Forget Ajax and Barca - these 10 clubs can print regens if you build
properly.
You can start at Ajax, Benfica, Barcelona and call it “a youth save” if you want. But let’s be honest - that’s playing on easy mode.
The real fun in Football Manager 2026 is finding clubs whose badge screams “mid-table” while their youth setup quietly screams “future dynasty”.
Below are 10 clubs whose youth pipelines are worth your time. I’ve included a different spin for each one - why it’s fun in a save, what the academy is known for, and which youngsters are worth checking early in your database.
How I’m judging these: youth facilities + training facilities + finances + how realistic it is to turn them into a regen factory.
READ ALSO: FM26 Save Ideas Hub
1) Atalanta (Italy) - “Zingonia” with a Champions League budget
FM26 facilities snapshot: Training: Excellent | Youth: Superb | Finances: Secure
If you want the vibe of a superclub youth factory without actually managing a superclub, Atalanta is your cheat code. You’re not begging for scraps - you’re competing in Europe while your academy keeps feeding the machine.
Academy Hall of Fame: this club is famous for producing and polishing talent, with big names regularly linked to their youth pipeline.
FM26 watchlist: check your save for U19 standouts like Relja Obric and Nicolò Baldo - in many databases they show up with the kind of potential you can actually build around.
Save hook: sell one star every summer, reinvest in recruitment and facilities, and aim to become the Serie A club that out-produces everyone. Not out-spending - out-developing.
2) Baník Ostrava (Czechia) - the “Superb youth” giant-killer
FM26 facilities snapshot: Training: Excellent | Youth: Superb | Finances: Okay
Baník is the kind of club that makes you grin when you open the facilities tab. Superb youth facilities in a league where you can actually dominate with development? Yes please.
Academy Hall of Fame: Milan Baroš is the headline, and Baník has a long history of producing top Czech talent.
FM26 watchlist: in youth squads you’ll often see names like Šimon Drozd (goals) and creative wide players such as Šimon Nináč popping up in the U19 overview.
Save hook: break Sparta and Slavia by doing the one thing they can’t easily copy - a constant conveyor belt of homegrown starters.
3) Servette (Switzerland) - elite youth output, big stadium, proper platform
FM26 facilities snapshot: Training: Good | Youth: Excellent | Finances: Okay
Servette is perfect if you want a “big club feel” without big club expectations. Stade de Genève gives you room to grow revenue, and the youth setup is better than people assume.
Academy Hall of Fame: Denis Zakaria came through Servette’s youth system, which tells you the ceiling is real.
FM26 watchlist: look at the U21 list early - players like Rayan Ouchard and Alonzo Vincent are the exact profiles that can turn into profit or first-team starters depending on your development plan.
Save hook: become the Swiss club that sells smarter than Basel and develops better than Young Boys. Europe is the endgame - not a dream.
4) FC Groningen (Netherlands) - the academy identity is real, and the league rewards it
FM26 facilities snapshot: Training: Excellent | Youth: Excellent | Finances: Okay
Groningen is one of those clubs where the football culture matches the save idea. You’re in a country that respects development, and your facilities are strong enough to compete.
Academy Hall of Fame: Arjen Robben is the poster boy - he literally came through Groningen’s youth setup. And Groningen has also been a launchpad for stars like Virgil van Dijk (not an academy product, but a “career lift-off” club).
FM26 watchlist: yes, that surname will make you double-take - keep an eye on youth names like Luka Robben showing up in their youth squads, plus any U19s already valued higher than the rest.
Save hook: play the Ajax game without being Ajax - develop, sell, replace, repeat. The Eredivisie is basically built for this loop.
5) Le Havre (France) - the “we did it before Pogba” academy
FM26 facilities snapshot: Training: Great | Youth: Great | Finances: Okay
If you want a club whose entire identity is “we make footballers”, Le Havre is it. They’re one of the most famous production lines in France.
Academy Hall of Fame: Paul Pogba and Riyad Mahrez are the obvious headlines - but the point is bigger: Le Havre’s system is built to create professionals, not just youth-team heroes.
FM26 watchlist: check U19s like Mansour Amadou and Yanis Soh early. In some saves they’re nothing, in others they’re your next £15m sale.
Save hook: build a French “seller club” that still wins. The goal is to finance trophies with teenagers.
