While everybody plays FM26 differently, some choose to manage a giant like PSG, Bayern Munich, or Real Madrid. In contrast, others prefer a challenge, especially after they have played the game for a while and have achieved everything they can.
Today, we look at some clubs that are struggling financially, which could prove to be a good challenge. Without further ado, here they are:
Sampdoria
Things just seem to go from bad to worse for the 1990/91 Scudetto winners. After being relegated from Serie A in 2023, the Blucerchiati even struggled to maintain their second-tier status, needing to beat Salernitana in a play-off in the 2024/25 season.
The 2025/26 season has provided the club with some stability, as they sit in 12th place heading into the final game. On the financial side, despite the club’s owners ploughing €105 million into the club, the former Serie A champions are still haemorrhaging money, having made a loss of €40.6 million after last season.
To make matters worse, the squad isn’t in great shape at the start of the game. To balance the books, you need to reduce the wage bill. The best approach is to reduce the wage bill, look for free agents, explore Serie A loans, and spot any hidden gems from Serie C who could make the step up.
Samp is not far from a return to Serie A, which could give the team a financial boost. Stability and patience are needed for this save. This is one for the FM or European football purists.
Vitesse Arnhem
Like Sampdoria, not only have Vitesse slipped out of the top division of their domestic league, but they have also had a close shave with the third division of the Dutch game. Vitesse started the 2025/26 season with a -12-point deduction. However, despite being in 12th place, a strange quirk of the Eerste Divisie means Vitesse could still make the play-offs this season.
However, if you manage Vitesse on FM26, you have to overcome that 12-point deduction and hope you can somehow mount a play-off or promotion charge, just as they have in real life.
The club’s current situation is actually quite promising compared to recent years and seasons. Vitesse had its professional license revoked in June 2025, only to be restored the following September.
Vitesse headed into the 2025/26 season with free transfers and youngsters, as their licence wasn’t restored until after the transfer window had slammed shut. That means the squad is not great.
However, there are some highly useful players, such as former Manchester United star Alexander Buttner. The rebuild could be a slow one, but it is possible with the help of free transfers and loan deals.
Valencia
Unlike the other clubs on our list, Los Ches’ financial issues have not led them to suffer relegation from their domestic top-flight. However, they are arguably the biggest club on our list, having won their domestic title six times and both the UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup.
The club have been on the brink of financial ruin for over a decade, and they are now reportedly €340 million in debt. It’s a miracle that Valencia have not dropped into the Segunda, as they have had to sell lots of quality players to stay afloat.
Valencia head into the last four games of the Spanish top-flight campaign in 13th position in the table. They are not yet safe, but have enough teams between themselves and the bottom three to feel relatively secure.
Of the four teams on our list, Valencia has the strongest squad, though it is slightly thinner than its La Liga rivals. As you would imagine, for a club in financial trouble, Los Ches don’t have the best budget.
However, you can add to that budget by selling players, with the likes of Javi Guerra, Mouctar Diakhaby and Cesar Tárrega all saleable assets. You can then add to your squad depth by bringing in loan players and free agents.
It’s a long way back to financial security and Champions League football for Valencia. However, if you can restore financial stability to the club, Los Ches have tremendous potential.
Sheffield Wednesday
The Owls are one of the most historic clubs on our list, having been founded way back in 1867. The Yorkshire outfit has enjoyed its glory days, including six English top-flight titles.
Unfortunately for Wednesday, those days are long gone, and they will be playing in the English third tier in season 2026/27 after suffering relegation from the Championship.
In November 2025, the club entered administration and was handed a 15-point deduction. This led to a season-long struggle with a team cobbled together for next to nothing.
Wednesday suffered the earliest relegation in football league history and finished the campaign with 0 points and a goal difference of -61. However, Wednesday recently received the news that the club have come out of administration after a £20m takeover by the US businessman David Storch, so that it won’t start next season in League One on -15 points.
However, at the start of FM26, you start from -18 points, as the club were also handed an additional three-point deduction. Saving Wednesday from financial and football ruin may be one of the biggest challenges on FM26.
There are some decent players in that Wednesday squad, though, that you could sell, or build a team around, in the likes of Nathanial Chalobah, Max Lowe and Di’Shon Bernard, so maybe all is not lost at the Yorkshire club.
Which one of these clubs offers the biggest challenge on FM26?
