It’s not all about Ultimate Team, you know. FIFA’s classic game method offers a fine offline alternative we’re happily digging into with these teams
FIFA 20’s career mode can be an incredibly fulfilling gaming experience if you opt for the right team and give yourself a real chance to achieve something on the game.
Whether it’s returning a failing club to the top division, or helping an old giant to regain its status in world football, being able to do something iconic at a club is what makes career mode fun.
So without further ado, here’s a look at eight of the most exciting teams to manage on FIFA 20…
Wolves proved a significant best of the Premier League’s newly promoted sides last season, having defeated the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea en route to securing a fine 7th-place finish.
That earned them a spot in this season’s Europa League, opening up an opportunity for further growth. But the question is: can you lead them to greater heights?
They’ve got a decent team and the potential to become a real force in European football, so a thrilling FIFA experience awaits if you opt for a role at Molineux.
RB Leipzig
Transfer budget: £57m
Leipzig have been edging closer to the top of the Bundesliga for the past three seasons, but Bayern Munich have held firm by securing successive (and regulation) Bundesliga titles.
With a hefty £57m war chest and the likes of Timo Werner and Marcel Sabitzer to work with, however, you could help Leipzig break Bayern’s seven-year monopoly.
Ajax
Transfer budget: £38m
Last season, Ajax came close to winning their first Champions League title since 1995 but succumbed to a heartbreaking defeat against Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs.
Despite losing the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong, the giants of Amsterdam remain capable of yet another go at European football’s biggest prize.
You’d be tasked with unearthing quality replacements for De Ligt and De Jong with a transfer budget of £38m, as you aim to win the Eredivisie while embarking on a spirited Champions League run.
Real Madrid
Transfer budget: £169m
As you’d expect, Real Madrid have one of the biggest transfer budgets on the entire game.
They already have a decent amount of world-class players within their ranks, but with £169m you can take things a step further by eliminating any weak links and building an entire XI of galacticos.
Sunderland aren’t a team for the faint of heart, but give them a little bit of time and managing the Black Cats could turn out to be one of your most rewarding managerial experiences on any iteration of FIFA.
The Wearsiders were relegated from the Premier League in 2017, and have since fallen down the English football pyramid to League One after being plagued by problems on and off the pitch.
Restoring them to their former glory over the course of a few seasons would make for a fine in-game story.
Lille
Transfer budget: £12m
Lille proved to be the best of the rest in Ligue 1 last season thanks to the efforts of Nicolas Pepe.
Pepe has since moved to Arsenal, though, and with a limited transfer budget, Lille will find it difficult to better or even replicate their second-place finish from 2018/19 – unless a manager of your calibre takes the helm and breaks up PSGs monopoly, that is. Have a go.
Milan’s dominance of Serie A has long been a thing of the past. They’ve spent the better part of the last decade trying to sneak back into the upper echelons of Italy’s top flight, but their efforts so far have failed to produce anything worth getting excited about.
You could change all of that on FIFA 20. It will prove to be a difficult task with only £33m to splash on new signings, but an enjoyable one nonetheless.
West Ham
Transfer budget: £48m
The Hammers have struggled to find consistency ever since the iconic Dimitri Payet forced his way out of the club in January 2017.
They’ve since spent a lot of money to build a squad that’s competent enough to challenge for a Europa League place, but are yet to see those efforts pay real dividends.
With a collection of great players including Felipe Anderson and Sebastian Haller within their ranks, plus £48m to spare, you could help West Ham finally get it right on FIFA 20.
While you're here, why not take advantage of our brilliant subscribers' offer? Get 5 issues of the world's finest football magazine for £5 – the game's greatest stories and best journalism direct to your door for less than a pint in London. Cheers!
Phillip is a football writer from Nigeria. He’s been a football writer since he was 13 and after getting his work featured on various news outlets including the Daily Mirror, Red Bull, Planet Football and Football.London over the years, he has now turned his focus from solely writing about the beautiful game, to covering the not-so-beautiful virtual game of FIFA as a brilliant excuse to spend hours on his Playstation.