READ ALSO: Develop Wonderkids Faster - Training Trick
6) Sochaux (France) - a sleeping academy giant with a proven track record
FM26 facilities snapshot: Training: Great | Youth: Excellent | Finances: Okay
Sochaux is a classic “academy > reputation” club. Even when the first team isn’t glamorous, the youth output history is serious.
Academy Hall of Fame: the club has produced a stack of notable talents over the years - including El-Hadji Diouf, Jérémy Ménez and Benoît Pedretti.
FM26 watchlist: scan their youth squads for names like Condé Camara and Adriano Delphis. They’re the type of prospects that can become either first-team rotation or pure profit.
Save hook: turn Sochaux into the French club that farms Ligue 1-level players without ever needing Ligue 1 money.
7) SV Zulte Waregem (Belgium) - big facilities, smaller spotlight, perfect exploit
FM26 facilities snapshot: Training: Great | Youth: Great | Finances: Insecure
Here’s the twist: the finances are shaky, but the youth setup is strong. That tension makes the save addictive.
Academy Hall of Fame: you’re not buying the “world famous academy” label here. You’re buying the FM reality - good youth facilities can beat reputation if you manage properly.
FM26 watchlist: youngsters like Arnaud Dobbels can be useful early, while Jong Essevee prospects such as Kewan Vemba and Dries Verhulst are worth checking in your scouting centre.
Save hook: survive financially by selling one academy graduate a year, and use loans smartly. This is a “moneyball youth” save, not a vibes save.
8) HJK (Finland) - the Nordic conveyor belt you can actually control
FM26 facilities snapshot: Training: Great | Youth: Good | Finances: Okay
Finland doesn’t get the hype, which is exactly why this is fun. HJK is a proper platform club - European qualifiers, strong domestic position, and a steady flow of talent.
Academy Hall of Fame: Mikael Forssell is one of the best-known examples of an HJK academy graduate making it abroad.
FM26 watchlist: HJK’s development ladder matters - check Klubi 04 names like Mitja Haapanen and Adiche Sabwele, plus your U19s like Kalle Pentikäinen and Lenny Sopanen.
Save hook: become the Scandinavian club that sells to the top five leagues while still qualifying for Europe every year. It’s a long-term save that prints progress.
9) St Mirren (Scotland) - small club, real pathway, proper “career mode” energy
FM26 facilities snapshot: Training: Good | Youth: Good | Finances: Okay
This one is for people who want a save that feels earned. You’re not starting with elite facilities - you’re building them, while Scotland gives you a clear target: break the Old Firm grip.
Academy Hall of Fame: John McGinn is the name everyone recognises, and St Mirren are proud of that pathway.
FM26 watchlist: check the youth groups for names like Lewis Marshall and Jaspreet Sambi. Scottish youth development is a patience game - but the payoff is massive when you nail it.
Save hook: use the academy as your identity. If you can’t outspend Celtic and Rangers, out-produce them.
10) Danubio (Uruguay) - the romantic South American factory (with a reality check)
FM26 facilities snapshot: Training: Adequate | Youth: Average | Finances: Okay
Danubio is the “pure story” pick. You’re not choosing them because the facilities are insane - you’re choosing them because the club’s history of producing talent is undeniable.
Academy Hall of Fame: Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlán both started their journeys at Danubio, and that alone sells the save idea.
FM26 watchlist: their youth squads often include names like Bruno Garcia and Joel Lemos. The challenge is turning rough talent into export-quality players.
Save hook: you are a developer club. Your goal is to sell to Europe, reinvest, and build the kind of youth recruitment network that makes the “Average facilities” irrelevant.
How to squeeze maximum regens from these clubs in FM26
If you’re serious about turning any of these into a wonderkid factory, do the boring stuff properly. That’s where most players mess it up.
- Prioritise: Youth Recruitment, Junior Coaching, and your Head of Youth Development.
- Scout smart: set assignments to 15-19 age range and filter by personality and physical base.
- Don’t hoard: keep only the highest-upside prospects, loan the rest, sell ruthlessly.
- Play them: development needs minutes. Cup games are your lab.
Conclusion
Anyone can win trophies with a superclub academy. The fun is doing it with clubs that are quietly built for development.
Pick one of these 10, commit to the long game, and you’ll end up with the best kind of FM save: the one where you can point at your starting XI in 2032 and say “I made all of them”.
