Lower-league save ideas
Start low and work your way up. Promotions, small budgets and the long road to the top flight. 220 save ideas, difficulty from 3 to 10 out of 10. 132 are playable in the base game.
- Chonburi FC
Thai League 1Chonburi broke Bangkok's grip on Thai football by winning the league in 2007 and went on to play in the AFC Champions League. Relegation later knocked the Sharks out of…
- Churchill Brothers FC
Indian Super LeagueChurchill Brothers won two Indian league titles, dropped out of the top flight and eventually returned after a bizarre licence deal involving Jamshedpur. Turn their…
- Győr
Nemzeti Bajnokság IGyőr are four-time Hungarian champions and reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1965. The modern club endured bankruptcy and a restart in the lower leagues before…
- SC Heerenveen
EredivisieHeerenveen reached the Champions League from a small Frisian town and even took a point off Valencia in 2000. They've never won the Dutch league. Build another exciting…
- TS Galaxy
Betway PremiershipTS Galaxy won South Africa's FA Cup as a second-tier club in 2019, then reached the top flight after buying Highlands Park's league status in 2020. It is a gloriously…
- 12 de Octubre (Itauguá)
División Intermedia (2027 promoted)12 de Octubre won the 2002 Clausura, then lost the overall Paraguayan championship final to Libertad. After dropping into the third tier, they earned promotion to the…
- AD Ceuta
LaLiga HypermotionCeuta is geographically in Africa but politically Spanish, and AD Ceuta play in the Spanish league pyramid. The city returned to the second tier after 45 years away…
- AFC Bournemouth
Premier LeagueBournemouth went from administration and League Two survival battles to qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history. The next step is the hard bit…
- Académica de Coimbra
Liga Portugal 2Académica are inseparable from the University of Coimbra and won the inaugural Taça de Portugal in 1939. After dropping into Liga 3 they finally earned promotion back to…
- Accra Great Olympics
Division One LeagueGreat Olympics won the Ghanaian league in 1970 and 1974, but decades of relegations have left them behind Accra rivals Hearts of Oak. Bring one of the city's historic…
- Admira Wacker
Austrian 2. LigaAdmira have nine Austrian titles but haven't won the league since 1966. Mergers, relocations and relegations have left the former Vienna power in the second tier. Put…
- Africa Sports d'Abidjan
Ligue 2 Côte d'IvoireAfrica Sports are one of Ivory Coast's great historic clubs and two-time African Cup Winners' Cup champions, yet by 2025/26 they were playing in Ligue 2 while rivals…
- Amedspor
Süper LigAmedspor reached the Turkish top flight for the first time in 2026 after spending most of their existence outside the elite. The immediate objective is survival, but the…
- Ards
NIFL ChampionshipArds won the Irish League in 1958 and beat Standard Liège in Europe in 1973. They've spent decades without a permanent home in their own town after losing Castlereagh…
- Avenir Beggen
Division of HonourAvenir Beggen won six Luxembourg league titles and seven cups before slipping into the lower divisions. Their last title was in 1994. Take one of the country's forgotten…
- Busan IPark
K League 2Busan were Asian club champions in 1986 and have four Korean league titles, making them one of the country's great historic clubs. They have spent years stuck in K…
- CD EldenseSegunda División
Lionel Messi has taken control of Eldense, a century-old club that has never played in La Liga. The job is to get his Spanish project into the top flight, preferably…
- CSM Reșița
Liga 2Reșița won the Romanian league in 1931 and took the cup in 1954 while playing in the second division. They have spent decades outside the top flight. Rebuild the…
- Chabab Mohammédia
Botola 2Chabab Mohammédia won the Moroccan championship in 1980. In 2024/25 they finished bottom with just four points and not a single win in 30 matches. Take a former champion…
- Chacarita Juniors
Primera NacionalChacarita won the 1969 Metropolitano, one of the rare Argentine championships claimed by a club outside the country's permanent elite. They now sit in Primera Nacional…
- Chornomorets Odesa
Ukrainian Premier LeagueChornomorets reached the 2014 Europa League knockouts before losing narrowly to Lyon. Relegated in 2025, they won promotion back to Ukraine's top flight for 2026/27…
- Colón de Santa FePrimera Nacional
Colón waited 116 years to win a major trophy, then lifted the 2021 Copa de la Liga. Two years later they were relegated. Get Santa Fe's fallen cup winners back into the…
- CrusadersNIFL Premiership
Crusaders won three titles between 2015 and 2018, but only survived the 2025/26 relegation play-off on penalties against Annagh United. Take the Belfast club from the…
- Deportivo CapiatáDivisión Intermedia
Deportivo Capiatá shocked Boca Juniors 1-0 at La Bombonera in the 2014 Sudamericana before going out on penalties. They're now in Paraguay's second division. Bring…
- Emirates Club
UAE First DivisionEmirates Club brought Andrés Iniesta to Ras Al Khaimah in 2023, only to be relegated the following year. They're now in the second division. Build a team that can win…
- Esbjerg
Danish 1st DivisionEsbjerg have five Danish league titles and were regular European qualifiers in the 2000s, before ownership turmoil and relegations dumped them into the third tier in…
- Etar Veliko Tarnovo
Bulgarian Second LeagueThe Etar name reached the summit of Bulgarian football with the 1990/91 title and a European Cup campaign the following season. Today's Etar are in the second tier after…
