6 Hardcore FM24 Challenges for Elite Managers (Do You Dare?)

Discover 6 brutally difficult FM24 challenges that push your Football Manager skills to the absolute limit. Only for elite gaffers who dare to suffer.

Think you've mastered FM24? Try these six punishing challenges made for true Football Manager veterans.

Are you tired of winning the Champions League with Real Madrid by 2027 and having nothing left to prove? 

If FM24 feels too easy lately, maybe it’s time to push your managerial skills to the absolute limit. I’ve gathered a list of six brutally challenging Football Manager 2024 save ideas — only for the truly obsessed. Ready to suffer? Good.

1. The Giant-killers Challenge

Objective: Win a domestic cup while managing in the third tier or lower — without getting promoted.

FM24 example: Take Eastleigh or Altrincham from Vanarama National League and win the FA Cup — without signing a Premier League loanee every week.

Pro tip: Exploit set pieces, go ultra-defensive, and pray to the FM gods for a good cup draw.

2. The Head-hunted Challenge

Objective: Start at a club with a half-star reputation and get head-hunted by a national team — then go on to win the World Cup.

• You can never apply for a job. Ever.

FM24 tip: Start in a lesser-known league like Iceland or Georgia to make things interesting. And no, you’re not allowed to beg for jobs on Twitter.

READ ALSO: Top 10 Non-League Clubs to Manage in FM24

3.  The Journeyman: No Badges, No Job Offers

Objective: Start unemployed, with no coaching badges and Sunday League reputation, and build a career from scratch.

• You can’t apply for jobs after the first one. You must build a reputation and wait for offers.
• Add leagues as you move to new countries.
• Your only tool is patience. And maybe Google Translate.

Bonus: Make it a blog or YouTube series. People love watching others suffer.

4. The Director of Football Dictatorship

Objective: You manage the team on the pitch — but the Director of Football handles everything else.

No transfer negotiations. No scouting. No staff signings. You are a training-and-tactics-only manager.

Recommended clubs in FM24: Benfica (Rui Pedro Braz), RB Salzburg, Parma

Extra rule: Accept every offer your DoF makes — even if it bankrupts you.

READ ALSO: 6 Clubs in Financial Crisis That Need Saving in FM24

5. The One-Season Save (No Transfers, No Staff Changes)

Objective: Complete one full season without making a single transfer or staff change.

• No signings, no loans, no sales.
• No new coaches, physios, or scouts.

Perfect for: A lunch break meltdown or testing your tactical creativity. Pick a club like Valencia, Everton, or Fiorentina.

Challenge mode: Pick a club with financial issues or injury crises for full masochism.

6. The Pentagon Challenge (FM24 Edition)

Objective: Win the Champions League on five continents — Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, and North America.

• Start unemployed with no badges.
• Climb from small clubs to continental giants.
• Adapt to league rules, languages, and ridiculous squad registration systems.

FM24 specific advice: Start in South Africa or Vietnam to build momentum.

READ NEXT: Top 8 Sleeping Giants to Rebuild in FM24

Final Whistle

There you have it — six (plus a few extras) Football Manager 2024 challenges that’ll test every fibre of your FM soul. These aren’t for casuals. These are for the save-scumming, touchline-kicking, spreadsheet-wielding madmen who live for the grind.

So… which one are you starting tonight?