Everyone loves an underdog – and Football Manager 2024 provides the perfect stage for you to turn them into a top dog.
But how on earth do you decide which minnow to take charge of in your bid to write a fairytale story?
Well, here at FourFourTwo, we've found one very handy hack to get you started in FM24 as the hotly anticipated release date of the new game draws closer and closer...
Football Manager 2024: The perfect way to pick an underdog to turn into a European giant on FM24
If you're looking for a discount on FM24, there's a discount on preorder at Fanatical – by shopping via FFT, you can save an extra 5% off the game – making it 22% off overall. That reduces the final price to just £35.05, down from £44.99.
When you head to the checkout, make sure to use the additional discount code 442FM24 to get the extra 5% off Football Manager 2024.
Dreaming of taking a less-fancied outfit all the way to the top but stuck on where to start? Why not begin by managing a club from the largest city never to have had a team reach the top flight in one of the European countries available in FM24?
In England, that's Plymouth (population around 264,700) – where Plymouth Argyle currently play in the Championship but have never been any higher than the second tier in their 137-year history.
Fancy somewhere a bit more exotic? In Spain, you could attempt the same feat with FC Cartagena of the Segunda Division; in Italy, you want Serie C outfit Taranto.
Or, if you're up for an even bigger challenge, you could head to Bath – the biggest city in England never to have had a club in the EFL – and try to guide Bath City from the National League South up to the National League and then into League Two.
And you could even attempt the underdog challenge in international football by trying to qualify for the World Cup or Euros with the most populous country never to do so (India and Kazakhstan, by the way).
| Association | Club |
|---|---|
| England | Plymouth Argyle |
| Spain | Cartagena |
| Italy | Taranto |
| Germany | Bonner SC |
| Netherlands | AGOVV |
| France | Canet Roussillon |
| Portugal | Canelas 2010 |
| Belgium | Union Namur |
| Turkey | Sanlurfaspor |
| Scotland | East Kilbride |
| Austria | Admira Villach |
| Switzerland | Chur 97 |
Read more on Football Manager 2024
The Football Manager 2024 beta is out now, with new features teased ahead of the game's drop. Netflix is set to carry the game, while FFT's list of the wonderkids to watch out for is also out already.
Miles Jacobson of Sports Interactive, the team behind FM, has spoken to FFT about the introduction of the Japanese J-League, how realistic the Saudi Pro League is in the new game and how set pieces have improved – he's also revealed that the FM team are constantly playing catchup to the great Pep Guardiola.
