The hardest teams to manage in Football Manager 26

BLAST.tv

January 01, 1970

12:00 AM

Football Manager 26 has countless teams to manage, but not all of those teams are equal.

In fact, managing certain teams in Football Manager 26 puts you at an extreme disadvantage. Maybe it's a point deduction, or perhaps even a restriction players you are allowed to sign, but some teams in FM26 can be considered extremely hard teams to manage.

If you're someone looking for a challenge as you get to grips with the new game, then we've put together this list of the hardest teams to manage in Football Manager 26.

The hardest teams to manage in Football Manager 26

Teams with point deductions

Point deductions are a horrible, hopeless thing to contend with. Normally a marker that there are extra things wrong with a team's finances, even if you can survive despite a points deduction it will likely not be the end of your woes.

Edinburgh City

Starting in the fourth tier of Scottish football, Edinburgh City begin the season with a massive 15 point deduction.

You'll need to win five games just to get yourself onto zero points, by which point any hope of promotion could be long gone for the first season.

After that, the road to the top of the Scottish footballing pyramid will be incredibly difficult. Not only do you face a difficult climb to even be in the same league as Celtic and Rangers, you then have to dislodge two of the most successful clubs in football history.

hardest teams to manage in football manager 26

Photo: Sports Interactive

Vitesse Arnhem

It wasn't long ago that Vitesse were the benefactors of a lovely partnership with Chelsea, seeing the likes of Mason Mount, Nemanja Matic, and Dominic Solanke all shine on loan with the team. But those days are long gone now.

Now in the second division of Dutch football, Vitesse are in a rough spot. They've had some serious financial issues, and almost lost their club license as a result. They were allowed to continue, but they still have a 12 point deduction to contend with.

The challenge, like with Edinburgh, isn't just to get over the point deduction - it's to take Vitesse to the top of the pyramid and dislodge the likes of Ajax, Feyenoord, and PSV.

Photo: Sports Interactive

Unione Sportiva Triestina

If a 12 or 15 point deduction wasn't enough for you, then how about a 20 point deduction?

The biggest point deduction in FM26 belongs to Unione Sportiva Triestina, an Italian club that begins in Serie C, the third division of Italian football, and they start the season seven wins away from a positive points tally.

Perhaps the hardest save of the bunch not just because of the points deduction, it also means you have to then eventually compete in the most competitive league out of the three mentioned, Serie A.

Photo: Sports Interactive

More teams with point deductions in FM26:

Dumbarton FC (Scotland) - 5 point deduction
Inverness Caledonian Thistle (Scotland) - 5 point deduction
Lechia Gdansk (Poland) - 5 point deduction
Trapani Calcio (Italy) - 8 point deduction
Rimini Calcio (Italy) - 11 point deduction

The worst team in England

Going from the bottom of English football to the champions of Europe is Football Manager heritage, but who are the hardest team to do that with in Football Manager 26?

To answer that question, look no further than Southport in the National League North.

They're bottom of the table, have virtually no resources, and morale is down the drain. Of course, everyone will be buzzing by the time they've lifted the Champions League, but you've just got to get them there first.

Photo: Sports Interactive

The team with the signing restrictions

Managing Athletic Club in Football Manager is so hard that there's even a challenge about it.

If you're confused why because you're aware of the massive amount of talent they had in their current squad, then consider the fact that the club from Bilbao are unable to sign anyone unless they are from the Basque country.

A limitation that massively reduces the players available to you, your goal is to win the league over the two greatest football teams in history, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Good luck!

Photo: Sports Interactive

The hardest team to manage in Football Manager 26

For years, Bilbao were considered to be the hardest team to manage in Football Manager. And then the world found out about FC Vaduz.

Playing in the second tier of Swiss football, FC Vaduz aren't even from Switzerland, they're based in Liechtenstein. That means that, even if you win the Swiss Super League, you still won't be able to qualify for Europe. Instead, your only route to European qualification is through victory in the Liechtenstein Cup.

To make matters worse, that only secures you qualification to the Conference League qualification rounds, so to play in the Champions League, you need to win the Europa League first. Oh, and if you go all the way to the Champions League final and lose? Well tough luck, you'll be back in the Conference League the following season, as long as you won the Liechtenstein Cup, that is.

Whilst this is already incredibly difficult, you also have to remember that the Swiss League isn't exactly a top league, and you're also not exactly a top team within that league. A build a nation save as well as the hardest team to win the Champions League with in the game, FM27 might be out by the time you complete this one.

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