For FM26, the 2024/25 season has provided some great tales of decline, with these clubs being perfect for your next rebuild save.
Get ready to resurrect some fallen giants.
Rebuild the Fallen Giants on FM26
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League: Serie B (2nd tier) Founded: 1946 |
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The Story:
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A club that once had Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli as players. Since winning the scudetto in 1991, they have been in a slow, painful decline. After dropping from Serie A in 2023, the 2024/25 season was a nightmare, with multiple managerial changes and a threat of relegation to the third tier for the first time in their history. They only just avoided a relegation play-out, and the finances of the club remain in a precarious position. |
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The Challenge:
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You are the last hope. The squad is a combination of loans and players who barely made it through the season. Expectations are low, but the enthusiasm of the fans is not. You will need to stabilize the club, get out of Serie B, and somehow sort out the financial mess left by previous ownership. Can you return the "Blucerchiati" to their former glory and elevate them to the pinnacle of Italian football? |
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League: 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier) Founded: 1904 |
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The Story:
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A seven-time German champion and one of the most well-supported clubs in the country, Schalke has endured a dramatic fall from grace. They were a fixture in the Bundesliga and the Champions League, but a perfect storm of financial mismanagement and on-field under-performance has seen them fall to the 2. Bundesliga multiple times in recent years. For the 2025/26 season, they are a giant firmly stuck in the second tier. |
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The Challenge:
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Your mission is to restore this titan of German football to the Bundesliga. There will be a great deal of pressure and high expectations. You have a huge stadium and a passionate fanbase, but can you manage the club's finances, navigate the highly competitive 2. Bundesliga, and bring them back to the top? |
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League: National 2 (4th tier) Founded: 1881 |
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The Story:
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A six-time Ligue 1 winner and one of France's most successful teams, formerly home to legends like Zinédine Zidane, has reached its lowest point. Following a financial collapse and regulatory relegation, the club was forced to abandon its professional status and was demoted to the fourth tier of French soccer. |
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The Challenge:
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This is the ultimate long-term rebuild. You're inheriting a formerly great club in a new semi-pro league. The challenge is to advance to Ligue 1 by moving through the leagues one by one. The club still has its famous stadium and a passionate fanbase, but you face a monumental task that will push your patience and managerial skills to the limit. |
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League: Segunda División (2nd tier) Founded: 1906 |
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The Story:
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The team from the "Super Depor" years, La Liga winners in 2000 and Champions League semi-finalists, has been in decline for years. Even a promotion to the Segunda División, the 2024/25 season was a slog. They finished in the bottom half of the table, well off the pace of promotion, and the team seems a long way from their past glory. |
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The Challenge:
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It's up to you to make them "Super Depor" again. The squad needs to be rebuilt, and the tactical approach needs to be altered to something newer and more effective. Can you guide them to La Liga and then take on the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid? The club has an enormous fanbase and a top-class stadium; all they need is a manager to make them competitive again. |
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League: National (3rd tier) Founded: 1928 |
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The Story:
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Another fallen French giant on desperately hard times. Founded by the Peugeot family, Sochaux was one of the founding members of Ligue 1 and a two-time champion. A financial collapse in the 2020s saw them demoted to the third division. |
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The Challenge:
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This is a straight club-building save. The club's identity has been torn to shreds, and it's up to you to reconstruct it from the ground up. You'll have to operate within the financial constraints and reconstitute a winning mindset in a team that has better days in its rear-view mirror. |
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League: Championship (2nd tier) Founded: 1875 |
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The Story:
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As a founding member of the Premier League and the champions in 1995, Blackburn Rovers were once at the very top of English football. However, a gradual decline over the years led to their relegation from the top flight. They have been stuck in the Championship, a far cry from their title-winning days. |
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The Challenge:
