Best Big Saves for FM26

Lots of people will be coming to the end of their BETA save, so here are 10 save ideas to get your teeth into in Football Manager 2026. We’ve already sourced our favourite saves from FM Youtube, so be sure to check those out. But here is our resident expert Billy’s favourite big new save recommendations.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge, England

Everyone loves a lower-league-to-Premier-League save, and Dagenham & Redbridge are the perfect candidates this year. They’re currently languishing mid-table in the Vanarama South, but they somehow have 36-year-old Andy Carroll, who’s got six goals in 11 games for them this season. I’ve always fancied this club because I love their name, but with a Premier League cult hero as their striker, they’re a must-manage in FM26. I will be very surprised if I don’t end up managing them this year.

 

LNZ Cherkasy, Ukraine

This one (and the previous one) come courtesy of The Sweeper Pod – give them a follow on X if you don’t already. In 2021 they were in the fourth tier of Ukrainian football. In 2022 they were in the third tier. In 2023 they were in the second tier. And now, as of 9th December 2025, they’re top of the Ukrainian Premier League. Of course, Shakhtar Donetsk will probably still win it this year, but this is a proper fairytale. Take them on and see if you can keep them at the summit for years to come.

 

Boavista, Portugal

Boavista shockingly won the Portuguese title in 2001, breaking the big three (Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Benfica). Since then, the club has endured a spectacular decline. Years of debt and ownership turmoil came to a head in 2025, when they finished bottom of the Primeira Liga and, unable to meet licensing requirements, lost their professional status. They were demoted all the way down to the regional fifth tier. Football Manager fans love a fallen-giant save (not forgetting the real people impacted by the situation), and this is the perfect candidate. You’ll probably need a custom database for this one, but there’s almost certainly going to be a Steam Workshop fix ready to go.

 

Standard Liège, Belgium

Standard Liège are a traditionally huge Belgian club with 10 league titles, but recent years have been pure chaos. Fans have revolted against the club’s American owners due to poor results and financial instability. Protests even escalated to the point where ultras blocked the team bus from reaching the stadium and a match was called off. Transfer embargoes, off-field legal battles and ongoing money worries have left them stuck in mid-table and out of Europe. At the time of writing, they’re 6th in the league and already well off the pace. Football Manager fans love a nation rebuild, and what better place to do it than Belgium? Incredible youth production, lots of regens… but not much recent success in Europe.

 

KV Oostende, Belgium

Staying in Belgium… if you enjoy a phoenix-club story, Oostende is ideal. After relegation from the top flight in 2024, unresolved debts meant the club failed to obtain a professional licence. With no buyer stepping in, they went bankrupt in June 2024 – effectively ending the club as it was. A new successor side has since been formed at amateur level (KV Oostende-Diksmuide), and this is a chance to rebuild them from the ashes. Like Boavista, you’ll need a custom database, but the idea of starting almost completely from scratch is exactly the kind of madness FM players love.

 

FC Sochaux, France

Sochaux are founding members of Ligue 1 with a trophy-laden history – but are living a nightmare in the lower leagues. In 2023, despite finishing 9th in Ligue 2, they were administratively relegated to the third tier due to severe financial issues. It was a shocking fall for a club that once competed for honours. Fans and local businessmen scrambled to stop liquidation over the summer, and a new owner arrived at the eleventh hour to keep them alive. In FM26, you’ll be picking up the pieces in the third tier with a decimated squad and huge pressure to bring back the glory days. In real life: disaster. In Football Manager: gold dust.

 

AD Ceuta, Spain

A Spanish team playing in the Spanish leagues… but based in Africa. Ceuta sit in the unique position of being a Spanish-controlled enclave in Northern Africa, so they’re literally a different continent away from the rest of the league. Can you be the first club from Africa to win La Liga and the Champions League? Enough said.

 

CA Osasuna, Spain

Let’s be real: managing Athletic Bilbao is brutally hard. Their famous Basque-only rule is brilliant but restrictive, making it a save for only the most hardcore FM players. Osasuna are a more forgiving version of that challenge. Their philosophy is academy-first and heavy on Navarre-born talent, but not an absolute restriction. Perfect if you want to lean into local development without feeling like your scouting team might as well stay at home.

 

Levski Sofia, Bulgaria

Ludogorets have won every single Bulgarian league title since 2011. Every. Single. One. But right now, they’re 10 points behind leaders Levski Sofia. A new era might finally be arriving. Levski are historic, loved, and absolutely starved of silverware. Your job: kick Ludogorets off their throne and restore one of Eastern Europe’s most iconic clubs to dominance.

 

FC Supra du Québec, Canada

Not everyone wants a European save, so here’s a proper wildcard. The Canadian Premier League has announced that FC Supra du Québec will join the top division in 2026. They’ll be the first CPL club based in the province of Québec and are aiming for an Athletic Bilbao-style model by only signing players born in or living in Québec. I absolutely love it already.

 

Conclusion

There you go – ten brilliant long-term saves with real-world stories behind them that you can get stuck into for the next few months. Whether you want a fallen giant, a phoenix rising from bankruptcy, a political-geographical oddity, or Andy Carroll smashing headers in the sixth tier, FM26 has plenty to offer even if you don’t like the UI. Now go ruin your sleep schedule.

 

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