12 Long-Term Save Ideas for FM26

AS Monaco

Monaco are one of world football’s most prolific producers of elite young talent, making them the ideal destination for anyone who enjoys developing wonderkids and building squads with a strong homegrown identity. 

Their current group includes Lamine Camara, Maghnes Akliouche and Mika Biereth, supported by experienced internationals such as Takumi Minamino, Denis Zakaria and Thilo Kehrer.

Your task is to turn this dynamic squad into genuine title contenders, reclaim domestic honours and mount another serious push for the UEFA Champions League-something Monaco famously a game away from winning in 2004.

Sampdoria

With the return of our Serie BKT licence [link], Sampdoria’s iconic home kit is back in FM26. The club enjoyed a golden era in the early 1990s but since then have endured a much more turbulent period.

After a reprieve from relegation to Serie C, your job is to stabilise them in Serie B and guide them towards a long-term resurgence. Restoring their rivalry with Genoa, returning to Serie A, and eventually challenging for honours again can create a deeply rewarding multi-season project.

Hamburger SV

Hamburg’s long-awaited return to the Bundesliga has given their fanbase plenty of optimism. With a well-balanced squad that mixes exciting loanees with the vast experience of Yussuf Poulsen, FM26 offers an excellent foundation for your managerial vision.

Ensuring the club stays in the top division is the first hurdle, while local bragging rights against FC St. Pauli add extra motivation. Once stability is achieved, you can begin pushing towards the upper reaches of the table and work to end a title drought that has stretched over four decades.

Brentford

Since reaching the Premier League, Brentford have consistently defied expectations, and their squad remains perfectly suited to dynamic, counter-attacking football.

Players like Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade offer pace and directness, while the squad includes several developing talents such as Nathan Collins and Yehor Yarmolyuk.

Your challenge is to maintain the club’s reputation for smart recruitment and clever tactical thinking, turning a team famed for punching above its weight into one capable of pushing for silverware.

Angel City

With the NWSL joining the Football Manager series for the first time, Angel City presents a compelling new opportunity. The squad blends exciting young players - such as homegrown standout Gisele Thompson - with ambitious new signings like Riley Tiernan, Nealy Martin and the rapidly improving Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir.

Having missed the play-offs in real life in 2025, this is your chance to reshape the team, re-establish momentum and build a contender in a league celebrated for its competitiveness.

SC Freiburg

Freiburg continue to exceed expectations in the Bundesliga, even after transitioning away from the leadership of long-time manager Christian Streich. Now competing in the UEFA Europa League for the third time in four seasons, the club maintains a strong identity built on consistency and clever squad building.

Taking charge at the Europa-Park Stadion means planning for the next decade: maintaining European qualification, competing with local rivals VfB Stuttgart and pushing the club towards the possibility of a historic first Bundesliga title.

Everton

Playing in a brand-new stadium this season, Everton feel like a club renewed and ready to begin climbing their way back to their glory years. The Toffees have a good squad, with Jordan Pickford providing a solid, reliable presence in goal and physicality offered at the other end of the pitch by Beto and Thierno Barry. They have creative players in the midfield with Charly Alcaraz, Jack Grealish, Kieran Dewsbury-Hall and Illiman Ndiaye, as well as set-piece threats such as Jake O’Brien and Jarrad Branthwaite. Your role in the Hill Dickinson dugout will be to keep moving the club forward, back up the table and into the European places.

Vancouver Whitecaps

The Whitecaps have enjoyed a remarkable recent period, including a record-equalling MLS points haul, another Canadian Championship triumph, a continental final appearance and the headline-grabbing arrival of Thomas Müller.

The challenge in FM26 is to take this strong foundation and shape it into a team capable of sustained success, navigating MLS’s complex roster rules and maintaining high standards in both domestic and international competition. A single title will not be enough; long-term ambition is essential.

Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza

The smallest village ever to host a top-flight European club makes for a uniquely compelling save. With a population of just 750 people and a stadium far larger than the community it serves, Termalica return to Poland’s Ekstraklasa for a third attempt after two immediate relegations.

Managing a squad with players from nine different nationalities, you will need to maximise every resource to keep them in the division and gradually challenge established giants like Lech Poznań and Legia Warsaw.

Newport County

No club has contested more consecutive seasons in Sky Bet League Two than Newport County, and last season came dangerously close to ending that run. A difficult start to the current campaign and a managerial change highlights the scale of the task.

Rodney Parade has long been a venue for dramatic cup performances; in FM26, your aim is to turn it into a strong league advantage while planning a route out of the fourth tier and towards a more ambitious future.

SGS Essen

Essen are one of the Frauen-Bundesliga’s great overachievers, consistently competing above expectations thanks to a strong focus on youth development and internal pathways. Managing them in FM26 requires you to embrace that ethos: nurturing talent, maintaining league stability and pushing towards higher ambitions. With careful progression, the club can become a genuine contender for the title and secure a place in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

East Kilbride

Making their FM debut, East Kilbride are one of Scotland’s most ambitious modern clubs. Founded in 2010 with the intention of bringing senior football to the town, they have already achieved considerable success, including four Lowland League titles and a long-awaited promotion to Scottish League Two.

Entering FM26 as one of the favourites for the division, your challenge is to meet those expectations, overcome competitors like The Spartans and Clyde and guide the club into a rapid rise through the Scottish pyramid.

With a record 58 playable nations in FM26, these 12 clubs are just the beginning of the possibilities. Whatever long-term story you choose to write, your perfect save is waiting.

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