This is where the magic of FM truly lies. Forget managing the top clubs with unlimited budgets and superstar players.
A good challenge and a great reward, comes from reawakening a sleeping giant.
In this FM26 guide, we've hand-picked 10 clubs that were once titans of the game but have been under-performing for years.
These are some of the best save ideas for managers who want to test their skills and rewrite history.
From ending long-term title droughts to restoring a club to its rightful place in Europe, these are the top sleeping giants you need to manage in Football Manager 2026.
Top Sleeping Giants on FM26
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League: Premier League Founded: 1878 |
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The Story:
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A founding member of the Football League and a club with a longer top-flight presence than any other, Everton is a true giant. However, they have not won a major trophy in over 30 years (their last was the FA Cup in 1995) and have been fighting relegation battles in recent seasons, a situation far below their stature. |
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The Challenge:
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A club with a new stadium and a passionate fanbase, the challenge is to finally end the long trophy drought and restore them to the top four. You must navigate a difficult financial situation and build a squad capable of not just surviving but thriving in the Premier League. The ultimate mission is to win a major trophy for the first time in over three decades. |
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League: La Liga Founded: 1919 |
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The Story:
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A club with a long and rich history. Valencia has won six Spanish titles, multiple Copa del Rey trophies (the last in 2019), and reached consecutive Champions League finals (2000 and 2001). In recent years, they have been plagued by financial issues and have under-performed, finishing in the bottom half of the table. |
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The Challenge:
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Navigate the club's financial woes and return them to the top of La Liga and the Champions League. This is a tough but rewarding project that requires smart transfer market decisions, a reliance on youth development, and the tactical skill to compete against the financial and global might of giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona. The ultimate goal is to end their league title drought and establish a new era of financial stability and on-pitch success. |
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League: Serie A Founded: 1927 |
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The Story:
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A historic club with three Serie A titles and a long list of legendary players, Roma is a major force in Italian football. Despite winning the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022, they have not won the Scudetto since 2001 and have often struggled to break into the top tier of Italian football. |
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The Challenge:
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With a massive and devoted fanbase, the mission is to finally topple the established giants of Italian football (Juventus, Inter, AC Milan) and bring a league title back to the Eternal City. This is a save for managers who love the pressure of a big-city club, with the expectations of a major European title being a constant presence. You must win a trophy that has eluded them for over two decades. |
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League: Bundesliga Founded: 1893 |
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The Story:
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A club with a long history and five German championships to their name, Stuttgart has been re-established in the top flight for several seasons now. Despite flashes of promise, they have struggled to find consistency. Their last Bundesliga title was in 2007, yet they've won the DFB-Pokal in 2025. This makes them a great save to end their long-term league title drought. |
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The Challenge:
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Stabilize the club, restore their reputation as a Bundesliga powerhouse, and build a squad capable of competing with Bayern and Dortmund. Your primary task is to end their long-term league title drought and get the club back into the Champions League. This will be a long-term project that requires tactical consistency and a careful transfer strategy to bridge the gap between their history and their current place in German football. |
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League: Eredivisie Founded: 1908 |
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The Story:
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A true Dutch giant and rival to Ajax, Feyenoord has a rich history with multiple league titles and being the first Dutch club to win the European Cup (back in 1970). Despite this, they have been consistently overshadowed by Ajax and PSV for decades. Their last domestic title was in 2017, though they recently won the KNVB Cup in 2024. |
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The Challenge:
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You are tasked with taking an established top-tier side and restoring them to their former glory. This means ending a long-term title drought and breaking the dominance of their rivals in a league that is often dominated by a single club. This is a perfect "Dethrone the Champion" save. |
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League: Ligue 1 Founded: 1950 |
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The Story:
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Lyon dominated French football in the 2000s, winning a record seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles. They were a regular in the Champions League and a major force in Europe. Their decline has been steady over the past decade, and they are a shadow of their former selves. |
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The Challenge:
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Restore one of France's most successful clubs to its former glory. The challenge is to dethrone the current French giants and get them back to the top of the league and back into the Champions League. You must rebuild the club's identity as a hub for elite talent and show the world that Lyon is still a major European force. |
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League: Bundesliga Founded: 1900 |
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The Story:
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A true German powerhouse from the 1970s, Gladbach won five Bundesliga titles and two UEFA Cups. They were a legendary side with a fierce rivalry against Bayern Munich. They have since fallen behind their rivals and have become a mid-table team, a position far below their historical significance. |
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The Challenge:
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Reawaken a giant of German football. You need to build a squad capable of competing with the current top clubs and return them to the Champions League and a title challenge. This is a long-term project that requires patience and smart transfers to take them from a mid-table side back to the top of the Bundesliga. |
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League: La Liga Founded: 1898 |
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The Story:
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One of only three clubs in Spain's history never to have been relegated from the top flight. Athletic Bilbao has a rich and unique history built on their strict policy of only signing players with ties to the Basque Country. They have won the Spanish title eight times (last in 1984) and their most recent major trophy was the Copa del Rey in 2024, ending a 40-year trophy drought. |
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The Challenge:
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Your task is to win the domestic league title with one of the most unique clubs in the world. You must navigate the transfer market with extreme constraints, relying on a strong youth academy and a limited pool of talent to compete against the financial and global might of Barcelona and Real Madrid. This is a massive long-term project that will test every aspect of your management skills. |
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League: Super League 1 Founded: 1908 |
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The Story:
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They were part of the "big two" in Greece for decades, competing with Olympiacos for domestic dominance and reaching a 1971 European Champions' Cup final. A period of instability and financial difficulties have caused them to lose their edge, though they have recently returned to winning ways with a cup victory (lifted the Greek Cup in 2024). They've won 20 Greek league titles but their last was back in 2010. |
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The Challenge:
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Straight-forward enough, remove Olympiacos from the top and reclaim your club's status as Greece's number one club. In order to create a club that can compete both at home and on the continent, you will need to acquire top players without going over budget. Your ultimate goal is to end the long league title drought and establish a dynasty that can compete in the Champions League year after year. |
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League: Serie A Founded: 1913 |
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The Story:
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With a team full of superstars and numerous trophies, Parma was one of the most feared clubs in Europe in the 1990s. In 2015, they had to start over in the fourth tier after going bankrupt. They won the Serie B title in the 2023–24 season, and after a long ascent, they are now formally back in Serie A. They struggled to a 16th-place finish in the 2024–25 season, narrowly avoiding relegation on goal difference. |
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The Challenge:
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It's your job to make sure they survive and establish a Serie A team that can last. To compete in the top division, the team needs to be significantly strengthened, because they are far behind the elite clubs financially. Can you make Parma a mid-table team and then lead them back to their previous glory and European football with smart player development and signings? |
Who are you going to pick as your first sleeping giant to awake in Football Manager 26?
Which club would you add to this list?
Let me know in the comments.
Discussion: Top Sleeping Giants to Awaken on Football Manager 26
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