While the FIFA series ended with FIFA 23, EA Sports continued their franchise, as promised. In fact, a lot stayed the same, as EA Sports FC 24 kept all its licensed content. Thus, we still have 30+ leagues and over 700 teams! Choosing the right club to manage in a new career mode can be overwhelming, but we've found some attractive options. Therefore, all these teams offer unique challenges that you might enjoy. Thus, save giants in crisis or go on a classic road to glory journey by taking a lower-league side to the top.

10. Inter Miami

Inter Miami has struggled so far as one of the youngest teams in MLS. However, things are changing after the arrival of Lionel Messi. While his years in Paris weren't great, Argentinian is still way above every player in the league. Furthermore, his star power means that others will come to the team, including his mates from Barcelona. Thus, Inter transitioned from the worst to one of the best teams in only a few months! As the top talent keeps coming, all eyes are on the team which needs to deliver.

Yet, there must be more talent between former Barcelona stars and the rest of the squad. Plenty of them are pretty useless; worst of all, even your youngsters aren't great! Yet, as MLS isn't particularly strong, you can take your time to make changes. Even though there are no international club competitions for MLS teams in EA FC 24, the uniqueness of the league should keep you interested. However, you'll probably have enough after a season or two unless you are a huge MLS fan.

9. Al Nassr

It becomes necessary to recognize the Saudi Arabian football league. Thanks to big money, many top-rated players in their prime joined the competition. The real explosion happened in the 2023-24 season, as the league's quality continues to improve. Yet, Al Nassr is our choice as one of the best teams in league history. However, they last won trophies in 2020, so you must change that. Thankfully, the massive resources and the player quality will help you achieve it.

Of course, Cristiano Ronaldo remains incredibly important to the team, but his teammates are also excellent. Thus you have David Ospina on goal, Ghislain Konan in defense, Marcelo Brozovic as DM, and Sadio Mané up front. While that's enough to get everyone interested, you also have plenty of money to improve further! Unfortunately, there's no Asian Champions League, but at least you can play in the fake edition of the competition. Yet, that's one of the reasons why Al Nassr is near the bottom of our list.

8. Saint-Étienne

Saint-Étienne is one the best clubs in French football history, with ten league titles. However, in 2021/22, they were humiliated by suffering relegation. Even in Ligue 2, they struggled and, at one point, were close to being relegated again! However, the team improved significantly and has high hopes for this season. While the league is pretty even, Saint-Étienne is among the top three favorites to go up. Yet, as the season is long, you'll have enough time to shape the team and continually improve.

As is always the case in the lower leagues, playing your top talents is a must! Once you earn a promotion, they'll be your best and cheapest investments. Thus, your second season might be even more demanding than the first if you plan to challenge for a spot in European cups. With limited resources, you'll have to be very smart and a bit lucky to do good.

7. Derby County

It's hard to imagine that Derby County won two English league titles and FA Cup. Furthermore, they reached European Cup (now the Champions League) semifinals in 1973! Yet, the club has been in decline for exactly half a century and hasn't played in Europe since 1977. Worst of all, in 2008, they were relegated from the Premier League with only a single win in 38 matches! That was also the last time they were in the top division, with further relegation in 2022. Thus, the club is looking for instant success, and anything less than a fight for promotion is unacceptable.

As is almost always the case in lower divisions, the difference between the teams is minimal. In that sense, it's best to get rid of subpar, old players and bring in youngsters. Therefore, scouting and youth academy should be your only investment. With such a long season, talents will have the time to develop and stay relevant even after you get promoted. Since the budget is limited, it's not like you have other options.

6. RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig had a meteoric rise unseen in modern football history. When the club was founded in 2009, it had to start from the fifth tier. However, they easily won the league and kept climbing for the next decade. Even when they didn't earn promotion, they were always contenders, never finishing below fifth place. After only seven seasons, the team reached Bundesliga, ending their first season in a sensational second place! Since then, Leipzig remains one of the best clubs in the country and often the biggest rival to Bayern Munich. While they won the cup twice in a row, they still need a league title and better European results.

Maintaining the contender position will be challenging, as the management sold some key players. These include the top scorer Christopher Nkunku, Joško Gvardiol, and Dominik Szoboszlai. Thankfully, there's still plenty of talent, and a decent transfer budget should be enough to regain power. Once you do that, you'll be ready to challenge for the title and go far in the Champions League season. It's time for someone to end Bayern's dominance, and Leipzig could complete their fairytale!