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The club has a history of sitting at the top of English football. Your mission is to take them out of the Championship and lead them back to the Premier League. The ultimate reward is to restore them to their former glory and make Ewood Park a fortress once again. |
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League: Super League 2 (2nd tier) Founded: 1890 |
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The Story:
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Founded in 1890, Panionios is one of Greece's oldest and most historic clubs, with a rich past that includes two Greek Cup titles and a runner-up finish in the Super League. However, a series of financial and administrative issues caused them to fall from the top flight, eventually landing in the third tier. After a successful season, they have now earned their way back to the second tier of Greek football for the 2025/26 season. |
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The Challenge:
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Your mission is to take this historic club and navigate the highly competitive second tier to return them to the Super League. The club has a loyal fanbase and a 11,700-seat stadium, but the path back to the top is long. Can you restore one of Greece's true founding clubs to its former glory? |
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League: Segunda División (2nd tier) Founded: 1948 |
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The Story:
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A former UEFA Champions League quarter-finalist, Málaga CF suffered a startling fall from grace due to financial mismanagement, spending two seasons in Spain's third division. However, the club began its ascent back to the top by winning promotion to the Segunda División. They returned to the second tier in the 2024/25 season and finished 16th, well clear of the relegation zone. |
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The Challenge:
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Although the club is again back on track, the hard work has just begun. Your mission is to build a squad capable of competing for a top-flight return from a steady, mid-table position. With a loyal fanbase and a magnificent stadium, you must guide them through the next phase of their resurgence, aiming for promotion to La Liga and, eventually, getting them back into a European competition. |
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League: 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier) Founded: 1900 |
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The Story:
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A side that notoriously won the Bundesliga just two years after being promoted from the 2. Bundesliga, Kaiserslautern has been through the mill. After a stint in the 3. Liga, they now struggle to climb their way back up the German football pyramid. |
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The Challenge:
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Your job is to restore the Fritz-Walter-Stadion to its former splendor. The club has a long history of producing outstanding players with an attacking style of play. Can you be the one to orchestrate their push back to the Bundesliga? |
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League: 2. Lig (3rd tier) Founded: 1963 |
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The Story:
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In 2010, Bursaspor shocked the football world by winning the Süper Lig title, breaking the dominance of the Istanbul "Big Three." That glorious moment was the peak of their history. After that, they experienced a slow fall, followed by a rapid one that ended with their relegation from the top division. They have fallen so far that they are currently playing in the third tier of Turkish football. |
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The Challenge:
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This is a true rags-to-riches story. You'll need to rebuild the team, manage the club's finances, and fight for promotion through the lower divisions. Your ultimate goal is to lead them on a remarkable journey back to the Süper Lig, and perhaps, one day, challenge for the title again. The climb is steep, but the satisfaction of reviving such a historic champion is immense. |
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League: Ligue 2 (2nd tier) Founded: 1919 |
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The Story:
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Ten-time French champions Saint-Étienne, a team with enough ancestry to compete with PSG and Marseille, have been sagging in Ligue 2. The 2024/25 season was another disappointing one as they failed to return to the top tier. |
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The Challenge:
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This is a tactical challenge. You'll be inheriting a team that has underperformed in the second division. Your mission is to get the right blend of youth and experience to ultimately promote them and then build a side capable of replicating the club's incredible history. |
Who are you going to try and restore to glory?
Which club would you add on that list?
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Discussion: FM26 Fallen Giants to Rebuild
7 comments have been posted so far.
they have only a single league title but that success made them 5th champion ever in turkish super league history alonside big four(gala, fener, besiktas, trabzon).
after 2010's legendary title winning campaign, they faced manchester united in next season's ucl groups but recent years were far from glory for them. relegated many times and became unplayable team in fm series after relegation to 3rd leage(4th tier).
last year, they were one of the promoting teams in 3rd league and became playable in fm 26 as a 2nd league team(3rd tier).
bursaspor has one of the best youth academies in türkiye. they always had some top tier or elite talents for the league. i think kerem matışlı(gk) will be their top youngster in fm 26.
your goal is simple: bring 2nd super league title to city and bring new elite stars from academy.