Outside of Ultimate Team, one of the most exciting challenges in EA FC 24 comes in Career Mode as you look to bring success to a club of your choosing while managing everything from transfers to training.
Although not as in-depth as the Football Manager series, Career Mode in EA FC 24 can always provide you with a fresh challenge whenever you want to undertake one, and some of the best saves come in more difficult scenarios.
Whether it’s returning a once-great club to its former glories, fighting against far bigger guns domestically or in Europe, or simply rebuilding a team from scratch, there are plenty of tough tasks you can undertake—which you can make even harder by adjusting settings and sliders.
We’ve selected 10 of the best teams to start a save with in Career Mode in EA FC 24, with a variety of challenges and goals.
Luton Town
League: Premier League (England) Transfer Budget: $24m
- Avoid relegation from the Premier League
- Guide Luton Town to becoming an established top-flight side
- Push for a top-half Premier League finish
Luton Town enjoyed a fairytale season last term that saw victory in the Championship play-off against Coventry City, securing promotion to the Premier League and a place among the big boys in English football for the first time since 1992.
The Hatters have a meager budget compared to their rivals, which results in a David vs. Goliath situation in the battle to avoid relegation. They have, however, signed some familiar faces in the form of goalkeeper Tim Krul and midfielder Ross Barkley.
With Luton, you’ll have a backs-against-the-wall job as you fight to avoid an immediate drop back to the Championship, but you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment if you can do that—though the meme-famous Kenilworth Road is not yet in the game.
Parma
League: Serie B (Italy) Transfer Budget: $15.3m
- Secure promotion to Serie A
- Guide Parma to a first Serie A title
- Challenge for European honors
The famous club that was once home to Gianluigi Buffon and Hernan Crespo has endured a tumultuous history, with the most recent relaunch of the side coming in 2015 after being refounded.
A record three straight promotions saw Parma return to the top flight in 2018, enjoying a three-year stay, but relegation in 2020-21 saw them return to Serie B. Last year, a fourth-placed finish resulted in a spot in the playoffs, where they lost 3-2 on aggregate to Cagliari.
UEFA Cup winners in 1994-95 and 1998-99, Parma have never won a top-flight title in Italian football. Your challenge will be to change that, though the first task is promotion back to Serie A and securing safety.
Sevilla
League: LaLiga (Spain) Transfer Budget: $48.7m
- Win LaLiga title with Sevilla
- Win the Champions League with Sevilla
- Win consecutive LaLiga titles with Sevilla
Seven-time winners of the UEFA Cup/Europa League, with the most recent triumph coming last year, Sevilla have been unable to transfer that success onto the domestic stage as their sole LaLiga title came in 1945-46.
The club certainly has the capacity for that to be changed in EA FC 24, with the added bonus of immediately having Champions League football to play, but the biggest challenge will come in ending the long, long wait for a LaLiga title.
You’ll find added desire to win the title from the fact that there have been no LaLiga winners outside of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid since Valencia in 2003-04. It’s time that changed.
Schalke
League: Bundesliga 2 (Germany) Transfer Budget: $19.8m
- Secure promotion to the Bundesliga
- Win the Bundesliga title with Schalke
- Win consecutive Bundesliga titles with Schalke
Schalke has endured a meteoric demise in recent seasons. Five years after finishing second in the Bundesliga to Bayern Munich (who else), the club is now once again in the second tier of German football after relegation last term.
Bringing Schalke back to the top flight is the first part of the challenge, with the second being to steer Schalke toward a first league title since 1958 that would also bring an end to a long period of dominance from Bayern.
You’ll find impressive facilities to work with, including the Veltins-Arena with a capacity of over 62,000, and you can look forward to fierce Revierderby clashes against Borussia Dortmund.
Lyon
League: Ligue 1 Transfer Budget: $63.6m
- Win Ligue 1 with Lyon
- Win consecutive Ligue 1 titles with Lyon
- Win the Champions League before Paris Saint-Germain
Before Paris Saint-Germain arrived on the scene in Ligue 1 and built themselves into a behemoth, the dominant club in French football was Lyon, who won seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles, the last of which was in 2007-08.