- FC Bihor OradeaLiga 2
The old FC Bihor collapsed in 2016. Their replacement made it back to Romania's second tier and reached the 2026 promotion play-offs, but a licensing problem blocked the…
- FC Blau-Weiß LinzAustrian 2. Liga
Blau-Weiß Linz were formed by supporters after FC Linz's identity disappeared in a merger with LASK in 1997. They made it to the Bundesliga before relegation in 2026…
- FC Lida
Belarusian First LeagueLida's Soviet-era predecessor Obuvshchik Lida won the Belarusian SSR championship four times in the 1980s, but the club has not played top-flight football in independent…
- FC Winterthur
Swiss Challenge LeagueWinterthur finally returned to the Swiss top flight in 2022 after a 37-year absence, only to be relegated back to the Challenge League in 2026. The first miracle has…
- FK TransINVEST
A LygaFounded in 2021, TransINVEST won the 2023 Lithuanian Cup while in the second division and qualified for Europe. Promotion, relegation and another comeback followed. Turn…
- Ferro Carril OestePrimera Nacional
Ferro won two Argentine championships in the 1980s and built one of the country's best sides without the profile of the Buenos Aires giants. They have not played…
- First Vienna FCAustrian 2. Liga
Founded in 1894, First Vienna are Austria's oldest club, have six league titles and wear a badge inspired by the Isle of Man. Their last championship came in 1955. Get…
- Floridsdorfer ACAustrian 2. Liga
Floridsdorfer AC won Austria's league in 1918 and also won a cup final that was never officially recognised. They're now in the second division. Take the forgotten…
- GlenavonNIFL Championship
Glenavon became the first Irish League champions from outside Belfast in 1952. In 2025/26 they lost their opening 11 games and were relegated after 21 years in the…
- Godoy CruzPrimera Nacional
Seventeen straight seasons in Argentina's top flight ended with relegation in 2025. Godoy Cruz are back in Primera Nacional after years as an established Primera…
- Gorica
2. SNLGorica won three consecutive Slovenian titles from 2004 to 2006 and four overall, making them the clearest old rival to the country's modern giants. They are now in 2…
- Harland & Wolff WeldersNIFL Championship
Founded by workers at Belfast's famous shipyard, the Welders began with a collection among employees and grew into a senior football club. Take a team tied to the yard…
- Helsingborgs IF
SuperettanHelsingborg were Swedish champions in 2011 and were still playing Champions League qualifiers the following year. They have since bounced between divisions and are back…
- HonvédNemzeti Bajnokság II
Honvéd were the club of Puskás, Bozsik and the great Mighty Magyars generation, winning five Hungarian titles during the 1950s. The modern club was relegated in 2023 and…
- JEF United Chiba
J1 LeagueJEF were founder members of the J.League and had never been relegated until 2009. What followed was an extraordinary stay in J2 lasting more than 15 seasons before they…
- Kénitra ACBotola 2
Kénitra won four Moroccan championships, including consecutive titles in 1981 and 1982. They haven't been champions since and have slipped into the second division. Take…
- LeixõesLiga Portugal 2
Leixões won the Portuguese Cup in 1961 and then reached the European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals despite coming from Matosinhos rather than one of Portugal's…
- Lierse
Challenger Pro LeagueThe original Lierse won four Belgian titles and played Champions League football before going bankrupt in 2018. The name survives in the professional game through the…
- Lincoln CityChampionship
Lincoln are back in the Championship after a 65-year absence. They have never played in the modern top flight, so the next promotion would be completely new territory…
- Lokeren-TemseChallenger Pro League
Sporting Lokeren won the Belgian Cup in 2012 and 2014 before bankruptcy ended the club in 2020. Lokeren-Temse became the vehicle for the city's football identity and has…
- Lyn
1. divisjonLyn are two-time Norwegian champions and one of Oslo's oldest clubs, but bankruptcy in 2010 forced them to restart in the sixth tier. The climb has taken them all the…
- Maccabi Jaffa
Liga LeumitMaccabi Jaffa were founded by Bulgarian Jewish immigrants and spent decades in Israel's top flight before the original club dissolved in 2000. Supporters later revived…
- Mito HollyHockJ1 League
Mito spent 26 straight seasons in J2 after joining the J.League before finally winning promotion to J1 for the first time in 2025. Your job is simple at first: do not…
- Moss FK1. divisjon
Moss produced one of Norway's great outsider championships in 1987, winning the league under Nils Arne Eggen. They have spent years outside the top flight since. Start…
- Mouloudia OujdaBotola 2
Mouloudia Oujda won four of the first six Moroccan Throne Cups and added a league title in 1975. They now play in the second tier. Restore one of the country's original…
- Moyola ParkNIFL Championship
Moyola Park won the first Irish Cup in 1881, beating Cliftonville in the final. They won promotion to the second tier for 2026/27 after years outside senior football…
- Muangthong UnitedThai League 2
Muangthong won four Thai league titles and went unbeaten through their 2012 championship campaign. Relegation in 2026 ended 17 consecutive seasons in the top flight. Get…
- Newry City AFCNIFL Championship
Newry City's original club was wound up in 2012. Supporters started again and climbed from local football to the Premiership in five seasons, before further relegations…