5. Sevilla FC

Sevilla FC had the strangest season in its history in 2022/23. Their La Liga campaign was awful, as the team finished only 12th, with 13 wins in 38 games! Similarly, they won only one of their six games in the Champions League. However, despite struggling in the national championship, Sevilla did well in Europe and won UEFA Europa League! Thus, they've earned a place in the Champions League. No other team entered this elite competition from such a low league position!

Thus, this season must be much better domestically and in the Champions League. The team didn't make many changes, with Djibril Sow and Loïc Badé as the most significant arrivals. Still, the team has many talented players, including Nemanja Gudelj, Ivan Rakitić, Jesús Corona, Jesús Navas, Fernando, and others. However, they seriously lack youngsters, so you must work on that ASAP. Yet, you'll still need to create instant success and gradually make Sevilla one of the top teams in Spain.

4. Sampdoria

You wouldn't name Sampdoria among the royalties in Italian football. However, they are still a massive, worldwide-known name! Sampdoria produced many excellent players and has a Serie A title and a few European trophies. In 1992, they even played European Cup final, barely losing to Barcelona. Unfortunately, the team had a horrific 2022/23 season and was relegated after winning only three games! With a team full of virtually unknowns (excluding Fabio Borini), you'll have to experiment, invest and gamble to find the right formula.

Despite this, the club has enough talent to fight for the promotion, so you won't have much time to get on track. Finding young talents and giving them playing time is essential as you build the team with Serie A in mind. Once you get promoted, the real fun begins as you try to reach a place in European cups. Who knows, maybe you'll give the club a title they've waited for 30+ years!

3. Chelsea

The 2022/23 season was catastrophic for Chelsea, and no one could expect that. Instead of at least contending for the Champion's League spot, the club finished in the bottom half of the table! In the meantime, almost every big name left, including, Koulibaly, Kovačić, Mendy, Havertz, Loftus-Cheek, N'Golo Kante, and others. However, the club also brought a few talents, including Axel Disasi from Monaco and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. Still, the predictions aren't very optimistic. Instead, the consensus is that Chelsea may win a place in Europe but not in the Champions League.

Therefore, you'll have a challenging task to stabilize the club before trying to reach the top four. With a few smart decisions in the first transfer window, you can further improve and become the title contender. Yet, remember the ton of young talent you have, and use every opportunity to play them. Many are already excellent and will become superstars in a season or two. There's not much pressure from the board and no European football, so you'll have that luxury. Chelsea needs a miracle, and you might be it!

2. Dynamo Dresden

This one doesn't belong to the obvious EA FC 24 career mode ideas! Dynamo Dresden is the most iconic team from former East Germany, where they won eight titles and seven cups. They also had a few notable results in Europe, reaching the European Champions Cup (now Champions League) quarterfinals several times. Yet, they struggled in unified Germany, barely surviving in Bundesliga for several seasons. Once they were relegated, they continued to decline, down to tier four. Things aren't much better now, as the club is in 3. Liga, the third tier. Yet, the last season was a decent one. While they finished only 6th, with a point more, they would earn a promotion!

Thus, that should be your goal in your first season. While the roster isn't incredible, the truth is that there the teams in 3. Liga are pretty even. Thus, going up shouldn't be a problem. However, it's critical to buy some cheap, young, and talented players and give them plenty of playing time. Otherwise, you'll be struggling once in Bundesliga 2. With the need to constantly develop players and make plenty of changes, every season in Dresden will be fun!

1. Wrexham

English league system is the most attractive choice if you want the ultimate road to glory experience. Only here can you start from the fourth level on the pyramid and turn some of the weakest sides into giants. Thus, Wrexham looks like an obvious choice for many reasons. Thanks to its famous owners and their money, the team just got promoted to League 2 and is hungry for success. This is also one of the few foreign clubs playing in England, making it pretty exotic.

Of course, Wrexham will need deep reconstruction, but thanks to a decent budget, you can build a proper team in the first year. Furthermore, organizations in this division are the ideal choice for young players. Find a few promising talents and let them play from the start, as they will be as good or even better than what you have. With enough play time, they will improve quickly, staying relevant even as you get promoted. However, know that the season is grueling and includes three cup competitions. Thus, have enough players in your squad, as injuries are guaranteed.

While we wish that Career mode received more upgrades, this is still the best single-player mode in EA Sports FC 24. While playing with your favorite team is an obvious choice, our suggestions offer fun experiences that will occupy you for at least several seasons. Make sure to come back, as we'll update the list according to the changes made in the game.

What will be your first team to manage in EA Sports FC 24? Which of our suggestions do you find most appealing?

Cover photo: TopTens.fun archive