The Football Manager 2026 hype is real! With the game briging in the Premier League license and a new match graphics engine, it’s time to start plotting your managerial destiny.
But what’s your first move? Will you take the reins at an established giant, or rise from the ashes of non-league obscurity?
If you’re hunting for the perfect FM26 save ideas, you’ve come to the right place, at Footballrover
We’ve broken down seven levels of difficulty—from a gentle top-flight familiarisation to the ultimate, mind-boggling, cross-database glory hunt.
Get ready to dive into the challenge!
Level 1: Casual Top Flight Rebuild (Getting to Grips)
This level is your warm-up, ideal if you’re new to the game or just want to ease into the new features of Football Manager 2026.
The goal here is a club outside the perennial title contenders in a top division.
Why? Because it offers financial stability and a familiar database, giving you the breathing room to master the new tactics and match engine nuances.
You know the players, you know the league—now learn the game.
A Top-Tier FM26 Save Idea: Nottingham Forest
Forest is the perfect Level 1 pick. They have a big-club feel, a passionate fanbase, and an interesting squad with a mix of new signings (like Hutchinson, Calamuendu, and Ndoye) and established talent.
Crucially, they’ll likely have decent finances and infrastructure, meaning you can jump straight into the fun part: buying new players! Plus, you might even have a taste of European football right away.
The Challenge: Your mission is simple, yet satisfying: turn this top-flight rebuild into a European powerhouse.
Get them consistently into the Champions League, and then, the ultimate prize—win the Premier League.
Level 2: Exploring the Women’s Game (New Database Challenge)
The addition of the Women’s Leagues is one of the biggest features of FM26, and Level 2 throws you straight into this exciting new world.
This challenge is tougher because, let’s be honest, many of us lack that deep knowledge of the Women’s Super League (WSL) database. That’s the fun of it!
Picking a mid-table or lower WSL side forces you to become a scouting guru all over again, making this one of the most intriguing FM26 save ideas out there. It’s a chance to explore a whole new pool of 30,000+ players.
The Club: Look no further than Manchester United W.F.C. They boast strong players like Ella Toone, but they are still chasing down the dominance of the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, who’ve historically dominated the WSL.
The Challenge: Dethrone Chelsea and win the Women’s Super League title. As a sweet side quest, focus on hunting down the Women’s game’s version of the Wonder Kids—that age-old FM bread and butter!
Level 3: Youth Focus Challenge (Restrictions)
Ready to ramp up the difficulty? Level 3 adds self-imposed restrictions to make your success truly feel earned. This is all about the FM26 save ideas that force long-term planning and squad evolution.
We have two variations here:
Youth to Gold: Only sign teenagers (under 20), and sell every player once they hit 30. This makes you a master of the transfer market, buying low and selling high to fund your club’s rise—a true financial rebuild.
Youth Only (Intake): The hardcore version. You can only use players who come through your club’s youth intake. Pure homegrown talent.
This approach makes you obsessed with developing your academy, upgrading facilities, and getting seriously attached to your NewGens.
La Liga Basque Battle
Two Basque giants in La Liga are perfect for this:
Real Sociedad (Youth to Gold): They maintain a strong Basque core but sign non-Basque players, making the ‘Youth to Gold’ financial model a fantastic fit.
Athletic Bilbao (Youth Intake Only): The ultimate test. Their long-standing, fiercely enforced Basque-only policy means transfers are nearly irrelevant. You must rely on the youth intake—fair play if you have the patience for this one!
The Challenge: Become the best club in Spain. Overthrow Real Madrid and Barcelona and lift the La Liga title with a squad built on young, homegrown talent.
Level 4: Tier 2 Team in Turmoil (The Rescue Mission)
Now we’re getting serious. Level 4 is for the manager who wants multiple interconnected problems to solve, often revolving around finances.
Your challenge is taking a Tier 2 team (the Championship, Bundesliga 2, Ligue 2, etc.) that’s in absolute turmoil and saving them from the abyss.
