diff --git a/src/core/GameRunner.ts b/src/core/GameRunner.ts
index a78e39699..04a76c7cf 100644
--- a/src/core/GameRunner.ts
+++ b/src/core/GameRunner.ts
@@ -64,8 +64,13 @@ export async function createGameRunner(
         (n) =>
           new Nation(
             new Cell(n.coordinates[0], n.coordinates[1]),
-            n.strength,
-            new PlayerInfo(n.name, PlayerType.FakeHuman, null, random.nextID()),
+            new PlayerInfo(
+              n.name,
+              PlayerType.FakeHuman,
+              null,
+              random.nextID(),
+              n.strength,
+            ),
           ),
       );
 
diff --git a/src/core/configuration/Config.ts b/src/core/configuration/Config.ts
index f1f1b03c6..abe0f0018 100644
--- a/src/core/configuration/Config.ts
+++ b/src/core/configuration/Config.ts
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ export interface Config {
   userSettings(): UserSettings;
   playerTeams(): TeamCountConfig;
 
+  useNationStrengthForStartManpower(): boolean;
   startManpower(playerInfo: PlayerInfo): number;
   troopIncreaseRate(player: Player | PlayerView): number;
   goldAdditionRate(player: Player | PlayerView): Gold;
diff --git a/src/core/configuration/DefaultConfig.ts b/src/core/configuration/DefaultConfig.ts
index 066a3e9ac..0dfc68e03 100644
--- a/src/core/configuration/DefaultConfig.ts
+++ b/src/core/configuration/DefaultConfig.ts
@@ -805,20 +805,31 @@ export class DefaultConfig implements Config {
     }
   }
 
+  useNationStrengthForStartManpower(): boolean {
+    // Currently disabled: FakeHumans became harder to play against due to AI improvements
+    // nation strength multiplier was unintentionally disabled during those AI improvements (playerInfo.nation was undefined),
+    // Re-enabling this without rebalancing FakeHuman difficulty elsewhere may make them overpowered
+    return false;
+  }
+
   startManpower(playerInfo: PlayerInfo): number {
     if (playerInfo.playerType === PlayerType.Bot) {
       return 10_000;
     }
     if (playerInfo.playerType === PlayerType.FakeHuman) {
+      const strength = this.useNationStrengthForStartManpower()
+        ? (playerInfo.nationStrength ?? 1)
+        : 1;
+
       switch (this._gameConfig.difficulty) {
         case Difficulty.Easy:
-          return 2_500 * (playerInfo?.nation?.strength ?? 1);
+          return 2_500 * strength;
         case Difficulty.Medium:
-          return 5_000 * (playerInfo?.nation?.strength ?? 1);
+          return 5_000 * strength;
         case Difficulty.Hard:
-          return 20_000 * (playerInfo?.nation?.strength ?? 1);
+          return 20_000 * strength;
         case Difficulty.Impossible:
-          return 50_000 * (playerInfo?.nation?.strength ?? 1);
+          return 50_000 * strength;
       }
     }
     return this.infiniteTroops() ? 1_000_000 : 25_000;
diff --git a/src/core/game/Game.ts b/src/core/game/Game.ts
index 1883063bb..2cf908b96 100644
--- a/src/core/game/Game.ts
+++ b/src/core/game/Game.ts
@@ -305,7 +305,6 @@ export enum Relation {
 export class Nation {
   constructor(
     public readonly spawnCell: Cell,
-    public readonly strength: number,
     public readonly playerInfo: PlayerInfo,
   ) {}
 }
@@ -413,7 +412,7 @@ export class PlayerInfo {
     public readonly clientID: ClientID | null,
     // TODO: make player id the small id
     public readonly id: PlayerID,
-    public readonly nation?: Nation | null,
+    public readonly nationStrength?: number,
   ) {
     this.clan = getClanTag(name);
   }
diff --git a/tests/FakeHumanMIRV.test.ts b/tests/FakeHumanMIRV.test.ts
index 2d9c46cbb..11cad91fd 100644
--- a/tests/FakeHumanMIRV.test.ts
+++ b/tests/FakeHumanMIRV.test.ts
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ describe("FakeHuman MIRV Retaliation", () => {
     const mirvCountBefore = fakehuman.units(UnitType.MIRV).length;
 
     // Initialize fakehuman with FakeHumanExecution to enable retaliation logic
-    const fakehumanNation = new Nation(new Cell(50, 50), 1, fakehuman.info());
+    const fakehumanNation = new Nation(new Cell(50, 50), fakehuman.info());
 
     // Try different game IDs to account for hesitation odds
     const gameIds = Array.from({ length: 20 }, (_, i) => `game_${i}`);
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ describe("FakeHuman MIRV Retaliation", () => {
     const mirvCountBefore = fakehuman.units(UnitType.MIRV).length;
 
     // Initialize fakehuman with FakeHumanExecution to enable victory denial logic
-    const fakehumanNation = new Nation(new Cell(50, 50), 1, fakehuman.info());
+    const fakehumanNation = new Nation(new Cell(50, 50), fakehuman.info());
 
     // Try different game IDs to account for hesitation odds
     const gameIds = Array.from({ length: 20 }, (_, i) => `game_${i}`);
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ describe("FakeHuman MIRV Retaliation", () => {
     const mirvCountBefore = fakehuman.units(UnitType.MIRV).length;
 
     // Initialize fakehuman with FakeHumanExecution to enable steamroll stop logic
-    const fakehumanNation = new Nation(new Cell(50, 50), 1, fakehuman.info());
+    const fakehumanNation = new Nation(new Cell(50, 50), fakehuman.info());
 
     // Try different game IDs to account for hesitation odds
     const gameIds = Array.from({ length: 20 }, (_, i) => `game_${i}`);
@@ -551,7 +551,7 @@ describe("FakeHuman MIRV Retaliation", () => {
     const mirvCountBefore = fakehuman.units(UnitType.MIRV).length;
 
     // Initialize fakehuman with FakeHumanExecution to enable steamroll stop logic
-    const fakehumanNation = new Nation(new Cell(50, 50), 1, fakehuman.info());
+    const fakehumanNation = new Nation(new Cell(50, 50), fakehuman.info());
 
     // Try different game IDs to account for hesitation odds
     const gameIds = Array.from({ length: 20 }, (_, i) => `game_${i}`);
@@ -685,7 +685,7 @@ describe("FakeHuman MIRV Retaliation", () => {
     const mirvCountBefore = fakehuman.units(UnitType.MIRV).length;
 
     // Initialize fakehuman with FakeHumanExecution to enable team victory denial logic
-    const fakehumanNation = new Nation(new Cell(50, 50), 1, fakehuman.info());
+    const fakehumanNation = new Nation(new Cell(50, 50), fakehuman.info());
 
     // Try different game IDs to account for hesitation odds
     const gameIds = Array.from({ length: 20 }, (_, i) => `game_${i}`);
diff --git a/tests/TeamAssignment.test.ts b/tests/TeamAssignment.test.ts
index 5d9f5bcab..c3e11671b 100644
--- a/tests/TeamAssignment.test.ts
+++ b/tests/TeamAssignment.test.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ describe("assignTeams", () => {
       PlayerType.Human,
       null, // clientID (null for testing)
       id,
-      null, // nation (null for testing)
     );
   };