Discover hidden gems in Football Manager! Explore budget-friendly nations for wonderkid talent and dominate the game.
Unlock the secrets to building a formidable team in Football Manager with these overlooked scouting destinations.
Today, one of the most important parts of Football Manager is scouting. Being able to build a large scouting network and then being able to trust their insight is very important to building a team that can win things in this game. That’s why we highly recommend that if you are looking to start building a good team in FM, you should look to scout the following nations.
These are outside the ‘big’ nations, but each one offers some tremendous talent that really should make finding good players much simpler.
There are two factors to consider: the country’s ability to produce wonderkids and the price of those youngsters. Some of the traditional powers of youth development (Brazil, Netherlands, Spain, England, for example) can charge a premium for their youngsters simply because of their national reputation. For example, you’d assume that any given youngster from Germany can demand a higher transfer fee and higher wage than a player from Romania for example, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll always be better. The key is to know which nations have the facilities and the infrastructure to produce talent, and how to lure them away for cheap.
This one feels a bit like cheating. Everyone knows that Nigeria leads the way in producing wonderkids, particularly among African nations. However, the Nigerian league isn’t as lucrative as many of its European counterparts, and tempting Nigerian players to leagues in Europe – even those outside the top 5 – is easier than plenty of other countries. If your scouts can spot talent in Nigeria – and other African nations such as Egypt, Algeria and Morocco can be well worth your time – you may just find the next Jay Jay Okocha or Victor Osimhen. Wait for newgen date and send your scout to Remo Stars for a team report, thank me later.
These are outside the ‘big’ nations, but each one offers some tremendous talent that really should make finding good players much simpler.
What makes a good nation to scout?
There are two factors to consider: the country’s ability to produce wonderkids and the price of those youngsters. Some of the traditional powers of youth development (Brazil, Netherlands, Spain, England, for example) can charge a premium for their youngsters simply because of their national reputation. For example, you’d assume that any given youngster from Germany can demand a higher transfer fee and higher wage than a player from Romania for example, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll always be better. The key is to know which nations have the facilities and the infrastructure to produce talent, and how to lure them away for cheap.
Nigeria
This one feels a bit like cheating. Everyone knows that Nigeria leads the way in producing wonderkids, particularly among African nations. However, the Nigerian league isn’t as lucrative as many of its European counterparts, and tempting Nigerian players to leagues in Europe – even those outside the top 5 – is easier than plenty of other countries. If your scouts can spot talent in Nigeria – and other African nations such as Egypt, Algeria and Morocco can be well worth your time – you may just find the next Jay Jay Okocha or Victor Osimhen. Wait for newgen date and send your scout to Remo Stars for a team report, thank me later.
Japan
Without a doubt the top nation in Asia to go and scout, Japan produces a regular stream of brilliant players, especially in games after Football Manager 2024’s release when the licensing agreement was sorted for the J-League. The standard of youth and training facilities across the country is excellent, rivalling traditional talent hotbeds such as Switzerland or Portugal. Japanese clubs regularly turn out solid top-5 league standard players, so if you’re looking to fill out your squad, send your scouts to Japan.
One of the most famous countries for newgens in the FM, Iran will surely face stiff competition from Saudi Arabia in the future as they battle for dominance in Asia. According to Football Manager, however, Iran still has the edge and is the premier talent producer in the middle east. Foolad have the best facilities in the game, and their newgens will be sure to challenge for places in premier European competition. While some players in the middle east states will have high wage demands, Iranian players tend to be more affordable than players from the Saudi Pro League or Qatar, and thus you can still find genuine diamonds for a fraction of their true value. Jordan is also an excellent country in this regard, and famously churns out some serious talent in Football Manager.
