The 20 best teams to play as in Football Manager 26

Got your next Football Manager 26 save?

With more clubs than ever before in FM26 – including women's football for the first time – it's never been harder to pick one.

Thankfully, we're here to help: these are the 20 best sides to coach in the new game.

1. 1860 Munich

German football is renowned for being littered with sleeping giants: this is a country with some of the biggest lower-league stadiums in Europe, including the national ground itself, where Hertha Berlin play.

In terms of footballing royalty, 1860 Munich are Bundesliga heritage: former occupants of the Allianz, Cup Winners Cup runners-up once upon a time ago and for some, the real Bavarian club: so getting them out of the third-tier and back into the big time – via playing bigger teams' b-sides and navigating the infamously choppy seas of the German pyramid – is quite the task. At least you have Kevin Volland up front…

2. FC Andorra

Imagine this: ex-Barcelona and Spain defender Gerard Pique is your boss. That's the reality for managers taking over at LaLiga 2 club FC Andorra.

The team is, as their name suggests, based in the tiny European country nestled between Spain and France and with Pique's backing has risen to new heights in recent seasons. Promotion to LaLiga would be the cherry on top of a fantastic story.

3. Arsenal

Yes, it's sacrilege in FM circles to manage clubs as big as Arsenal – but with Football Manager 26, there arguably isn't a better squad to try out the new player roles with.

With the new iteration of the game, you can build on- and off-the ball formations – and if you're looking to experiment with what works and what doesn't, Mikel Arteta's squad is arguably the most versatile in Europe's top five leagues: every full-back can also play at centre-back, most of the wingers can play on either side, and then there are unicorns in the squad like Mikel Merino who can play just about everywhere.

Inverting Riccardo Calafiori into midfield, dropping Declan Rice to centre-back or putting Bukayo Saka as a no.10: it's all possible in FM26. Why not have a play around with this squad to see what's possible before building your own?

4. Athletic Club

If you've never managed Athletic Club in FM, you've not had the fun of operating a club with the famous Cantera policy, in which you can only sign Basque players.

Athletic are in the Champions League and the goal in this save is to keep them at that level: you have a world-class forward in Nico Williams tied down to a major deal and with an elite academy, developing as many of the top talents as you can is a tall order when the big boys are coming in for them every summer.

Athletic have plenty of money, plenty of history and are well-placed for you to take them to another level.

5. Bordeaux

After being forcibly relegated to the fourth tier of French football due to financial irregularities, the potential for a classic rebuild save with Bordeaux is huge.

Players will have to lift the historic club out of the regional leagues and up three divisions if they are to restore the club to its former glories.

The six-time Ligue 1 winners will be operating on a shoestring budget but that's all part of the fun, right?

6. Bayern Munich women

Bayern Munich boast a squad brimming with a blend of world-class experienced talent and young stars.

With players like Lioness Georgia Stanway, Giulia Gwinn, Klara Buhl, Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson, they have been enjoying domestic dominance in the Frauen-Bundesliga. However, European glory has eluded them and they haven’t advanced past the Champions League quarter-finals since 2021.

Managing Bayern offers the perfect blend of expectation and opportunity- can you harness the talent to finally compete with Europe’s elite?

7. Bristol City women

Bristol City are a team with history and passion, and they are entering new era of ambition.

As founding members of the WSL in 2011, they have enjoyed top-flight football, memorable Champions League nights (beating Barcelona in 2014) and FA Cup finals in 2011 and 2013. In recent years they have become a bit of a yo-yo club, suffering relegation in 2024, but now sit poised for a resurgence back into the top tier.

Their recent takeover by Mercury13, a global multi-club ownership group, signals an exciting turning point with significant investment potential. For managers seeking a project, the Robins offer tradition, great fan support, and the chance to restore a sleeping giant to glory.

8. Cardiff City

After a relegation to the third tier, Cardiff City are a rebuild job: can you restore them to former glory?

As the only non-English side to have won the FA Cup, there's history there, and they're one of the bigger sides of their division. Trying to take the Bluebirds back to the big-time is a mammoth job – despite their relegation only being recent: they're now the third-highest Welsh side in the pyramid, and that surely has to change.

9. Deportivo La Coruna

One day, European nights will return to the iconic Riazor Stadium but for now, the closest Deportivo will be getting to that is on FM26.

With a squad that features ex-Arsenal youngster Charlie Patino, up-and-coming winger Yeremay Hernandez and, err, Stoichkov (not that one), Depor are among the favourites to make a return to LaLiga this season, after many years in the wilderness. You could be the one to lead them there.

10. Hull City

The Tigers are prohibited from paying transfer or loan fees for any players until next summer and at the beginning of the 2025/26 campaign were tipped as one of the favourites to be relegated from the Championship.

Embarking on a save which restricts spending and limits the ability to complete transfers is a challenge many players will be keen to undertake, to see whether they can keep Hull in the second tier, and perhaps even restore their Premier League status.