- PSIS Semarang
Championship (Liga 2)PSIS won national titles in 1987 and 1999, but were relegated straight after the second triumph. Another relegation arrived in 2025. Get Semarang back up, build a side…
- Persiraja Banda AcehChampionship (Liga 2)
Persiraja beat Persipura to win the Indonesian championship in 1980. They haven't come close to repeating it and now play in the second division. Build around players…
- Persis SoloChampionship (Liga 2)
Persis helped found Indonesian football's governing association and won seven early national championships. They've fallen into the second division again after…
- Polonia Bytom
I ligaPolonia Bytom were Polish champions in 1954 and 1962 and once regularly represented the country in Europe. Decades of decline eventually dumped them into the regional…
- PortadownNIFL Premiership
Portadown won four Irish League titles between 1990 and 2002, including a double in 1991. Relegations and off-field trouble have since interrupted that success. Rebuild…
- QuilmesPrimera Nacional
Founded in 1887, Quilmes are one of Argentina's oldest clubs and have national titles from 1912 and 1978. They are now back in Primera Nacional, living in the shadow of…
- Quảng Ninh FC
V.League 2 - verifyThan Quảng Ninh won Vietnam's cup in 2016 before unpaid wages brought the original professional team to an end in 2021. A new Quảng Ninh project reached the second…
- RFC LiègeChallenger Pro League
RFC Liège are five-time Belgian champions and were still reaching a European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final in 1991. They have not played in Belgium's top flight since…
- Racing SantanderLa Liga
Racing were one of the ten founding members of La Liga in 1929 but spent 14 years outside the top flight, including seven seasons in Spain's third tier. They are back…
- Roda JC KerkradeEerste Divisie
Roda's fans invaded the pitch in 2024 thinking they'd won promotion, thanks to a stadium announcement about a goal that never happened. They're still in the Eerste…
- SV Elversberg
BundesligaElversberg were in Germany's fourth tier in 2022 and reached the Bundesliga for the first time in 2026. They represent a community of roughly 13,000 people - the…
- Schwarz-Weiß BregenzAustrian 2. Liga
The original Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz collapsed in 2005 after playing Bundesliga football. A successor reclaimed the historic name and is now in Austria's second division…
- Sfax Railway Sport
Ligue Professionnelle 2Founded by railway workers, Sfax Railway Sport shocked Tunisia by winning the 1968 league title and nearly completed the double. They're now in the second tier, while CS…
- Shaanxi Union
China League OneShaanxi football has cycled through clubs, relocations and collapses, leaving supporters repeatedly starting again. Shaanxi Union was built with a strong supporter…
- SivassporTFF 1. Lig
Sivasspor came close to winning the Turkish title in 2009 and finally lifted their first major cup in 2022. Relegation followed in 2025. Return to the Süper Lig and…
- Sol de AméricaDivisión Intermedia
Sol de América broke Paraguay's established order with league titles in 1986 and 1991. They're now back in the second tier after relegation in 2024. Restore one of the…
- TB Tvøroyri
1. deildFounded in 1892, TB are the oldest club in the Faroes and have seven championships, but their last was in 1987. Relegated in 2025, they're now in the second division…
- TorreenseLiga Portugal 2
Torreense won the Portuguese Cup while playing in the second tier and qualified for the 2026/27 Europa League league phase. You are balancing two completely different…
- Trefelin BGC
Cymru PremierTrefelin reached the Cymru Premier for the first time in 2026/27. You are starting at the exact moment a small Welsh club hits its highest-ever level. Survive…
- Unión Magdalena
Categoría Primera BUnión Magdalena became Colombian champions in 1968 and remain the only club from the Caribbean city of Santa Marta to win the national title. Carlos Valderrama also…
- Unión Minas
Liga 2Unión Minas played top-flight football almost 4,300 metres above sea level in Cerro de Pasco. The miners disappeared from the professional game before winning the 2025…
- İstanbulsporTFF 1. Lig
İstanbulspor were founded by pupils and teachers at Istanbul High School, with colours tied to the school's First World War history. They have spent years overshadowed…
- AFC WimbledonLeague One
AFC Wimbledon were created by supporters in 2002 after Wimbledon FC was moved to Milton Keynes. They climbed from the ninth tier back into the EFL and returned to Plough…
- Austria KlagenfurtRegionalliga Mitte
Austria Klagenfurt went from Bundesliga football in 2024/25 to the third tier by 2026/27 as relegations and insolvency took their toll. Start with a former top-flight…
- Catania
Serie CCatania spent much of the late 2000s in Serie A before debt and bankruptcy eventually killed the old company in 2022. A new Catania started again in Serie D and…
- Deportivo La CoruñaLa Liga
Deportivo were Spanish champions in 2000 and Champions League semi-finalists in 2004, then collapsed as far as the third tier. They finally returned to La Liga for…
- Diamond Harbour FCExcluded from ISL - status to confirm
Diamond Harbour have risen through the Indian leagues at remarkable speed, only to be denied a top-flight place over a participation-fee dispute. Get their momentum…
- Ellas Syrou
Super League 2A club from the small Aegean island of Syros reached Greece's second division for the first time in 2025. Build a competitive side despite the island's size and travel…
