Revive these FM26 fallen giants and turn chaos into Champions League glory
in Football Manager 2026.
Football Manager 2026 is built for long term save ideas, and nothing scratches that itch like reviving a fallen empire. One club, one vision, one stupidly long spreadsheet of regens and wage demands.
In this FM26 guide we are looking at ten fallen giants who still have massive fanbases, big stadiums and bags of potential. Some are recovering, some are still a mess, and one or two are absolute basket cases in real life. Perfect for us.
You will get a mix of FM26 fallen giants, real world context, and clear save goals so you know exactly what you are signing up for before you hit "Start New Game".
1. AC Milan - Pre success reset save
AC Milan are weirdly both a fallen giant and a recently revived monster. They dominated Europe in the late 80s and 90s, then sleepwalked through a lost decade of mid table Serie A chaos before finally getting their act together and winning the title again under Pioli.
In FM26 your mission is simple – treat this as a pre collapse reset. You are stepping in at the point where Milan are relevant again, and your job is to make sure the post 2012 style decline never happens in your universe. No banter era, no seventh place finishes, no selling your best players for peanuts.
Short term, that means turning Milan back into a machine in Serie A. Lock in a clear identity, either a high pressing 4 2 3 1 or a more pragmatic 4 3 3 that protects your centre backs. Build around your elite young core and ruthlessly move on anyone who is overpaid, injured or simply not Champions League winning quality.
Long term, the save idea is to create a dynasty. Five straight Scudetti. Multiple Champions League wins. A youth system that spits out Italian regens every year so the Azzurri basically become Milan plus friends. If Milan drop out of the top two in Serie A under your watch, you failed the challenge.
2. Manchester United - Restore the aura of fear
Manchester United are still huge in every sense – stadium, fanbase, commercial power – but on the pitch the aura has evaporated. Recent seasons have been a horror show, with United finishing mid table, losing constantly at Old Trafford and putting up some of the worst runs in their Premier League history.
FM26 captures that crisis vibe perfectly. You have money, but not unlimited. You have talent, but it does not fit together. The board want Champions League football while the squad plays like a confused mid table side.
Your fallen empire challenge is to build a ruthless, modern United that actually scares people again. Cut the wage bloat, stop hoarding forwards you do not trust and invest heavily in a proper spine – goalkeeper, centre back, defensive midfielder, centre forward. If you do not have a clear idea of what United football looks like after season one, you are part of the problem.
Set your own rules. Maybe you only sign players under 24, you back the academy hard, and you refuse short term panic buys. The goal is not just trophies, it is to make sure you never again stumble into a 15th place finish while your rivals are laughing at you from the top of the table.
READ MORE: FM26 best English wonderkids
3. Nottingham Forest - Two time European kings reborn
Nottingham Forest have one of the most ridiculous histories in world football. Back to back European Cups, then a slow slide down the leagues that ended with them in the third tier before they clawed their way back to the Premier League. In recent seasons they have stabilised and even pushed into the European spots again.
In FM26 you start with Forest as a solid top flight side at the City Ground, but they are still living miles below their historic ceiling. Your save idea is to treat those two European Cups as a target, not a museum piece.
The club suits an aggressive recruitment model. Use your scouting team to hoover up undervalued players from South America and smaller European leagues, then flip them at a profit once you have overachieved in the league. You want Forest to become the smartest club in England, not just another relegation dogfighter.
Medium term aim – qualify for Europe on merit and regularly punch above your wage bill. Long term – win a European trophy again. Until you see that third continental title in the honours list, the job is not finished.
4. Olympique Lyonnais - From financial chaos to French powerhouse
Lyon used to be the model club in France. Seven straight Ligue 1 titles, elite academy, smart recruitment, constant Champions League nights. Then the 2010s hit, the money moved to Paris, and Lyon slowly slipped into chaos both on and off the pitch.
Recently it has gone from bad to surreal. Despite a strong comeback season on the pitch, the French financial watchdog has hit the club with an administrative relegation to Ligue 2 over huge debts and concerns about the ownership structure. It is the very definition of a fallen empire.
FM26 gives you a slightly cleaner version of the mess. Lyon still have fantastic facilities and one of the best youth setups in Europe, but you will feel the financial squeeze and the pressure to sell. Your job is to stabilise first, then dominate.
Tactically you can lean into what Lyon have always done well – technical midfielders, wide forwards who drift inside, full backs who bomb on. Set yourself a clear target: wrestle at least one Ligue 1 title away from PSG, and turn the academy into a machine that funds everything. If you can win the league and make Lyon financially healthy again, you have completed one of the hardest FM26 saves on this list.
READ MORE: FM26 transfer budgets for every club
5. Valencia CF - Politics, pressure and huge potential
Valencia are pure drama. Massive city, iconic Mestalla, a fanbase that expects Champions League football as standard, and an ownership situation that has turned the club into a soap opera. Financial problems, stalled stadium plans and constant protests have defined the last decade.
The good news is that the Nou Mestalla project is finally moving again and the club have started to post a profit, even if revenues have dipped. In FM26 you get a club that still have Rich finances, elite training and youth facilities, but the squad is thin and the expectations are heavy.
Your save idea here is all about balancing politics with performance. You need to sell smartly, replace stars with hungry young talent and avoid the temptation to blow your budget on one big name. Think high energy 4 2 3 1, heavy pressing at Mestalla and an identity built around academy graduates and undervalued signings.
Target number one – get back into the Champions League without wrecking the balance sheet. Target number two – win La Liga while moving into a completed Nou Mestalla in your long term save. If you can do both, you will feel like you have actually fixed Valencia, not just parked a few regens in orange shirts.
