Why aren't the real international results in? Or am I missing something?

I started two different games with just being national squad manager, once for Ghana, once for Ivory Coast, and realized that the results for the Africain World Cup Qualification is totally randomized.

Both teams had in their respective saves in autumn 2013 only one qualifiying game left - and both times, they had to beat Burkina Faso. None of them had Burkina Faso in their qualifiying group in real life.

Is it so difficult to set up a data base, where you put in the real qualification groups and the real results, so that players can start with the "real feeling"?

Obviously, even if you don't start as a national squad manager, it still would be nice if there's a certain chance that the World Cup teams are actually the real ones (apart from the matches they still have to play at the end of 2013, which obviously can't be predestined). If the qualification results are totally randomized, this chance gets quite small.

Or am I simply missing something here? Is there a box to tick for the real life results of 2012/first half year of 2013?

I think this has more to do with licensing issues, similarly the European World Cup/Euro qualifying features generated results (with the country's reputation weighing fairly heavily). They can't put in the exact results IIRC.

I think this has more to do with licensing issues, similarly the European World Cup/Euro qualifying features generated results (with the country's reputation weighing fairly heavily). They can't put in the exact results IIRC.

I believe that is the case, but still...scores/stats shouldn't be licensed. They're just numbers tied to names...

Has nothing to do with lack of effort, this must be legal issues, sadly.

In older iterations of the game previous results were spot on. I think I've read somewhere now that standings are generated at the start of the game, but naturally an international squad's strength is taken into account (feel free to correct me if this isn't 100% correct).

You're right about the scores, but notice that out of the box the World Cup isn't called "FIFA World Cup", and it seems that SI felt the need (or were forced) to further lessen the resemblance. Let's just hope this won't be taken any further one day...

You're right about the scores, but notice that out of the box the World Cup isn't called "FIFA World Cup", and it seems that SI felt the need (or were forced) to further lessen the resemblance. Let's just hope this won't be taken any further one day...

As I am playing with a "real name" file, this of course was not so striking for me, but it does make sense.

However, if you go further down into history, the scores and stats are always correct. Even though the German league is not called "Bundesliga", the winners and runner-ups are correct, past World Cup winners are correct, and so on.

past World Cup winners are correct, and so on.

As argued, so far they still are. :-/ Maybe some staff could post a more detailed answer on this, because this is something I immediately noticed myself as soon as the demo went live.

Part of FM's attraction is certainly its immense database, but if SI were ever forced to get hold of rights and licenses galore for everything that is included or has any real-football resemblance, then that'd probably be not affordable anymore. Neither for SI nor any other football management developer and game, that is. Remember that whilst FM is massively successful and popular for a commercial management game, it's still nowhere near FIFA Soccer in terms of revenue (and due to the comparably more "niche" appeal, no management game will likely ever be).

It looks the changes only affect international qualifiers though, doesn't it?

I think the German national team has a few licensing issues as well, though a simple fix will clear that up. But yeah, thats as far we're allowed to go on this forum for the case of the German NT.

I understand licensing issues with club logos, emblems and the like.

I understand licensing issues with certain names like Oliver Kahn.

I even understand licensing issues with complete national teams.

I am not sure I understand, as mentioned before here by podunkboy, that results can in any way be licensed. If, indeed, the World Cup in FM2014 is NOT the Fifa World Cup, what's the problem with the fact that in this virtual Not-Fifa-World-Cup, nations are drawn into the same qualification groups and, oh, completely by accident have scored the same results.

The World Cup was never licensed in the previous versions, so I'm wondering why FIFA has suddenly gone so loopy to be controlling the previous fixtures, but not the locations where the World Cup will be held in future. I have no problem with that being changed. Russia is one thing, but Qatar is a joke. The new group results are jarring. I mean, in my current save, Scotland qualified for 2014.