Since those glory years, success has been limited to a Coupe de France triumph in 2011-12 and the Trophee des Champions in 2012. For a club like Lyon, and the heights they were once at, over a decade without success is far too long.
You’ll start with a decent squad in your quest to topple PSG, including Alexandre Lacazette, Corentin Tolisso, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Dejan Lovren.
Wrexham
League: EFL League Two (England) Transfer Budget: £4.1m
- Earn promotion to the Premier League
- Lead Wrexham to become an established top-flight side
- Win the Premier League with Wrexham
The Welsh club, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, stormed to promotion to League Two from the National League last term with a whopping 116 points, bringing an end to a long spell in the abyss of non-league football.
Wrexham are no strangers to the EA Sports franchise, having previously been featured in the “Rest of the World” section, but now take their place in League Two, providing you with the platform to begin their journey to the Premier League, and beyond.
Although you won’t have any Hollywood superstars like Hugh Jackman in your crowd in EA FC 24, you will find a passionate fanbase and the perfect long-term save to challenge yourself in.
AFC Ajax
League: Eredivisie (Netherlands) Transfer Budget: $35.6m
- Do not sell key players to big European clubs
- Win the Champions League with Ajax
- Win consecutive Eredivisie titles with Ajax
The Dutch side boasts one of the most impressive youth developments in world football but regularly loses their prized assets to the bigger leagues in Europe—and it may be time for that to change.
The two-time European champions present an appealing option in EA FC 24 Career Mode with immediate Champions League football, a stadium with an attendance of just under 56,000, and a fresh crop of talented players.
Your journey to battle against the big guns in Europe hands you the likes of Steven Bergwijn, Chuba Akpom, and Kenneth Taylor from the start, though your big asset is the regens you can create behind the scenes.
Union Berlin
League: Bundesliga (Germany) Transfer Budget: $26.3m
- Win the Bundesliga with Union Berlin
- Win the Champions League with Union Berlin
- Win consecutive Bundesliga titles with Union Berlin
A fourth-placed finish in the Bundesliga last season has secured Union Berlin a spot in the Champions League, where you’ll find a tough task up against bigger and richer clubs on the continental stage.
Union Berlin only reached the Bundesliga in 2019-20, so it took them just four years to secure a spot amongst European football’s big boys. How much longer will it take you to deliver a first-ever Bundesliga title for the club?
No side from Germany’s capital city has won the Bundesliga since Hertha Berlin in 1931. To change that, you’ll find Sheraldo Becker, David Datro Fofana, Robin Gosins, and Kevin Volland at your disposal.
Paris FC
League: Ligue 2 Transfer Budget: $9.3m
- Secure promotion to Ligue 1
- Avoid relegation from Ligue 1
- Win the Ligue 1 title
You’ll be forgiven for believing that Paris was a one-club city, but that isn’t the case. The much smaller sibling of giants PSG is Paris FC, who currently lie in the second tier of French football.
Paris FC has not tasted Ligue 1 football since the 1978-79 season, so your task is to bring an end to that barren spell. Long-term, the aim is to topple your noisy neighbors, who have very, very deep pockets.
Don’t expect this to be an easy save, particularly given there are other very hungry clubs in France vying for success that you’ll have to face off against, including Marseille, Lyon, and Monaco.
Aberdeen
League: SPL Transfer Budget: £4.8m
- Win the Scottish Premiership with Aberdeen
- Sign world-class players from European clubs
- Develop young players into first-team stars
Scottish football has been dominated by Rangers and Celtic throughout the majority of its existence, with Aberdeen the last club to break that cycle with victory in 1983-84. Now, your task is to bring the glory to somewhere outside of Glasgow.
Fighting the Old Firm duo is a hard enough task in itself, but you’ll find an increased challenge in the battle to sign players, who may prefer to join a team in one of Europe’s bigger leagues and retain those you create into stars.
Taking advantage of any young talents you can develop is highly advised and it’s wise to ensure you have a succession plan for every position, in case a bigger club comes in to poach a key member of your squad.
Published: Jan 11, 2024 05:53 am