield On top of that, each club page has its own records block, and players who hold a game record wear it as a badge on their profile.
star Paid users — IFM PRO
The paid options aren't meant to give a disproportionate competitive edge, but to add more depth and personalisation to the experience. The current perks are:
National teams
Only PRO managers can apply to manage a national team and take part in the World Championship.
Substitutions at any moment
Schedule substitutions at all 7 moments of the match (15, 30, half-time, 60, 75, 90 and the extra-time break). Without PRO, only at half-time and at min 90.
Team customisation
Change team name, president, coach, stadium, crest and kit whenever you want from Team data (without PRO, once per season each).
Change of club
Change club as many times as you like per season and keep your ranking points (without PRO, once per season).
Auction perks
You can bid twice a day on the same player in auction and put up to 4 players up for auction at once (versus 1 bid/day and 2 players for free managers).
Real performance
See at a glance at what percentage of their skills each player performs (the average of their fitness and morale) in the squad, lineup, substitutions, player search and loans.
Position view
A tool showing which of your squad's players can perform at 100% in each position on the pitch, making lineup planning easier.
No ads
Browse all of IFM ad-free.
PRO badge
Your name carries the PRO badge in the ranking, on your manager profile and in the community.
IFM PRO is paid per season (one-off payment, no auto-renewal) and there is a 3-season pack. In private leagues every manager is PRO for as long as the league runs, at no extra cost. See prices
flag National teams
National teams are exclusive to paid managers (IFM PRO). They work as a second, parallel team: you keep managing your club and also run your national team.
- check_circle To manage a national team, open “Manage a national team” from the game's front page and pick a free one: it's yours right away, no waiting. Only one national team per game. If the one you want already has a coach, press “Alert me when it's free” and you'll get an email when it becomes available.
- check_circle You can call up to 30 players from your country, from the Call-up screen, the player search or each player's page.
- check_circle Each season the federation sets a goal based on the national team's international fame: from qualifying for the World Championship to reaching the final. It is assessed when the World Championship Qualifying and the World Championship end (the Continental Cup doesn't count). If it isn't met, the coach may be dismissed: a 75% chance if they fall one step short of the goal, and 10 points less for each further step. The goal is shown on the Call-up screen.
- check_circle The national team's lineup is independent from the club's and uses the same editor (pitch, 9-player bench, scheduled substitutions, mentality and style). Unlike a club, the national team has a single lineup: the same one plays official matches and friendlies.
- check_circle You can only line up called-up players. Before each match the lineup repairs itself (injured, players no longer called up, and — only for official matches — players suspended with the national team; in friendlies a suspended player can still play) and the squad is topped up automatically to 18 if needed.
forum Community
Each game has its own community (game menu → Community): the place to talk with the other managers, like the original IFM forum.
- check_circle Sections: Announcements (only the admins write), General, Leagues and cups (one thread per competition and season, created automatically), National teams, Market (looking for/selling/loaning), Friendlies (find a rival) and Commission (anti-fraud rulings). Support and "Suggestions, ideas and bugs" are shared by all games.
- check_circle You post as a manager, with your public name and the crest of your club in that game. You can only write in games you are a member of. Messages are plain text; links are linked automatically.
- check_circle You can edit your message for 15 minutes and delete it whenever you want. "Active topics" and "Unanswered" show you what is new; the red dot marks threads with messages you have not read and the bell notifies you when someone replies in your thread.
- check_circle If you see a message out of place, report it: the administration or the committee review it and can delete it, hide the thread, pin or lock it. A deleted message or thread is no longer visible to anyone, but moderators keep its content so they can review conflicts between managers. There is a limit of messages per minute and per day to avoid spam.
- check_circle Shortcuts from the game: "Comment" on a match page or in the standings takes you to that competition's thread; "Post to the market" on one of your players and "Find a rival" in Friendlies prepare the message. If you paste a player profile link it is shown as a card (position, age, value, club). When each season closes, a summary of champions, promotions and relegations is posted in Announcements.
- check_circle In "Suggestions, ideas and bugs" you propose improvements or report bugs (also from the help button on any screen, which fills in where you were). Each thread has a status — new, under review, in progress, done or declined — that the admins update; when it changes, the bell and email let you know. Other managers can back your proposal with "Like"; you can sort by votes and, as you type the title, you are warned if a similar one already exists. The "Done" filter is the history of improvements already applied.
- check_circle Every community post and every message between managers has a "Translate" link that turns it into your language (Spanish ↔ Catalan on our server; with English, via MyMemory). In your profile you can choose to translate everything automatically (thread titles and message subjects too) or never translate.
- check_circle Type @ and a few letters to mention another manager (the bell notifies them). You can "Like" any message. In Support, whoever opened the thread (or a moderator) can mark the "Accepted answer", which is highlighted at the top. And the search looks in titles and messages of the whole community.
volunteer_activism Project funding
IFM is a personal project, with no company behind it — just one person's effort and the community's support. To keep it running, these funding sources are combined:
Paying users (IFM PRO)
The main source of income. PRO managers pay a fee per season in exchange for the extra features described in the previous section.
Built-in sponsors
Companies or individuals can create a sponsor account and pay real money to place advertising on teams in the game. Sponsored teams receive in-game money in return.
Donations
If you want to support the project directly, you can make a voluntary donation from the website.
Advertising
Google ads on the platform to supplement the income above.
IFM isn't responsible for comments made by users within the game, although they're actively moderated. No unethical content of any kind is allowed.
history IFM's history
IFM was born as a game to play among friends. Over time it gained users until reaching over 500 active managers in 2004, remarkable for a personal project with no company behind it.
Funding from ads alone wasn't enough to cover costs or the time invested, so the difficult decision was made to close it. But it wasn't forever.
In late 2008, after more than a year of work from scratch, IFM reopened its doors with a new engine, more competitions, and paid user accounts to sustain the project long-term.
In 2015 came the second closure. The software had grown and needed more and more time to maintain: bugs, issues, constant upkeep. Unfortunately, at that point there wasn't enough time to keep going with the quality the project deserved, and the decision was made to pause it.
Now, in 2026, IFM is back with great enthusiasm. This time with a completely rewritten engine and the help of artificial intelligence, which has made it possible to greatly speed up development while keeping code quality high. What used to take months of work now moves at a speed that would have seemed impossible for a solo project just a few years ago.
We're back!
All clear? You're ready to start managing your team.