11. London City Lionesses

London City Lionesses are one of the most intriguing clubs to manage in FM26. Formed in 2019 after splitting from Millwall due to lack of investment, they have since carved out a unique identity as an independent women’s football club.

Backed by US billionaire investor Michele Kang, they splashed out on record signings like Grace Geyoro from PSG and recruited stars such as Kosovare Asllani, Danielle van de Donk, Nikita Parris and Katie Zelem. Fresh off a thrilling promotion campaign, they are ready to challenge the elite in the top flight.

Their recent partnership with TOGETHXR, the company founded by American sports stars Alex Morgan, Sue Bird, Simone Manuel and Chloe Kim is the first of its kind – and their striking kits feature TOGETHXR’s iconic 'Everyone Watches Women’s Sports' logo. Their roster is exciting, the investment is exciting, the kit is exciting and they are club wanting to do things differently.

12. Merthyr Town

There are four Welsh clubs in the English Football League: there's one below that.

National League North side Merthyr Town are six tiers down in England: getting them up to the levels of Swansea and Wrexham is one thing, but you'll get to play Newport and Cardiff on the way.

The squad is mostly Welsh, the opponents are miles away and the club is relatively new (re-established in 2010 following liquidation). After promotion last season though, the first task is to keep them a-float…

13. Milan

Milan slipped out of the European spots last year altogether, lost Tijjani Reijnders and with one Scudetto in the last decade or so, are underachieving at current.

This makes them perfect for an FM save: will you lean into the Arrigo Sacchi 4-4-2 template, or play with a true no.10 like Carlo Ancelotti did? With Rafael Leao to build around in attack and some kind of budget, you've got a good set-up to start with – plus there's the option of getting Luka Modric on your staff in your first couple of years.

14. Paris FC

Paris are in Ligue 1, literally next-door to Paris Saint-Germain: can you take on the establishment and win?

Les Bleus were originally a part of PSG, splitting from Stade Saint-Germain early on to form their own side: now they're partially owned by Red Bull and looking to stay in the top-flight. The dream at Stade Jean-Bouin is to get them much further…

15. Union Brescia

Brescia, the club that gave us Roberto Baggio, Andrea Pirlo and Sandro Tonali are no more: Union Brescia have risen from the flames.

La Leonessa is the newest club in Football Manager 26, formed just three months before the game drops and beginning their journey in Serie C: can you take them where Brescia never dared to dream and win the Scudetto?

16. Union Saint-Gilloise

The Belgian champions know a thing or two about punching above their weight.

This season marks their debut in the Champions League after clinching a long-awaited league title last term.

Based in Brussels, Union Saint-Gilloise are the little cousin of more established Belgian sides such as Anderlecht and Club Brugge but their 'Moneyball' type approach to scouting and recruitment has made them a force to be reckoned with.

17. Vaduz

You can get a team from League One to the Champions League quicker than Vaduz, who are a second-tier club: no, seriously.

Vadu from Liechtenstein play in the Swiss football league system (currently the Challenge League, the second tier) but are ineligible to win the Swiss title as a ‘guest club’: they can only qualify for Europe via the Liechtenstein Cup.

Win that in FM though and then you're in the Conference League. From there, can you make the long journey to Europe's top table?

18. Vitesse

Once upon a time, your only reason to see Vitesse in FM was to scout the players not good enough for Chelsea – but that affiliation has ended with the Roman Abramovich era and the Arnhem side are in a very different place.

Vitesse are currently bottom of the Dutch second division following an 18-point deduction – so the goal in FM26 is to try and restore this side to former glories without the help of loanees from West London. They have the biggest stadium in their division and are battling along with the youth sides of Ajax and AZ – so there's a good base for you, aside from the financial problems.

19. Wrexham

A Wrexham save no longer has the appeal of ascending the leagues, starting from the bottom of the EFL and reaching the pinnacle of domestic and continental football. Phil Parkinson and co. took care of that in real life.

What it does have now, though, is a more interesting start point. No longer will it be easy to breeze through the lower leagues. Instead, the Championship - as it has in reality - will offer Wrexham their first significant challenge. They have spent accordingly, and you will now have some real quality to work with: Nathan Broadhead, Lewis O'Brien, Josh Windass, Callum Doyle etc. If you like route one tactics, too, there's no one better to lead the line than the towering Kieffer Moore.

It's an exciting squad, and the challenge immediately after promotion - if you can navigate the turbulent Championship - will be to continually rebuild it, in an attempt to make Wrexham a true force.

20. York City

It's hard to not look past York City for your best chance at success in the National League this season.

The Minstermen were unlucky to not be promoted to League Two last term and have recruited well by bringing in the likes of Ollie Banks and non-league veteran Ashley Palmer. You can't forget bagsman Ollie Pearce, too, who you may struggle to keep hold of should he continue to find the net like he seemingly does every week as of late.

Backed by fairly wealthy owners too, York's journey could be an exciting one to take on, given they have previously solidified themselves as a very decent EFL club with a passionate backing.