Simulation Soccer League
S23 State of the League - Printable Version

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S23 State of the League - Canadice - 2025-10-31

State of the League
This season marks another important step in the continued growth of the SSL. Below you will find updates on the WSFC, the Rulebook, changes to promotion relegation, sim schedule and our stance on FM26.

World Simulation Football Classic
The WSFC will take place at the conclusion of this season, and this year we are pleased to announce the assigned managers who will lead their regions into competition. The tournament continues to be a showcase of our league’s talent on the global stage, and it provides both a competitive outlet and a chance for both managers and players to test themselves in a different environment. The assigned Regional Managers are:

We will let them get situated in their roles in the main SSL Discord and announce updated information about the updated transfer regulations and its timeline in a couple weeks.

Rule Changes
The Board of Directors has previously and recently approved several adjustments to the Rulebook for this season. They are the following:
  • Rule D.1.b - The starting TPE is reduced to 250 TPE to account for the increased length of the season
  • Rule F.5.a - The lowest minimum salary tier is now 250-350 TPE for 1 million.
  • Rule D.3.a - Academy players are now able to use an Academy Re-roll once during their Academy season. This limit will be reset once they are drafted and they can later use a re-roll during their first two seasons in the SSL Tiered leagues.
  • Rule D.8.a.ii - We are changing/clarifying retirement reversal rules as follows: “A retirement can be reversed without penalties once per player up to 24 hours after posting the first retirement. After 24 hours have passed or a second retirement is posted, retirement is final.”
  • Rule E.2.d - We are also adding the possibility of signing an Emergency Goalkeeper if an organization is unable to sign a player in the conventional way.

As always, the full details are in the updated Rulebook.

Progression toward Promotion & Relegation
This season is the final step before we transition into a pro/rel system with 6 + 6 Major and 6 + 6 Minor League divisions starting next season. That means the results of this campaign will directly shape the initial structure of the leagues. The top 6 teams within each league will transfer into the first division for S24 while the bottom 6 teams will transfer into the second division for S24.

We encourage managers and players alike to treat this season as both a proving ground and a preview of the intensity that promotion and relegation will bring.

Simulation Schedule
To balance quality with sustainability for our simming team, we are introducing a third hybrid sim format this season which we call 3 + 3. This type of format will have 3 games per matchday shown in Extended Highlights (full 3D viewing experience) and 3 games per matchday shown in Commentary Highlights (shorter, text-driven format). This approach reduces the workload on simmers while still ensuring that every team gets meaningful exposure across the season. It also allows us to maintain a consistent schedule without overextending our resources.

We also have moved the Monday live sim slot to a Sunday pre-recorded slot.

The following matchdays will have pure Commentary Only:
  • Both league Friendlies.
  • MAJ + MIN MD2
  • MIN MD5
  • MAJ MD6
  • MAJ + MIN MD9
  • MAJ + MIN MD12

The following matchdays will have the new 3+3 format:
  • MAJ MD5
  • MAJ + MIN MD7
  • MIN MD8
  • MIN MD11
  • MAJ + MIN MD16
  • MAJ MD18

The remaining will be full 3 game Extended Highlights.

The full schedule and their dates can be found via the Index Schedule and the SSL Calendar

Portal v2.0
The new portal framework is live and I will update the tutorial videos for new players and league jobs in the coming weeks! Any bugs that you encounter, please report them in the Portal Bugs section of the SSL Discord.

Referral program
Did you know we now have a referral program? We have had poor luck with affiliate recruitment this season, help fill our new class with your friends! You'll get paid handsomely to do so, and your recruit gets extra cash as well!

This program rewards the referred user (and the recruiter) when they hit specific TPE targets with their first player:

400 TPE - $1 million bank deposit
500 TPE - $2 million bank deposit
700 TPE - $3 million bank deposit
1000 TPE - $4 million bank deposit
2000 TPE - $7.65 million bank deposit ONLY FOR THE RECRUITED PLAYER

The Recruiter rewards caps at 30 million per player career (as banks are tied to the player).

This is the first week of the new class so now is the best time to join the league and be part of our S23 class!

Make sure that your recruited user fills out the Recruited By section on the forum registration form highlighted in red in the attached image.

FM26 and the Future
We know many of you are curious about the future of the sim engine. After careful consideration, the BoD has decided that we will not be moving to FM26. In fact, as it stands, we do not anticipate moving within this iteration of Football Manager at all. Stability is our priority, and remaining on our current version ensures consistency for both managers and players as we continue to refine the league’s structure. We will eventually see that the user's access to FM24 will diminish but we hope to have a big enough base from the two years that FM24 was available to not be affected by it being removed from stores in the near future.

TL;DR
  • WSFC – Regional Managers assigned, tournament begins after this season. Transfer regulations/timeline update coming soon.
  • Rule Changes – Starting TPE lowered to 250; new salary tier (250–350 TPE = $1m); Academy re-roll added; retirement reversal clarified; emergency GK signings allowed.
  • Promotion/Relegation – This season decides placement for S24: top 6 → Division 1, bottom 6 → Division 2 (Majors and Minors).
  • Sim Schedule – New 3+3 hybrid format (3 Extended Highlights + 3 Commentary Highlights per matchday). Monday live sim moved to Sunday pre-recorded. Specific matchdays designated as Commentary Only or 3+3.
  • FM26 – No move planned. SSL will remain on current FM version for stability; FM24 access may diminish but base is strong enough to continue.

/Commissioners and BoD

RE: S23 State of the League - Aleris - 2025-10-31

lets gooo

RE: S23 State of the League - norththegreatestshowman - 2025-11-01

CE FTW