- Energie Cottbus2. Bundesliga
Energie Cottbus spent six seasons in the Bundesliga despite coming from a relatively small city in the former East Germany, then fell all the way into the regional…
- FC RyukyuJ3
Based in Okinawa, the Southern-most area of Japan, separated by 400 miles of ocean to the mainland, these tropical islands are home to a distinct culture and history…
- FC VolendamEerste Divisie
Volendam have been promoted to the Eredivisie eleven times and relegated eleven times. It's hard to think of a more committed yo-yo club. Keep them up for good and win a…
- HataysporTFF 2. Lig
The 2023 earthquakes devastated Hatay and killed members of the club, including Christian Atsu and sporting director Taner Savut. Hatayspor subsequently suffered two…
- KTP
YkkösliigaKTP won back-to-back Finnish titles in 1951 and 1952, but modern life has been defined by bouncing between the top two divisions. Relegated in 2025, they have already…
- Leones Negros UdeG
Liga de Expansión MXLeones Negros are the football club of the University of Guadalajara and finished runners-up in Mexico's top flight three times during their 1970s peak. They are now in…
- Marek DupnitsaBulgarian Second League
Marek Dupnitsa beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the 1977/78 UEFA Cup, with Gerd Müller, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Sepp Maier and Uli Hoeneß in the Bayern squad. Marek now play in…
- Nancy
Ligue 2Nancy gave Michel Platini his breakthrough and won the Coupe de France in 1978, but years of decline eventually pushed them into the third tier. They have fought their…
- Notts CountyLeague One
Founded in 1862, Notts County are widely recognised as the world's oldest professional football club. After years outside the EFL they are climbing again and have…
- PanioniosSuper League Greece 2
Panionios trace their roots to Smyrna before the population exchange brought the club to Athens. They won two Greek Cups but financial collapse forced them into the…
- PatronatoPrimera Nacional
Patronato won the 2022 Copa Argentina in the same season they were relegated, which meant playing Copa Libertadores football as a second-tier club. Get them back to the…
- Plymouth ArgyleLeague One
Plymouth is one of England's biggest cities never to have had a club in the top flight. Argyle have spent well over a century trying to change that without quite…
- Real MurciaPrimera Federación
Real Murcia have spent 18 seasons in La Liga but have not been back since 2008. One of Spain's biggest cities has watched its main club spend years in the lower…
- Real ZaragozaPrimera Federación
Six-time Copa del Rey winners and 1995 European Cup Winners' Cup champions, Zaragoza have now fallen into Primera Federación after years outside La Liga. One of Spain's…
- RouenLigue 3
Rouen spent decades in France's top flight and even beat Arsenal in Europe in the 1960s, but have not played Ligue 1 football since 1985. They are now in the new…
- Santa Cruz
Campeonato Brasileiro Série CSanta Cruz have one of Brazil's biggest lower-league fanbases, yet financial collapse took them out of the national divisions completely in 2024. The recovery has become…
- Schalke 04Bundesliga
Seven-time German champions Schalke have one of Europe's biggest fanbases and a 62,000-capacity stadium, yet spent three consecutive seasons in 2. Bundesliga. They are…
- Seongnam FCK League 2
Seongnam have seven Korean league titles and two Asian championships, a trophy cabinet that should make them one of the continent's elite clubs. Instead they are in K…
- Skënderbeu Korçë
Kategoria SuperioreSkënderbeu won six consecutive Albanian titles and became the country's first Europa League group-stage club. A long UEFA ban over match-fixing allegations was followed…
- SochauxLigue 2
Sochaux are one of France's great industrial clubs, created around Peugeot and twice crowned French champions. Financial problems nearly destroyed the professional club…
- StevenageLeauge One
Stevenage have never finished above 6th place in the 3rd tier in their history. The Boro are also the 2nd largest club in Hertfordshire, behind Watford. Can you take the…
- SunderlandPremier League
Back in the Premier League and back in Europe after more than half a century, Sunderland's 2026/27 campaign gives you a sleeping giant with momentum. Turn their first…
- Tampere UnitedYkkönen
Tampere United are three-time Finnish champions who were relegated to the lowest tier of Finnish football in 2011. After a long journey back, the club are now on the…
- VarzimLiga 3
Varzim have spent more than 20 seasons in Portugal's top flight but have not been there since the early 2000s. The Póvoa de Varzim club now sit in Liga 3, squeezed…
- ÍF FuglafjørðurFaroese divisions - verify
ÍF won the Faroese championship in 1979, their first and only title. Years of relegation battles followed. Restore the little fishing-town club and see whether…
- AD AlcorcónPrimera Federación
Alcorcón humiliated Real Madrid 4-0 in the 2009 Copa del Rey when Ronaldo, Kaká and Benzema were all in the squad. They've never played in La Liga. Turn that one famous…
- AO XanthiGamma Ethniki
Xanthi spent 31 straight seasons in Greece's top flight before the professional club disappeared and the amateur side had to start again locally. They're fighting back…
- Alemannia Aachen3. Liga
Alemannia Aachen played Bundesliga and UEFA Cup football in the 2000s before financial trouble and relegations dumped them into the regional leagues. They are back in 3…
- Amkar Perm
