Football Manager have confirmed that the FM26 Advanced Access Beta will be released on Thursday 23rd October, giving players who've pre-ordered the game the chance to get their hands on it a couple of weeks early.
After two years of waiting, fans of the long-running football management simulator can embark on their new careers with a totally revamped game.
Below, we've put together a list of 22 potential save ideas for Football Manager 26.
1860 Munich
Living in the shadow of their illustrious rivals Bayern, 1860 Munich were Bundesliga champions back in 1966.
They’re a club who’ve been beset by financial difficulties for decades, most recently falling into the fourth tier in 2017 but quickly earning promotion to the 3. Liga.
Can you get 1860 back into the Bundesliga and eventually challenge Bayern?
Ajax
The Netherlands’ top talent factory, Ajax has been represented by most of Dutch football’s greats.
Winning the Eredivisie is the minimum expectation, but can you create a squad capable of replicating Louis van Gaal’s 1995 UEFA Champions League win?
Athletic Club
Their famous transfer policy of only signing Basque players makes Athletic Club one of Football Manager’s most challenging saves.
Despite their restrictive transfer policy, Athletic have won the fourth most La Liga titles and still boast the second most Copa del Rey wins. Toppling Barcelona and Real Madrid in the long-term might be a bridge too far, but can you lead Athletic to more cup glory?
Bursaspor
Winning the Turkish Super Lig in 2010, Bursaspor got to welcome Manchester United to Turkey the following season in the UEFA Champions League. But a litany of financial issues would see them relegated in 2019. Transfer bans and mounting debts resulted in the club being relegated to the fourth tier in 2024, before winning promotion at the first time of asking.
Now in the third tier with almost nothing to build the club with, can you get Bursaspor back to the top flight?
CSKA Sofia
The 31-time champions of Bulgaria, CSKA Sofia used to wrestle with inter-city rivals Levski for the title. Ludogoretz Razgrad have now won the last 14 titles in a row.
Restore CSKA to the summit of Bulgarian football, and see how far you can take them in Europe.
Deportivo La Coruna
Blessed with the likes of Diego Tristan, Roy Makaay and Walter Pandiani, Deportivo La Coruna were one of Spain’s premier teams in the early 2000s, winning the 1999/2000 La Liga title and appearing in five consecutive UEFA Champions League campaigns.
Their relegations in 2011 and 2013 were offset by promotions in the following seasons, but going down again in 2018, Deportivo fell into the third tier two years later. After four years out of the professional leagues, Deportivo returned to the Segunda Division in 2024. Can you get them back to La Liga?
Dinamo Zagreb
Winners of 18 of the last 20 Croatian Football League titles, domestic dominance isn’t an issue. You’ll get plenty of shots at the new money-spinning UEFA Champions League league phase, but failing that, a Europa League or Conference League is within reach.
Can you bring a first European trophy to Zagreb since the 1967 Fairs Cup?
Edinburgh City
Recent points deductions and financial troubles have Edinburgh City at the bottom of the Scottish Football League. Making matters worse, they’re starting with a massive 15-point deduction to start the new campaign.
Needing five wins just to get back to zero in League Two, can you get Edinburgh back on steadier ground?
Hearts
Now backed by Tony Bloom and Jamestown Analytics, Hearts are in the best position they’ve been in since the 1950s to break up the Old Firm duopoly.
Can you take Hearts back to the summit of Scottish football and beyond?
Malaga
Backed by Qatari money, Malaga made the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in 2012/13 before financial issues arose again, forcing the sale of all of their star players in the following years, with next to no money spent on the club.
Two relegations in six years had the club briefly competing in the third tier of Spanish football. Back in the Segunda Division, can you take Malaga back to the top flight?
Macclesfield
No longer Macclesfield Town, Macclesfield are the phoenix club that has enjoyed promotion in three of their first four seasons.
Starting in the lowest tier available in the game, you’ll have to work your way up from the very bottom.
Macclesfield Town only ever spent one season in the third tier, when they finished bottom. Can you use their newfound momentum to catapult them up the divisions?
Manchester United
It’s been 12 years since Manchester United last won the Premier League. Since then, they’ve had six permanent managers in the dugout and have never got close to competing for the title.
Can you restore Manchester United to their former glories?
Mjallby
You’ve likely heard the story by now: the fishing village with a population of 800, overthrowing Swedish giants Malmo to win the most unlikely league title.
We’ve seen Mjallby do it in real life; your job is to replicate it in Football Manager.
Panathinaikos
It’s now been 15 years since Panathinaikos won the Greek Super League. In that time, they’ve seen Olympiacos continue their domination, while AEK Athens and PAOK have even taken a couple of titles apiece.
Contesting the ‘Derby of the Eternal Enemies’, can you overhaul Olympiacos?
Plymouth Argyle
The answer to the quiz question: Which is the biggest city in England never to have had a top-flight club?
Plymouth Argyle’s highest-ever league finish is fourth in the old Second Division. Can you finally get the Pilgrims to the promised land?
RB Leizpig
RB Leipzig finished second in their first season in the Bundesliga, and seventh last season was their worst finish since.
They’ve never had a problem attracting exciting players to the club, largely because they’ve been used as a stepping stone.
Can you keep hold of enough star players to challenge for a title again?
Sampdoria
Blessed with iconic shirts and iconic players, the days of Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli are a distant memory for Sampdoria. Serie A winners in 1991 and UEFA Champions League runners-up in 1992, Sampdoria have been relegated from the top flight three times since.
This is the most precarious of the bunch, however; having just about made the play-offs in 2023, Sampdoria just about avoided relegation in 2025.
They’re still getting 20,000 fans in the second tier – can you get them back amongst Italian football’s giants?
Schalke
UEFA Champions League semi-finalists in 2011 and seven-time Bundesliga runners-up, with five coming since the turn of the century, Schalke were one of a number of clubs severely hit by the pandemic.
Relegated in 2021, Schalke bounced straight back, only to go down again the following season, and they’ve not been close to a return since.
Still getting 60,000+ fans every week, can you get Schalke back to where they belong?
Sheffield Wednesday
In big financial trouble and hit with a transfer embargo, your first task is trying to keep Sheffield Wednesday in the second tier.
Can you make them attractive enough for a prospective buyer to get the club competing once again?
Sunderland
Back in the big-time after an eight-year absence, Sunderland have invested hugely into their bid for Premier League survival.
It appears the Black Cats have enough at their disposal to keep them up – where can you take them from there?
Valencia
One of Spain’s biggest clubs, Valencia’s financial difficulties have seen them battling relegation on more than one occasion in recent years.
La Liga champions in 2002 and 2004 under Rafael Benitez, can you get Valencia back amongst Spain’s big boys?
Vitesse Arnhem
You may recognise them as a Chelsea feeder club, and while Vitesse Arnhem have never won the Eredivisie, they did win the KNVB Cup in 2017.
Deducted 18 points in 2023/24 and 39 points in 2024/25 (with 12 carried over to the 2025/26 season), it's a long old road back to the top flight.