6. Hamburger SV - The German dinosaur finally wakes up
Hamburger SV used to be permanent furniture in the Bundesliga. Then came relegation in 2018 and a painful, meme filled spell in the 2. Bundesliga where they kept bottling promotion. At long last, they smashed their way back to the top flight in 2024 25, earning promotion with a big win and ending seven years in the wilderness.
In FM26 you are stepping into a club that has just returned to the Bundesliga. They still have a big fanbase, a 57k capacity Volksparkstadion and a squad with enough quality to survive, but the risks are obvious – one bad season and you are back in the mud.
Your challenge is to turn HSV from yo yo club into Europa League regular again. Go hard on set pieces, use the home crowd energy and defend like your life depends on it in year one. Recruitment wise, pick up smart free transfers, Bundesliga proven veterans and one or two high ceiling youngsters.
If you can keep them up, the long term save idea is beautiful – rebuild HSV as the third power in Germany. Regular Champions League football, a conveyor belt of German regens, and a serious attempt to knock Bayern and Dortmund off their perch.
READ MORE: Best youth academies to manage in FM26
7. Wisła Kraków - Take Poland’s fallen star back to the top
For years Wisła Kraków were a dominant force in Poland, winning titles and regularly appearing in Europe. Then came ownership chaos, financial problems and relegation from the Ekstraklasa. They are now battling in the I liga, Poland’s second tier, trying to claw their way back while still pulling big crowds.
FM26 mirrors this nicely. You start with a big stadium, passionate fans and decent training facilities, but you are stuck outside the top flight. Money is tight and the margin for error is tiny.
The save idea is classic fallen giant energy. Get promoted as quickly as possible, ideally using a mix of loanees and cheap domestic signings, then consolidate in the Ekstraklasa before you dream of trophies. Lean into a direct, high intensity style that suits Polish winters and average pitches.
The long term objective is brutal but simple – win the league, dominate Poland again and finally drag Wisła into the group stages of a major European competition. If you want a hard mode FM26 rebuild outside the Big Five leagues, this is it.
8. Deportivo La Coruña - From Champions League nights to cold Tuesdays
If you watched football in the early 2000s, you remember Dépor. They were destroying giants in the Champions League, winning La Liga, and the Riazor was one of the loudest grounds in Europe. Fast forward and the club collapsed into the lower tiers, only recently fighting their way back into the Segunda División.
In FM26 Deportivo sit in that awkward in between place. Too big to feel comfortable in the second division, nowhere near strong enough to walk it. Finances are limited, but the fanbase and stadium scream top flight.
Your save idea here is a proper slow burn rebuild. You probably need two seasons minimum to get promotion, especially if you commit to signing young Spaniards or players from Galicia to give the save a local flavour. Tactically a 4 2 3 1 with aggressive wingers or an old school 4 4 2 can both work nicely in the slog of Segunda.
Ultimate target – get Deportivo back into La Liga, then recreate those legendary European nights. If you knock out a giant in the Champions League quarter finals, you have officially completed the nostalgia circuit.
READ MORE: FM26 rich underdog clubs to manage
9. Leeds United - Survive first, then rise again
Leeds United are a club that refuses to be boring. They spent years in the wilderness after financial meltdown and relegation, fought their way back to the Premier League, then dropped again before another promotion push. Promotion back to the top flight for 2025 26 feels like the start of a new chapter rather than the end of the story.
FM26 throws you into that turbulence. You have Elland Road packed every week, strong supporter culture demanding attacking, high tempo football and a board who expect you to stay up while playing the Leeds way. The squad is energetic but often chaotic.
Year one objective is brutally clear – survive. Tie down your best assets, trim any dead wages, and build a compact, hard running side that presses like mad without completely gassing out by March. Use the club’s superb training and youth facilities to push academy graduates into the first team over time.
Once you are safe, the long term save idea is to push Leeds from plucky survivor to European regular. A top six finish, a deep cup run and a Europa League night under the lights at Elland Road – that is the real redemption arc.
10. Rangers FC - Complete the European redemption arc
Rangers literally died, restarted in the lower leagues and climbed their way back to the Scottish Premiership. They have since won titles again and regularly appear in Europe, but the scars of that financial collapse are still part of the club’s identity.
In FM26 you inherit a club predicted to battle with Celtic for the title, with excellent training facilities, great youth facilities and a board that very much "loves the club". You are back at Ibrox with Champions League qualifiers on the horizon and a fanbase that expects dominance, not excuses.
Domestically, the challenge is almost unfair – anything other than first place feels like failure. But the real fallen empire story here is Europe. Rangers used to compete at the very top, yet modern campaigns have mostly been about qualifiers, group stages and heartbreak.
Your save idea is to complete the redemption arc by turning Rangers into a genuine European force again. Sign smart, avoid bloated wages, lean heavily on Scottish and academy talent, and slowly build a side that can go toe to toe with Europe’s elite. A European trophy at Ibrox is the endgame, and if you pull it off, this might be the most satisfying FM26 save you will ever play.
READ MORE: FM26 save ideas hub
Ready to rebuild your own fallen empire in FM26?
These ten clubs give you very different experiences, from huge global brands like Manchester United and AC Milan to regional powerhouses like Wisła Kraków and Deportivo. What they all share is history, scars and a fanbase that believes they should be doing a lot better than they are.
Pick one, commit to a long term save and lean fully into the narrative. Set hard rules, track your progress season by season and do not be afraid to bin half the squad if they are not part of your Football Manager 2026 masterplan.
When FM26 inevitably tilts you and you are raging at your xG again, remember this – rebuilding a fallen empire is supposed to hurt. That is why it feels so good when you finally lift that trophy.
