The Best Teams to Rebuild in EA Sports FC 26 Career Mode

Choosing the right team for Career Mode in EA Sports FC 26 or any FIFA/FC game can make all the difference to an enjoyable playthrough with an engaging story to frame the on-pitch highs and lows. One route to go is with teams that were once great half a century ago or even just a few seasons back, but have since floundered and fallen on hard times.

This doesn’t always mean that a team has to fall to the lowest division, as even a low finish in the top flight can be humiliating for some top sides. When looking at the best sleeping giants to rebuild in FC 26, teams with their own stadium, more face scans, and nice kits for the 2025/26 season can be big pluses.

1860 Munchen

Former Bundesliga Champions & Topflight Mainstays

• League: 3. Liga (German 3rd Tier)
• Rating: 2.5 Stars
• Budget: $1.53M

1860 Munchen were part of the Bundesliga’s inaugural season in 1963/64, with their rivals Bayern Munchen only arriving 2 years later. Despite a few relegations in the 70s and 80s, and then never recovering from their 2004 demotion, the club has spent an impressive 20 seasons in Germany’s top flight altogether. They were also Bundesliga champions in 1965/66 and finished 4th as recently as 2000, playing European football.

Now lingering in the 3. Liga, players have a chance to take this sleeping giant of a club back to their former heights in FC 26, especially after a number of disappointing years in the league. As well as climbing back to the Bundesliga, the aim should be to compete with rivals Bayern Munchen again, with any cup games against them being huge. 1860 Munchen is also under new ownership, and positivity has returned.

Oldham Athletic

From The Prem To National League & Now Back To League Two

• League: League Two (English 4th Tier)
• Rating: 1 Stars
• Budget: $1.21M

Over the course of two decades, Oldham Athletic gradually fell from the Premier League to the National League, stopping by in each division for multiple years, before eventually being relegated. Before their promotion back to the English Football League in 2024/25, Oldham had not been promoted in over 20 years, and top-half finishes were extremely rare in this period of the club’s history.

After a few years of not being included in the FIFA/FC games due to their non-league status, the Latics are prime candidates for a return to glory. Players can try to capitalize on the momentum of Oldham’s incredible playoff final comeback and build a solid team to compete at the top of League Two. The long-term goal would be to return to the Premier League, but even returning to mainstays in League One would be a success for a club that faced termination a few years back.

Montpellier HSC

The 2012 Champions Find Themselves In Ligue 2

• League: Ligue 2 (French 2nd Tier)
• Rating: 3 Stars
• Budget: $5.97M

Back in 2011/12, Montpellier HSC became French champions for the first time, but after relegation in the 2024/25 season, they now find themselves back in Ligue 2. On top of being a tier below where they’d like to be, the French outfit is also suffering financially.

This makes them perfect candidates for a rebuild in FC 26’s Career Mode, with players needing to sort out performance on and off the pitch. If their fortune can be turned around, promotion back to Ligue 1 will feel great, and within a few seasons, they could be realistically competing at the top end of the table again with fast players.

Palermo FC

They Still Haven’t Returned To Serie A After Years Of Trouble

• League: Serie B (Italian 2nd Tier)
• Rating: 3.5 Stars
• Budget: $17.39M

Palermo FC is one of the oldest Italian clubs and has played 29 seasons in Serie A. However, they have faced multiple years of turmoil in recent history, with the club having to be reformed and renamed. They competed in Serie D 2019/20, and then, after two seasons in the third tier, they made it back to Serie B.

After three consecutive seasons of mid-table finishes, players can attempt to awaken this sleeping giant and help them make their way to Serie A. In the top league, Palermo has never finished higher than 5th, so surmounting that position would be a huge success and mean Champions League football.

Manchester United

In Need Of A Total Transformation

• League: Premier League (English 1st Tier)
• Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Budget: $167.68M

Manchester United have had many bad seasons since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, but 2024/25 saw the Red Devils reach new lows with a 15th-place finish, their worst ever in the Premier League. The new season has not been too favorable for them either, with an iconic defeat to Grimsby Town in the cup.

With a fairly large budget and some exciting new signings in the squad, players can take over this fallen giant of a club and try to turn their fortunes around. If players truly want to recreate the Man Utd of the 90s and 2000s, they can focus on home-grown youth development and go for a slower rebuild, instead of chasing instant success.

RC Deportivo

Former Spanish Champions Floundering In The Lower Leagues

• League: La Liga 2 (Spanish 2nd Tier)
• Rating: 3 Stars
• Budget: $8.08M

RC Deportivo were once champions of Spain in 2000, and in the surrounding years, they consistently finished in the top spots. They were in La Liga as recently as 2017/18, but then suffered a number of years down in the third tier. After one year back in La Liga 2, players in FC 26 can look toward promotion, and then attempt to return the club to their former highs at the top of Spanish football.

In real life, Deportivo are off to a strong start in the current season, so this would also be a fairly realistic Career Mode for those who care about immersion.

1.FC Kaiserslautern

German Champions Of 97/98 Currently In The 2nd Tier

• League: 2. Bundesliga
• Rating: 3 Stars
• Budget: $5.50M

1.FC Kaiserslautern have two Bundesliga titles to their name, with the most recent of these being in 1997/98 despite being a newly promoted team. However, aside from a brief return to the top flight for the 2010/11 season, they have spent most of the past two decades in the 2nd and even 3rd Tiers.

Therefore, players can attempt to take this fallen giant in FC 26 back to the Bundesliga, perhaps repeating history with a promotion into a title the following year. In fact, 2. Bundesliga is full of great teams for Career Mode in FC 26​​​​​​, with many fallen giants in the second tier of German football.

Researching a club’s history before starting a Career Mode can help with roleplaying and add further weight to decisions or successes.

Other Fallen Giant Teams In FC 26

• Blackburn Rovers: Former Premier League champions lingering in the Championship.
• FC Schalke 04: Still floundering in 2. Bundesliga.
• Hertha BSC: 12th in the all-time Bundesliga rankings, but currently in the 2nd tier.
• Leicester City: Former Premier League champions relegated to the Championship.
• Luton Town: Back-to-back relegation from the Prem to League One.
• Notts County: A historic club lingering in League Two.
• Reading: Former Championship mainstay and even Premier League members, now struggling.
• Real Zaragoza: 10th in the all-time La Liga standings, but currently in La Liga 2.
• Saint-Ettiene: A club with 70 years in the top flight and 10 titles, currently in Ligue 2.
• Sampdoria: Struggling in Serie B after many years in Serie A.
• Tottenham Hotspur: They finished one place above the drop.