Football Manager 2024: 12 Teams to Manage

The festive period and the beginning of a new calendar year is always a great time to get to grips with a new save challenge in Football Manager. 

Finding the right club can be tricky though, so we’ve pulled together 12 interesting save ideas for you, ranging from established giants to clubs with celebrity owners and some making their series debuts in Football Manager 2024.

Yokohama F. Marinos

FM fans have wanted to test their skills in Japan for years and now they can with the arrival of the fully-licenced J. League. 

If you’re looking for a club to begin your Japanese adventure with, look no further than Yokohama F. Marinos. The five-time J1 League winners just missed out on a sixth title in 2023, so there’s the perfect opportunity for you to go again and find that extra 1% to get their talented squad over the line.

They’re a good side to try out the new Inverted Full-Back player role with and if you’re success at home and in Asian continental action, you might become achieve the same sort of love from the fans that a certain Australian managed to.

FC Copenhagen

FC Copenhagen have been Denmark’s most successful club this century, winning 14 league titles, but they’ve made real strides this season by reaching the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.

One of the stars of that European campaign was the wonderkid that’s the second most-signed player in FM24 to this point – Sweden’s Roony Bardghji.

The 18-year-old can play on either wing and with a number of big clubs looking to replicate your moves in FM24 by snapping him up in real life, this is a great opportunity to take charge of him at the club where he’s kicked off his professional career.

He’s not the only hot prospect they’ve got, with Oscar Højlund and Orri Óskarsson also having huge potential. Have you the skills to build a team around this golden generation that can dominate domestically and become the first Danish winners of the UEFA Champions League? 

OGC Nice

With French giants Lyon struggling this season and other clubs trying to juggle European campaigns with domestic football, it’s been OGC Nice that have emerged as the closest contenders to PSG’s crown. 

The club from the south-east of France went unbeaten through their first 13 games in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, largely inspired by an impressive rearguard action that saw them only concede four times in that period. 

They’ve got talent everywhere though, and that’s what makes them such an interesting proposition in FM24. Nigerian international Terem Moffi is a clinical finisher and he’s got exciting talents like Khéphren Thuram and Sofiane Diop creating for him from midfield. 

With Ligue 1 Uber Eats only comprising 18 teams this season it’s a shorter campaign and that makes a strong start all the more important. Can you hit the ground running and convert good early results into a first top-flight domestic title since 1959?

Southampton

All three of the sides relegated from England’s top tier last season have proved incredibly popular in FM24 and it’s no surprise as they’ve all got great squads.

Of the three, Southampton have got the most exciting wonderkids. Carlos Alcaraz is the obvious standout but he’s more than ably supported by the likes of Samuel Edozie, Shea Charles, Juan Larios and the hugely promising 17-year-old Sam Amo-Ameyaw.

Whether you opt for a possession-heavy tactical style or an approach driven by pressing, the quality of the Saints’ squad lends itself to you experimenting with FM24’s positional play changes as you chase promotion.

Achieve that, and then it’ll all be about moulding those young talents into players capable of competing at the very highest levels season after season. 

VfB Stuttgart

In the opening weeks of this year’s Bundesliga season, many of the headlines were about VfB Stuttgart and the goalscoring exploits of Serhou Guirassy. 

The Guinean has been an effective figurehead this year, scoring 18 times in all competitions by the time of writing, for a team that’s got some great depth.

Dennis Seimen is one of the highest potential goalkeepers in FM24, while their defence is anchored by the impressive Japanese international Hiroki Ito and Dan-Axel Zagadou, who is still only 24. Add in the likes of Angelo Stiller, Enzo Millot and Chris Führich in midfield, as well as Wooyeong Jeong and Silas Katompa Mvumpa further forward, and you’ve got a fun and dynamic squad that’s just waiting for you to flex your tactical muscles with.

VfB Stuttgart only survived last season thanks to the relegation play-off but they look a good bet for a finish in the European places this time round. Achieve that and you can start to think about winning a first Meisterschale since 2007. 

Gwangju FC

From a club VfB Stuttgart that was formed in the 19th century, we turn our attention to the K-League 1 for a side that only began life in 2010. 