Russian Second League Division AAmkar spent fourteen seasons in Russia's Premier League before going bust in 2018. The club was revived with regional backing and is climbing again. Finish the recovery…
- Arenas Club de GetxoPrimera Federación
Arenas were one of the ten founding members of La Liga and won the Copa del Rey in 1919. In 2026/27 they are playing in the third-tier Primera Federación. Take a club…
- AshantiGold SCGhanaian regional league / status to verify
Four-time champions AshantiGold fell out of Ghana's top flight after sanctions linked to the notorious 7-0 match against Inter Allies. Rebuild the reputation of Obuasi's…
- Atlético ColegialesPrimera División B / Primera B Nacional
Founded by a family of bookshop owners, Atlético Colegiales went from employees playing football to a 1995 Copa CONMEBOL semi-final. They're now in Paraguay's third…
- Atlético TorinoCopa Perú / amateur regional
Atlético Torino have won the Copa Perú five times, more than anyone else, yet haven't played in the top flight since 1997. Take Peru's promotion specialists back to…
- BK Frem3. division
Frem are six-time Danish champions and one of Copenhagen's great old football names, but their last title came before the modern European era and they now play in…
- Bella Vista
Amateur / lower division (verify)Bella Vista shocked Uruguay by winning the league in 1990, finishing seven points above Nacional. They've since tumbled into amateur football. Start in the lower…
- BromleyLeague One
It took Bromley 132 years to reach the EFL. Two seasons later they have already climbed again, reaching League One for the first time. The save starts with momentum but…
- CD MirandésPrimera Federación
Mirandés have reached two Copa del Rey semi-finals despite representing a small town and never playing in La Liga. Get them into the top flight for the first time and…
- CE EuropaPrimera Federación
CE Europa were founding members of La Liga and reached the Copa del Rey final in 1923. They now sit in the third tier, sharing Barcelona with two of the biggest clubs on…
- CS Saint-Laurent
Ligue1 Québec (no automatic CPL promotion)Saint-Laurent knocked Halifax Wanderers out of the Canadian Championship in 2024 and beat another professional side in 2026. The Montréal amateurs keep embarrassing…
- Deportivo ArmenioPrimera B Metropolitana
Deportivo Armenio were founded to represent Argentina's Armenian community and still lean fully into that identity. Build a proper diaspora save around…
- Deportivo EspañolPrimera C
Founded by Spanish immigrants, Deportivo Español spent 15 seasons in Argentina's top flight before sliding into Primera C. Bring the Buenos Aires club back from the…
- East Kilbride
Scottish League OneEast Kilbride only joined Scotland's senior pyramid in 2013 and have already reached the SPFL. Build on that momentum and turn a relatively new club from one of…
- FC Andorra
LaLiga HypermotionFC Andorra represent a country of roughly 80,000 people but play inside the Spanish league system. They are back in Segunda División, so La Liga is realistically within…
- Fortuna Köln3. Liga
Fortuna Köln reached the 1983 DFB-Pokal final and spent 26 consecutive seasons in 2. Bundesliga, usually living in the shadow of 1. FC Köln. They won promotion back to…
- Gimnàstic de TarragonaPrimera Federación
Nàstic have suffered consecutive promotion play-off final defeats, including one that went wrong in extra time. Get them back into Spain's second tier and eventually La…
- Grimsby TownLeague Two
Grimsby were a First Division club in the 1930s and reached two FA Cup semi-finals. Their 1939 semi-final against Wolves drew 76,962 to Old Trafford, still the stadium's…
- Hércules CFPrimera Federación
Hércules have spent 20 seasons in La Liga and produced one of the great promoted-team shocks when they beat Pep Guardiola's Barcelona 2-0 at the Camp Nou in 2010. They…
- Jomo CosmosABC Motsepe League
Jomo Sono built Jomo Cosmos into one of South Africa's most famous development clubs, producing and polishing generations of players before the team fell out of the…
- Killarney Celtic
FAI National LeagueKillarney Celtic won seven straight Kerry league titles before entering the new national third tier. Start at the bottom of the Irish pyramid, overtake nearby Kerry FC…
- LivornoSerie C
Livorno were playing Serie A and UEFA Cup football in the 2000s before financial collapse ended the old club in 2021. The reborn US Livorno climbed back into Serie C and…
- NK Varteks
SuperSport Druga NLSupporters founded NK Varteks in 2011 after becoming disillusioned with the direction, identity and finances of Varaždin's established club. Built around a one-member…
- Neftochimic BurgasBulgarian Third League - South-East
Neftochimic grew out of Burgas's oil-refinery workforce, surged into the top flight in the 1990s and finished runners-up in 1996/97. The club now plays in the South-East…
- New York Cosmos
USL League OnePelé. Beckenbauer. One of the biggest names in American football history. After years away, the Cosmos returned to professional competition in 2026 in USL League One…
- NovaraSerie C
Novara returned to Serie A in 2011 after 55 years away, then a decade later financial problems saw the old company excluded from professional football. The club was…
- Nuova Ternana 1925Serie D
Ternana reached the Serie C promotion play-off final in 2025, then collapsed the following year. A new club has restarted in Serie D. Bring professional football back to…
- Oldham AthleticLeague Two
Oldham became the first former Premier League club to fall out of the EFL when they were relegated to non-league in 2022. They finally won their Football League place…
