From Schalke's Bundesliga return to Elversberg's first season among the elite, these five German clubs offer very different challenges for your first FM27 save.
Promotion, relegation and a painful near miss have created five very different German save ideas for Football Manager 27.
There is a fallen giant returning as champions, a newcomer making its Bundesliga debut, a play-off winner determined to stay up and a former German champion facing life in the second tier after 29 years. The fifth club was still chasing promotion on the final afternoon of last season.
Sports Interactive has confirmed that FM27 will launch in November, with the exact date and supported platforms still to follow. Our FM27 release date guide tracks the confirmed details.
These are pre-release save ideas based on the clubs' real 2026/27 circumstances, not previews of their FM27 database entries. Starting squads, transfer budgets, player ratings and the final playable competition list remain unconfirmed. The restrictions below are optional rules for your own save.
If you are still comparing countries, our five English clubs to manage in FM27 offer another set of survival battles and promotion projects. In Germany, these are the five jobs worth adding to your shortlist.
1. Schalke 04
Schalke 04's Veltins-Arena during the match against Cologne, October 2019. Photo: Moinsen95 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The challenge: Turn promotion into a permanent recovery
Schalke return to the Bundesliga as 2025/26 second-tier champions.
Their latest three-season spell in Bundesliga 2 was their joint-longest absence from Germany's top flight. The Bundesliga's promoted-club analysis underlines the immediate priority: make sure the club does not find itself back outside the division any time soon.
Survival is only the first stage of this save.
Schalke's history, support and stadium give you a project with ambitions beyond finishing above the relegation places. The longer challenge is to return to European competition while building a squad the club can afford to keep together.
Start by identifying the promotion players who can still contribute. Some may remain regular starters; others could provide useful depth while younger signings adapt. Replacing everyone at once risks losing the continuity that made the return possible.
Recruit for specific weaknesses, then give those decisions time to work. An expensive name is only useful if he improves the team enough to justify the wages and the place he takes from someone else.
Optional save rule: During your first two seasons, make at least half of your permanent signings from clubs in Germany's top three divisions.
Stay up, establish a recognisable recruitment approach and make Schalke competitive in Europe again.
2. SV Elversberg
The main stand at Elversberg's stadium an der Kaiserlinde, March 2019. Photo: RoBri / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The challenge: Keep a Bundesliga newcomer among the elite
Elversberg begin 2026/27 in the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.
They became the competition's 59th different club after finishing second in Bundesliga 2. The official Bundesliga profile describes a rise from the fourth tier to the top flight in five years, from a municipality of around 13,000 people.
That contrast gives this save its appeal. You are trying to establish a small club in a division full of opponents with much larger followings and longer top-flight histories.
The temptation will be to fill the squad with experienced players who have already played at this level. A few sensible additions could help, but development and intelligent recruitment should remain central to the project.
Look for players who can grow into the division. Balance permanent signings with loans, and resist offering wages that only make sense if you stay in the Bundesliga indefinitely.
Survival would buy time to improve the club. Once the finances allow it, make better training and youth development part of the long-term plan. The aim is to create more of your own solutions each season.
Optional save rule: In your first Bundesliga season, pay transfer fees only for players aged 23 or under. Free agents and loanees can be any age.
Keeping Elversberg up would be impressive. Turning them into an established top-flight club could keep this career interesting for years.
3. SC Paderborn 07
Aerial view of Paderborn's stadium, then named Benteler-Arena, August 2015. Photo: SW1907 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The challenge: Make a Bundesliga stay last longer than one season
Paderborn earned promotion through the play-off after finishing third in Bundesliga 2.
A goalless first leg against Wolfsburg was followed by a 2-1 extra-time victory at home. The official promotion guide confirms their first Bundesliga return since 2019/20 and explains the pattern you will be trying to break: both previous top-flight campaigns ended in immediate relegation.
Reaching the Bundesliga has not been the only challenge. Remaining there is the unfinished job.
Build a squad that can compete now without becoming impossible to manage if results go against you. Versatile players are particularly useful when you cannot afford a specialist replacement for every position.
Think about contracts as carefully as attributes. A signing should still make sense if you spend the following season back in Bundesliga 2. Avoid leaving the club dependent on selling several players just to make the wage bill manageable.
You can also give the save two measures of progress: league position and the number of players worth building around. Even a difficult season should leave something useful behind.
Optional save rule: Every permanent signing in your first season must either be aged 23 or under or have made a senior league appearance in Bundesliga 2.
Survive once, then prove that Paderborn's place in the Bundesliga can become a lasting one.
4. VfL Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg's Volkswagen Arena during a night match, October 2015. Photo: VfLWolfsburgFußball / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de.
The challenge: Rebuild a former champion after historic relegation
Wolfsburg are back in Bundesliga 2 for the first time since 1997.
Their 29-year stay in the top flight ended with the play-off defeat against Paderborn. That period included the 2009 Bundesliga title, a DFB Cup victory and several European campaigns, as the Bundesliga's relegation review recalls.
For your save, an immediate return is the obvious target. The more difficult question is what kind of squad you want to take back up.
Keeping every established player could leave you with an expensive team that needs another rebuild after promotion. Selling too many at once could remove the quality and leadership needed to get there.
Before making offers, decide who belongs in three groups: players who can lead the promotion attempt, younger players who deserve a bigger role and players you would sell for a suitable fee.
Keep enough experience to support the younger core. Then recruit players who can help in Bundesliga 2 and still have room to improve after promotion. The first season should leave the squad more balanced, even if some departures feel uncomfortable.
Optional save rule: Until promotion is secured, make permanent signings aged 24 or under and accept realistic offers for players who no longer fit your plans.
Return immediately if possible, then build towards European football with a squad that has a future together.
5. Hannover 96
Hannover's stadium, then named HDI-Arena, before the Schalke match in March 2019. Photo: Moinsen95 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The challenge: Finish the promotion job
Hannover entered the final day of 2025/26 with the promotion play-off still within reach.
They twice led Nürnberg but drew 3-3 and missed out. The official final-day report captures the frustration of an opportunity that slipped away.
This gives you a different starting point from the other clubs on the list. Hannover have already shown they can compete near the top. Your job is to turn another promotion push into a successful outcome.
The danger is treating disappointment as proof that everything needs changing. Keep the strongest parts of the squad and identify the few areas where improvement would make the greatest difference.
That could mean more reliable cover, another source of goals or a better way to protect a lead. Let the squad you inherit determine the priorities once FM27's database is available.
An academy rule can give the project an identity beyond simply going up. Reserve meaningful opportunities for young players, then use experienced team-mates to help them through a demanding promotion race.
Optional save rule: Include at least two academy graduates in every league matchday squad whenever availability allows, and give at least one of them 15 league starts during the season.
Win promotion, then build the structure needed to stay in the Bundesliga.
Which German FM27 Save Should You Choose?
Choose Schalke if you want the atmosphere and expectations of a traditional giant. Elversberg are my pick for the strongest underdog story, with survival providing the first step towards a much bigger project.
Paderborn suit managers who enjoy careful recruitment and a clear historical target: finally make a Bundesliga stay last. Wolfsburg offer promotion pressure and major squad decisions from the first day.
Pick Hannover if you want to finish a job that came painfully close to completion, while giving academy players a place in the next chapter.
Once you have a favourite, use our FM27 preparation checklist to turn the idea into a shortlist and a clear save rule while waiting for the remaining game details.
Which of these five jobs would you accept first? Share your choice in the comments.
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