We’re well into 2026, and EA Sports FC 26 is still going.
Ultimate Team may be the main focus of the game, but Career Mode has a special place in our hearts. That’s because you can start whenever you want, as many times as you want.
No matter who you’re managing the premise and aim of Manager Career — as it’s now called — remains the same. Winning the league and continental trophies, no matter where you start or who you manage.
But which team do you want to take to glory? There are a lot of options, especially with the introduction of Live Challenges.
If you want to go down a more traditional route, though, we’ve got you covered. We’ve picked nine different clubs for you to take charge of in Manager Career at varying levels of difficulties. It’s perfect for this time of year where you might want to try something different.
Some board expectations may vary per save.
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EAFC 26 easiest Career Mode teams to use
Paris Saint-Germain
- League: Ligue 1
- Rating: 5 stars
- Transfer budget: £199.83m
- Club worth: £3.41bn
- Main challenge: Dominate the Champions League
If you just want a bit of fun and an easy challenge Paris Saint-Germain are the team for you. They’re already very clear in Ligue 1 and they finally ended their long hunt for European glory. So your challenge is to ensure they continue the European dominance.
Another Champions League trophy will see them as the only French side to win more than one, and there’s no reason why you can’t use the full length of the Manager Career to challenge Real Madrid’s record tally.
PSG’s players received a healthy boost after their Champions League win, including Ousmane Dembele who now boasts an Overall of 90. But you will need to build up some younger prospects as the years go on.
Napoli
- League: Serie A
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Transfer budget: £53.82m
- Club worth: £483.82m
- Main challenge: Retain the title and make history in Europe
Napoli entered the 2025-26 campaign as defending Serie A champions — just the fourth season in their history that has been the case. But they have never managed to retain their title. Recently that hasn’t been a problem specific to Napoli. The Scudetto hasn’t been retained since 2019-20, when Juventus won the last of their nine-straight titles.
So that’s your job, to successfully defend the Serie A title. Longer-term, though, there’s also the goal of winning the Champions League for the first time in Napoli’s history — adding to their sole Uefa Cup success in 1988-89.
Kevin De Bruyne stands out for the team, but he won’t have long left on his career. And even Scott McTominay isn’t the youngest. But there is a decent base on which to build.
Chelsea FC Women
- League: WSL
- Rating: 5 stars
- Transfer budget: £1.23m
- Club worth: £103.20m
- Main challenge: Finally win the Women’s Champions League
Chelsea FC Women have dominated the English Women’s Super League in recent years. The Blues have won the league title for six consecutive seasons. And they’ve added a host of domestic cups to that haul. But they still haven’t won the Champions League. So that’s your task. Can you be the one to get over the line? To do what Emma Hayes and Sonia Bompastor have failed to do. That’ll probably include beating Barcelona at some point, too.
Chelsea have a lot of good players for you to call upon, both for now and for the future. Aggie Beever-Jones has the potential to grow to 88 Overall, while Lauren James is a star. The transfer budget might look low, but fees are a lot different in the women’s side of Manager Career — so Chelsea do have money to work with
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EAFC 26 challenging Career Mode teams to use
London City Lionesses
- League: WSL
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Transfer budget: £371.88k
- Club worth: £22.19m
- Main challenge: Win it all
London City Lionesses are the new kids on the block when it comes to the WSL — and EAFC. But they’re not a small team. They’re bankrolled by Michele Kang, who is also majority owner of OL Lyonnes and Washington Spirit, as well as president of Lyon’s men’s team. And her plan is simple. World domination. So that’s your task with London City Lionesses. First make them champions of England, before conquering Europe.
London City have a good bunch of players to start off with, including Grace Geyoro. But you will need to dip into the transfer window for the future.
Montpellier
- League: Ligue 2
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Transfer budget: £4.35m
- Club worth: £38.7m
- Main challenge: Become champions of France again
It’s now been 13 years since Montpellier became champions of France for the first time. We’ll all remember their team of 2011-12, boasting the likes of Olivier Giroud and Younes Belhanda. But La Paillade are now in Ligue 2, suffering relegation last season. So your job is to first get them back to Ligue 1, before taking them to the title. Montpellier have a modest transfer budget, so this could take a few seasons.
Teji Savanier is still at the club, but he’s only 75-rated and 33 years old. Naoufel El Hannach has the highest potential Overall of 81, so there’s a lot of work to be done. But it can be done.
Kaiserslautern
- League: 2. Bundesliga
- Rating: 3 stars
- Transfer budget: £4.01m
- Club worth: £23.05m
- Main challenge: End the long wait for Bundesliga glory
A few years ago, this was a hard challenge. But Kaiserslautern are now in the 2. Bundesliga, taking away one step on the main quest. Your task is to lead Kaiserslautern back to Bundesliga glory, taking them to the title for the first time since 1998. Only seven teams have won the Bundesliga more than Kaiserslautern’s four, but they’ve been out of the top flight since 2012.
Kaiserslautern don’t have any stars on their cards at the start, so you will have to build from the ground up if you want to challenge. Again, this will be a long journey, as promotion isn’t a guarantee.
EAFC 26 hardest Career Mode teams to use
Sheffield Wednesday
- League: Championship
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Transfer budget: £2.41m
- Club worth: £11.61m
- Main challenge: Win the Premier League
Sheffield Wednesday are in shambles. They have been terribly mismanaged in the real world and it’s carried over slightly to EAFC. They are still 2.5 stars and have a bit of money to work with. So we’re not dealing with a Bolton Wanderers situation from a few years ago. But they have no real squad depth, relying a lot of youth outside of the starting XI. And you can’t really do much with their budget, even if it isn’t £0. So your task is to first keep them in the Championship before rising up the ranks to eventually conquer England. Now, the Owls don’t have a points deduction on Manager Career — but you can add one in to really make the challenge realistic, and that much tougher.
Joel Ndala is a young player with a lot of potential, but unfortunately you won’t really reap the rewards as he’s on loan from Manchester City. And will likely be out of your budget come the summer of 2026. But you will need to rely on loans a lot to start off with.
FC Andorra
- League: La Liga Hypermotion
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Transfer budget: £1.27m
- Club worth: £2.15m
- Main challenge: Win the Champions League
Andorra’s national team are ranked 172nd in the world, so fans aren’t really going to see success. It’s the same through the league, with the champions qualifying for the Champions League qualification round. One of the biggest clubs in the country, though, play their football in Spain. Andorra FC are in Spain’s second division and are the country’s best chance of success. So that’s your task. First take them to La Liga, then qualify for the Champions League and win it. It’s as close to Football Manager’s San Marino challenge as you can get in EAFC.
Andorra FC have a lot of players on loan, which isn’t helpful, so there’s work to be done. Did someone say free agents?
Oldham Athletic
- League: League Two
- Rating: 1 star
- Transfer budget: £878.45k
- Club worth: £1.81m
- Main challenge: Return to the Premier League
Oldham Athletic were one of the founding members of the Premier League, taking part in the inaugural campaign. They lasted just two seasons before getting relegated and haven’t been back since. In fact, they’ve been as low as the National League. Oldham are back in EAFC 26, gaining promotion from the Nations League last season. They weren’t fancied to do anything in the real world, though have pulled off a shock mid-table finish. And that’s what you want to replicate. The goal is to first establish yourself in League Two, before climbing up the ranks and sealing a return to the Premier League. Then, what can you do there?
There are no stars or potential gems in the starting Oldham team, with their three players with potential Overalls higher than 70 all on loan. That’s what makes this challenge even harder. You’re starting with nothing, and don’t have much money to throw around in the early seasons. Have you got what it takes?