- Olympic CharleroiNational Division 1
Olympic Charleroi finished runners-up in Belgium in 1947. They returned to the professional divisions in 2025, only to be relegated straight away. Take Charleroi's other…
- Presidente HayesParaguayan third tier - verify
Presidente Hayes won Paraguay's league in 1952. More than 70 years later they're in the third division, facing the threat of another drop. Take a former national…
- Preußen Münster3. Liga
Preußen Münster were founder members of the Bundesliga in 1963 but disappeared from the top two divisions for decades. Back-to-back promotions took them from the…
- RB Omiya ArdijaJ2 League
Omiya Ardija were bought by Red Bull and rebranded RB Omiya Ardija, bringing the global Red Bull model into Japanese football. Build 'Japanese Leipzig' - recruit young…
- Racing Club de FerrolPrimera Federación
Racing de Ferrol have spent decades in Spain's second division but have never reached La Liga. They even made the Copa del Rey final in 1939. Get this Galician naval…
- Raja Beni MellalMoroccan third tier
Raja Beni Mellal upset Morocco's giants to win the league in 1974. More than 50 years later they're down in the third tier. Start from the lower leagues and see whether…
- ReadingLeague One
Reading set a Championship record with 106 points in 2005/06, then finished eighth in their first Premier League season. Financial problems, transfer embargoes and…
- Real JaénPrimera Federación
Jaén spent years stuck in Spain's fifth tier before consecutive promotions revived the club. They haven't played in La Liga since the 1950s. Complete the comeback and…
- Real UniónPrimera Federación
Real Unión were founding members of La Liga and won four Copa del Rey titles during Spanish football's early years. They now represent tiny Irún in the third tier, right…
- Recreativo de HuelvaSegunda Federación
Founded in 1889, Recreativo are generally recognised as Spain's oldest football club. They now sit in the fourth tier, miles from the La Liga stage they once knew. Take…
- Rocha FCPrimera División Amateur (check placement)
Rocha won the 2005 Apertura to become the first club from outside Montevideo to win a Uruguayan top-flight tournament. They lost the championship final and later dropped…
- SR BrașovRomanian regional leagues - verify
After FC Brașov disappeared in 2017, supporters formed SR Brașov to keep the city's colours and Steagul Roșu identity alive. Start in the lower leagues with the…
- Salamanca UDSSegunda Federación
UD Salamanca spent 12 seasons in La Liga before disappearing in 2013. Salamanca CF UDS emerged in the aftermath and now play at the old club's Estadio Helmántico, with…
- SambenedetteseSerie C
Sambenedettese have spent more than 20 seasons in Serie B without ever reaching Serie A, despite support that regularly looks too big for the divisions they inhabit…
- Sporting Clube de GoaI-League 2
India's own Sporting CP were deliberately modelled on the Portuguese club but have never won the national league. Get them out of the third tier, build a Portuguese…
- Sriwijaya FCLiga Nusantara (Liga 3)
Sriwijaya won the Indonesian league-and-cup double in 2007/08 and another title in 2012. A long decline has sent them to Liga Nusantara, the third tier. Restore the…
- TSS Rovers FCLeague1 BC (no automatic CPL promotion)
TSS Rovers became the first semi-professional League1 Canada side to beat a CPL opponent in the Canadian Championship, eliminating Valour 3-1 in 2023. Keep upsetting…
- TecosLiga Premier de México
Tecos are a university club that somehow became Mexican champions in 1994. They now sit far below the top flight, so the challenge is to rebuild from the lower leagues…
- Trapani 1905Serie D
Trapani made the Serie B promotion play-off final in 2016, one game from reaching Serie A for the first time. Financial trouble has left them back in Serie D. Get a club…
- TriestinaSerie D - Girone C
Triestina once finished runners-up in Serie A but have spent more than 60 years outside Italy's top flight and are now in Serie D. Restore a historic border-city club…
- Unionistas de SalamancaPrimera Federación
When historic UD Salamanca disappeared in 2013, supporters created Unionistas as a fan-owned successor. They have climbed into Spain's third tier but have never reached…
- Unión HuaralLiga 3
Unión Huaral became Peru's first provincial champions in 1976 and won a second league title in 1989. They later lost their second-division licence and fell into Liga 3…
- Vado FCSerie C
Vado won the very first Coppa Italia in 1922 but have never played in Serie A. More than a century later they're back in the professional leagues. Get them into the top…
- Viktoria BerlinRegionalliga Nordost
Viktoria Berlin were German champions in 1908 and 1911, long before the Bundesliga existed. More than a century later they are buried in the Regionalliga. Take one of…
- Víkingur Ólafsvík
2. deild karlaA fishing village of roughly 1,000 people made it into Iceland's top division, with several players also taking the club into European futsal. They're back in the lower…
- WeymouthSouthern League South Division
Just over 4 years ago they were playing the likes of Wrexham and Notts County in the National League. Now after 3 relegations in 5 seasons, the 'Terras' have fallen to…
- Berchem SportNational Division 2
Berchem Sport finished second in Belgium three seasons running from 1949 to 1951, losing out to Anderlecht every time. They have never won the league and are now in the…
- Berwick RangersLowland League East