One of the best playable leagues to plunder for talent is South Africa. Many Football Manager veterans will note the ease of picking up bargains here and in the Scandinavian leagues. South Africa, though, also tends to produce a high standard of regen talent to supplement an excellent standard of domestic player. Keep an eye on the annual NxGn announcements, and you’ll notice there are regularly players from South Africa included. One of my favourite newgens of all time came on FM22, named Thulasiswe Khiba, a no-nonsense centre-back who was imperious in the air and dominant in the tackle. I picked him up for £500k at the age of 19, and after one season with my AZ side was valued at over £80m and attracting interest from Real Madrid. So, if you’re looking for cheap gems to refine and sell for massive profit, South Africa is your perfect hunting ground.
As a rule of thumb, if a country is near others with high reputations for youth development, they’re worth checking out. Located among such development giants as Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Austria, Czechia is an overlooked and underrated country to scour for gems. While Sparta Praha and Slavia Praha are well-known to produced high-potential youngsters, show your savviness and keep an eye on Banik Ostrava. As one of the most well-equipped clubs in Czechia, this is a club that will reliably turn out Premier League potential players.
Absolutely loaded with domestic talent, Colombia is an accessible and affordable talent pool that FM players have been scouting for years. With typical South American talent, you can shop around in Colombia to find gems without the Brazilian or Argentinian price tags. The same can be said of Ecuador and Chile, and your scouts should be able to find talents to rival the traditional powerhouses at a fraction of the cost. America de Cali, Atletico Nacional and Envigado are the primary talent factories in Colombia, according to Football Manager, so keep your eye on these clubs around the newgen date.
Be sure to scout these nations and you can find cheap imports for European leagues and also brilliant regens worth under £100k on a regular basis. Enjoy building your club with youngsters from previously underrated nations, and watch your side of underdogs take on the best.
Iran
One of the most famous countries for newgens in the FM, Iran will surely face stiff competition from Saudi Arabia in the future as they battle for dominance in Asia. According to Football Manager, however, Iran still has the edge and is the premier talent producer in the middle east. Foolad have the best facilities in the game, and their newgens will be sure to challenge for places in premier European competition. While some players in the middle east states will have high wage demands, Iranian players tend to be more affordable than players from the Saudi Pro League or Qatar, and thus you can still find genuine diamonds for a fraction of their true value. Jordan is also an excellent country in this regard, and famously churns out some serious talent in Football Manager.
South Africa
One of the best playable leagues to plunder for talent is South Africa. Many Football Manager veterans will note the ease of picking up bargains here and in the Scandinavian leagues. South Africa, though, also tends to produce a high standard of regen talent to supplement an excellent standard of domestic player. Keep an eye on the annual NxGn announcements, and you’ll notice there are regularly players from South Africa included. One of my favourite newgens of all time came on FM22, named Thulasiswe Khiba, a no-nonsense centre-back who was imperious in the air and dominant in the tackle. I picked him up for £500k at the age of 19, and after one season with my AZ side was valued at over £80m and attracting interest from Real Madrid. So, if you’re looking for cheap gems to refine and sell for massive profit, South Africa is your perfect hunting ground.
Czechia
As a rule of thumb, if a country is near others with high reputations for youth development, they’re worth checking out. Located among such development giants as Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Austria, Czechia is an overlooked and underrated country to scour for gems. While Sparta Praha and Slavia Praha are well-known to produced high-potential youngsters, show your savviness and keep an eye on Banik Ostrava. As one of the most well-equipped clubs in Czechia, this is a club that will reliably turn out Premier League potential players.
Colombia
Absolutely loaded with domestic talent, Colombia is an accessible and affordable talent pool that FM players have been scouting for years. With typical South American talent, you can shop around in Colombia to find gems without the Brazilian or Argentinian price tags. The same can be said of Ecuador and Chile, and your scouts should be able to find talents to rival the traditional powerhouses at a fraction of the cost. America de Cali, Atletico Nacional and Envigado are the primary talent factories in Colombia, according to Football Manager, so keep your eye on these clubs around the newgen date.
Conclusion
Be sure to scout these nations and you can find cheap imports for European leagues and also brilliant regens worth under £100k on a regular basis. Enjoy building your club with youngsters from previously underrated nations, and watch your side of underdogs take on the best.