Twice K-League 2 winners, the club from the south-west of the country have struggled to firmly establish themselves among the K-League 1’s elite.

2023 suggested a change in fortunes though, as impressive campaigns from the likes of Jasir Asani and Doo Hyeon-Seok helped drive the club to a third-placed finish at the end of the season.

Replicate that in FM24 and that should give you the platform to take Gwangju FC to new heights in the seasons to come. Their history is only just starting to be written, so it’s ready and waiting for you to create a dynasty of your own. 

Wrexham  

Well, we all know why Wrexham are on this list, don’t we?

The Welsh team have been popular in FM for a few years now following the club’s purchase by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. 

Their investment and ownership has completely reinvigorated the club and the town, and has attracted a number of international fans because of the televised documentary about the club.

Now back in the EFL, Wrexham’s strong squad and gung-ho approach has made them very exciting to watch in real-life. Get the most out of experienced players like James McClean, Steven Fletcher and cult hero Paul Mullin in FM24 and you’ll be aiming for back-to-back promotions and eventually much, much more success at the Racecourse Ground. 

FC St. Pauli

Some teams represent more than just a football club and that’s incredibly true of Bundesliga 2 side FC St. Pauli.

Despite only being part of the Bundesliga for two seasons this century, the Hamburg-based club have attracted a cult following around the world because of their campaigning on social issues and impressive fan culture. 

They’ve made strides on the pitch in recent seasons, with their multi-cultural squad achieving fifth-placed finishes in each of the last two seasons. Your challenge is to continue those good results and kick on in FM24, beating out competitors like their fierce rivals Hamburger SV to return to the top-flight. It might be a battle to establish yourself amongst German football’s giants but doing it will feel so worthwhile. 

Aveley

Some of you reading this might never have heard of Aveley FC before. If you haven’t, we might understand why – FM24 is the first time the Essex-based club have ever been in a Football Manager game from launch.

The Millers are a well-run club and after moving to a new stadium built on the site of a former gravel pit a few years ago, they’ve achieved back-to-back promotions to reach the Vanarama National League South for the first time. 

2027 will mark the club’s centenary and wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate that in-game by managing them in FM24 and not only guiding them into the EFL for the first time but being on the way to completing that classic FM journey of taking a side from non-league all the way to the very top of European club football. 

Warta Poznan

Many of you will be familiar with Lech Poznan, eight-time Polish champions and regulars in the UEFA Club Competitions during recent times.

Their city rivals Warta Poznan are less well known outside of Poland though, largely as a result of a challenging second half of the 20th century meaning that they haven’t won a league title since 1947.

The team nicknamed The Greens have been back in the Ekstraklasa since 2020 but they still haven’t got a stadium of their own that complies with league roles, so they’re currently having to groundshare.

Take all of those factors into consideration and the story writes itself, doesn’t it? Develop and rebuild Warta Poznan, netting them a new home and taking them to new heights at home and abroad. 

Cheltenham Town

They say that records are made to be broken but Cheltenham Town weren’t too happy to have broken the EFL record earlier this season for the longest run without a league goal.

FM24 offers you the chance to rewrite The Robins’ Sky Bet League One campaign, making the most of a squad that comprises a good mix of experienced veterans and young players with real potential. 

Cheltenham Town have never been higher than the third division of English football, so there’s enormous scope for you break new ground with the Whaddon Road club. 

Colwyn Bay

After plying their trade in England for a long time, Colwyn Bay made headlines in 2019 by switching back to the Welsh football pyramid. 

While their first couple of campaigns were affected by the pandemic, The Seagulls found their stride last season, winning 25 games on the spin as they took the JD Cymru North title and earned promotion to the JD Cymru Premier.

Disrupting TNS’ dominance at the top of Welsh football is the goal in FM24 but it will take time. However, with Colwyn Bay having the highest average attendances in real-life, there are positive signs and building Colwyn Bay up to domestic success and then eventually chasing glory on a bigger stage will be well worth it. 

We hope you’ve taken inspiration from this list and are able to find the perfect club for you in your next save in Football Manager 2024. Whether your journey to glory begins on PC or Xbox, Netflix or Apple Arcade, let us know how you get on via @FootballManager on social media.