Berwick-upon-Tweed is in England, but Berwick Rangers have always played in the Scottish system. They dropped out of the SPFL in 2019 and now play in the fifth-tier…
- Brechin CityLowland League East
Brechin went through the entire 2017/18 Scottish Championship season without a win, finishing with four points. A few years later they were out of the SPFL altogether…
- CD BadajozTercera Federación
The original Badajoz went bust after more than a century and supporters had to start again. The revived club is back in the fifth tier. Take Extremadura's border-city…
- Carlisle UnitedNational League
Carlisle were top of the English First Division in August 1974 after winning their opening three games. They finished bottom that same season and have never returned to…
- ChesterfieldLeague Two
Chesterfield were denied a place in the 1997 FA Cup final after Jonathan Howard's shot against Middlesbrough crossed the line but wasn't given. They lost the semi-final…
- Club Atlético AtlasPrimera C
Atlas became a cult favourite through the documentary series Atlas, la otra pasión, which followed players balancing football with ordinary jobs. After decades at the…
- Eendracht Aalst LedeNational Division 2
Aalst knocked Levski Sofia out of the 1995 UEFA Cup before facing Roma. After the old club collapsed, a new project with Lede kept the football identity going. Rebuild…
- KSK BeverenBelgian provincial leagues - verify
KSK Beveren won Belgian titles in 1979 and 1984, but the historic club eventually disappeared from senior football. Supporters preserved the old registration and brought…
- Kickers OffenbachRegionalliga Südwest
Kickers Offenbach became the first club from outside the Bundesliga to win the DFB-Pokal when they lifted it in 1970. They have also been German runners-up twice, yet…
- Paraná ClubeCampeonato Paranaense 1st Division (2027)
Paraná were only formed in 1989 but quickly became one of southern Brazil's biggest success stories, reaching Série A and the Copa Libertadores. The collapse was just as…
- PiacenzaSerie D
Piacenza spent much of the 1990s in Serie A while famously leaning heavily on Italian players rather than importing stars. They are now in Serie D. Make the identity the…
- Queen of the SouthScottish League One
Queen of the South reached the 2008 Scottish Cup final after an absurd 4-3 semi-final win, then played European football despite losing to Rangers. They're now in the…
- SS TarantoEccellenza
Taranto is one of the biggest Italian cities never to have seen its team in Serie A. Another financial collapse has left the city's successor club in the fifth tier. End…
- Scunthorpe UnitedNational League
Scunthorpe were playing in the Championship in 2011, but ownership problems and repeated relegations sent them into the National League North by 2023. They finally won…
- Southend UnitedNational League
Southend came frighteningly close to disappearing before a new ownership group finally completed its takeover in 2024. They then lost the 2025 National League play-off…
- Sportivo ItalianoPrimera B Metropolitana
Sportivo Italiano were founded by post-war Italian immigrants in Argentina and still wear that identity openly. Make it a full role-play save: only sign Argentine and…
- TP-47Kakkonen
TP-47 come from Tornio on Finland's Swedish border, close to the Arctic Circle. They are playing in Kakkonen, outside FM's standard Finnish playable levels. Load a…
- Tasmania BerlinRegionalliga Nordost
The Tasmania name is inseparable from the infamous 1965/66 Bundesliga side that won twice, conceded 108 goals and became shorthand for a disastrous top-flight season…
- UD IbizaPrimera Federación
Ibiza's club raced from regional football into the second division before slipping back down. Take the island into La Liga for the first time and turn a place famous for…
- Vitória de SetúbalCampeonato de Portugal
Vitória have played more than 70 seasons in Portugal's top flight and won three Portuguese Cups, but financial problems eventually cost them their national-league place…
- WorthingNational League
Former player George Dowell bought Worthing in 2015 using compensation from the accident that left him paralysed. He paid off debts, improved the club's facilities and…
- Xerez Deportivo FCTercera Federación
Xerez Deportivo were created by supporters in 2013 as Xerez CD unravelled financially after having reached La Liga only four years earlier. The fan-built club has spent…
- Yeovil TownNational League
Yeovil beat Brentford at Wembley to reach the Championship in 2013. Ten years later, they'd dropped to the sixth tier after four relegations in a decade. They're back in…
- Borussia NeunkirchenOberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar
Borussia Neunkirchen played Bundesliga football in the 1960s and were one of Saarland's major clubs before the region vanished from Germany's elite. They now play in the…
- Chester FCNational League North
Chester City was wound up in 2010 and supporters immediately created Chester FC in its place. The club play in the English pyramid despite their stadium sitting just…
- Clydebank FCLowland League West
The old Clydebank lost its senior-league identity in 2002 when its registration was used to create Airdrie United. Supporters formed a new Clydebank and started again in…
- Cray WanderersIsthmian League Premier Division
Founded in 1860 by railway workers, Cray Wanderers are London's oldest surviving football club. They've never played in the Football League, and only recently ended…
- DarlingtonNational League North
Darlington spent generations in the Football League before financial collapse forced a supporter-led rebuild far down the pyramid. The club is now fan-owned, with the…