This is a multi-faceted challenge: poor finances, a threadbare squad, and the constant threat of relegation.
You must scrap your way to promotion, then survive the subsequent ‘newly-promoted’ season—essentially two challenges rolled into one.
Your hidden gem players will be constantly poached, forcing relentless scouting.
The Club: Let’s look at a fallen giant that’s struggling badly—Sheffield Wednesday. If Football Manager 2026 reflects their real-life issues—poor form and financial troubles—they are the perfect Level 4 candidate.
A massive club with a huge fanbase, the ‘Bringing Back a Fallen Giant’ narrative here is irresistible.
The Challenge: Navigate the financial and league chaos to achieve promotion. Then, consolidate in the top flight before eventually challenging for major honours. This is a 5-10 year odyssey.
Level 5: The Fallen Soldier (Rebuilding a Ruined Giant)
Level 5 is for the experienced FM player who thrives on total, comprehensive rebuilds. This challenge targets clubs that have suffered severe punishment—often financial or rule-breaking—leading to multiple relegations or even disbandment and re-formation.
You’re not just climbing a division; you’re resurrecting a legacy.
The board will expect immediate success, but often the squad needs to be dismantled first because previous players were taking unsustainable wages.
You must rebuild your own history, like the phoenix rising from the ashes!
The Club: Our pick has to be Bordeaux. A massive French club, home to legends like Zidane in the 90s, they’ve been relegated all the way down to the fourth tier.
The Challenge: Secure three consecutive promotions to get back into Ligue 1. Then, you must face the ultimate boss: overthrowing the dominant PSG to reclaim French glory.
Level 6: Sunday League to Superstar (The Manager’s Journey)
This is a classic and a core part of great Football Manager 2026 save ideas. Level 6 focuses the difficulty not on the club, but on you, the manager.
You start with the bare minimum: Sunday League experience and no coaching badges. You are an absolute nobody. Your first job, if you even manage to get one, will be a struggle.
Players will ignore you, and the board will be stingy with badge funding. The challenge is in gaining reputation, earning those coaching qualifications, and persuading your club to back your ambition.
You can start unemployed for randomness, or pick a tiny club to get your journey rolling.
The Club: Let’s go with Morecambe. They’ve recently been relegated to the Vanarama National League, have minimal budget, and their squad is basically starting from scratch—a clean slate for a brand-new manager. This could be your launchpad.
The Challenge: Start as a nobody and become a legend of the game. Your ultimate goal is to manage at the very top—winning a Champions League—whether it’s with Morecambe after a decades-long effort, or by moving to successively bigger clubs as your reputation explodes.
Level 7: The Double Glory Hunter (Maximum Difficulty)
Welcome to maximum difficulty. The ultimate test of endurance, skill, and managerial obsession. We’re taking the iconic ‘Glory Hunter’ challenge—winning the top five leagues, the Europa League, and the Champions League—and doubling it.
The Ultimate FM26 Save Idea: Cross-Gender Glory Hunter
With the introduction of the women’s game, the ultimate FM26 save ideas challenge is the Double Glory Hunter: winning all major men’s trophies AND all major women’s trophies as a single manager, within an extended time limit (let’s say 40 seasons).
This challenge is a logistical nightmare and a dream for the hardcore FM fan.
You’ll be managing in the men’s game, then jumping across to the women’s game to win a league or the Women’s Champions League, then getting poached back by a big men’s club.
It’s an unprecedented, cross-database adventure!
The Challenge: Win the top five leagues (Men’s), the Champions League (Men’s), and the top five leagues (Women’s) and the Women’s Champions League, all within one managerial career.
The opportunities for job movement and career development are endless and mind-boggling. This is the mountaintop of Football Manager 2026 save ideas.
Do any of these save ideas sound like the perfect challenge for you in Football Manager 2026?
Source: Omega Luke
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