- DenizlisporTurkish amateur / regional leagues
Denizlispor knocked Lyon out of the 2002/03 UEFA Cup before losing to José Mourinho's Porto. They've since fallen out of Turkish professional football. Start in the…
- Dorking WanderersNational League South
Dorking Wanderers were founded by a group of mates in 1999 and climbed from park football all the way to the National League. They are a modern non-league phenomenon…
- FC Halifax TownNational League
Halifax Town went bust in 2008 and the successor club rebuilt from three divisions lower. They have already made it back to the National League; only one promotion now…
- HerefordNational League North
Hereford United was wound up in 2014 and its supporter-backed successor had to restart near the bottom of non-league. The club has already fought back to National League…
- MacclesfieldNational League North
The old Macclesfield Town collapsed in 2020; the phoenix club has flown through the pyramid and in 2026 became the first sixth-tier side ever to knock the reigning FA…
- MarineNational League North
In January 2021, eighth-tier Marine hosted José Mourinho's Tottenham in the FA Cup at their tiny Rossett Park ground. Fans couldn't attend because of Covid restrictions…
- Nankatsu SCJapanese regional / lower league
Nankatsu is the fictional club from Captain Tsubasa made real, with creator Yoichi Takahashi involved in the project. Take one of football's strangest real-life…
- SedanRégional 1 Grand Est
Sedan won two French Cups and were still a Ligue 1 club in the 2000s, but liquidation in 2023 forced them into regional football. They are now in Régional 1, miles from…
- TamworthNational League
Fifth-tier Tamworth held Tottenham to 0-0 after 90 minutes in the 2025 FA Cup before eventually losing 3-0 in extra time. The Lambs came painfully close to one of the…
- Toronto CroatiaCanadian regional / amateur league - verify
Toronto Croatia's immigrant community helped turn Metros-Croatia into NASL champions in 1976, with Eusébio leading the attack. Rebuild a Croatian-Canadian football…
- Truro CityNational League South
No Cornish club has ever played in the Football League. Truro became the first from the county to reach the National League in 2025, but were relegated after just one…
- Wattenscheid 09Oberliga Westfalen
Wattenscheid spent four straight seasons in the Bundesliga from 1990 to 1994 and developed players including the Altıntop brothers before financial collapse pushed the…
- WorkingtonNorthern Premier League Premier Division
Workington spent 26 years in the Football League and gave Bill Shankly one of his early managerial jobs before he became a Liverpool legend. They lost their league place…
- BuryNorthern Premier League Premier Division
Bury were expelled from the EFL in 2019 and the town had to rebuild from the wreckage. They are back at Gigg Lane and climbing again after another title-winning season…
- Enfield TownIsthmian League Premier Division
Supporters founded Enfield Town in 2001 after falling out with the ownership of Enfield FC, creating England's first fully supporter-owned senior football club. They've…
- FC United of ManchesterNorthern Premier League Premier Division
FC United were founded in 2005 by Manchester United supporters opposed to the Glazer takeover and remain member-owned. They already built their own ground at Broadhurst…
- Farnham TownNational League South
Three promotions in three seasons have carried Farnham Town into National League South. The EFL is now only two promotions away. Continue a real-life rocket through…
- Hashtag UnitedIsthmian League North Division
Spencer Owen founded Hashtag United in 2016 as a YouTube football team. They climbed into the seventh tier, but asked for voluntary relegation in 2026 because of the…
- Maidstone UnitedNational League South
In 2024, sixth-tier Maidstone beat Championship high-flyers Ipswich 2-1 away in the FA Cup, despite being 98 league places below them. They became the first club from…
- Merthyr TownNational League North
Merthyr are a Welsh, fan-owned club that deliberately chose the English pyramid over a route into the Cymru Premier because the dream is the EFL. They are now in…
- Scarborough AthleticNational League North
The original Scarborough became the first club promoted automatically into the Football League in 1987, but disappeared in 2007. Scarborough Athletic was created by…
- Sheffield FCNorthern Premier League Division One Midlands
Sheffield FC were founded in 1857 and are recognised by FIFA as the world's first football club, yet they have never reached the Football League. They now play in the…
- AFC Rushden & DiamondsNorthern Premier League Division One Midlands
Rushden & Diamonds raced from non-league into the EFL before collapsing completely in 2011. Supporters created AFC Rushden & Diamonds in response. Start deep in the…
- East Sheen FCMiddlesex County League Division One West
One of English football's oldest names has effectively been brought back from the dead. East Sheen were founded in 1873, disappeared for more than a century and were…
- Guernsey FC
Southern Combination Premier DivisionGuernsey represent the Channel Islands inside the English pyramid, so every promotion creates bigger football and bigger travel problems. Starting in the ninth tier…
- Hallam FCNorthern Premier League Division One East
Founded in 1860, Hallam are widely recognised as the world's second-oldest football club. Their Sandygate ground is recognised as the oldest football ground in the…