The weirdest challenges you can do on Football Manager

It’s pretty hard to get bored with Football Manager. Thanks to mods, there are literally thousands of teams you can manage across leagues all over the globe. And there are tons of challenges the community has come up with to give the game a fresh twist. Take the Pentagon Challenge I’m currently attempting, where the goal is to win the five major continental trophies. But sometimes, after years of playing Football Manager, even the usual challenges start to feel repetitive, and you need something completely off-the-wall. So, I’ve dug up a batch of truly bizarre challenges that will certainly give you a unique experience. Although, to be fair, most normal people will probably steer clear of these!

Making a team of players with only one first name

This challenge is exactly what it sounds like: try to be remotely successful with a team of players who all share the same first name (or last name). For example, you could sign only players called Gary. Or perhaps you could limit yourself to players with the surname Navas. I’d love to give you more examples—and I swear I’ve seen people do this before—but Google is letting me down, and don’t even get me started on Twitter’s search function under Elon Musk. So, you’ll just have to trust me that it’s been done! Obviously, you’d need to choose a fairly common name with international variations. Here are a few good options: 1) Alex / Alejandro 2) David / Davide 3) Paul 4) Marco / Marcos 5) Luca / Lucas. Even with these common names, achieving any serious success would be a real feat. So, if you’re determined to win the Champions League with this sort of challenge, maybe try it with players from a specific nation or region instead

The worst database in Football Manager

We can’t continue this conversation, without talking about the worst database in Football Manager. Where do I even start? It’s completely batsh*t crazy. Let me give you a taste of its many awful rules: at the end of each Premier League season, every single club is relegated and randomly assigned to one of 20 leagues straight from FM hell. For instance, there’s the ‘League of Compromise,’ where a win earns you two points, a loss earns two points, and a draw gets you six points. Then there’s the ‘League of Children,’ where squad rules restrict you to U18 players only. And that’s just the tip of this nightmare iceberg. It’s utterly nonsensical, completely chaotic—but hey, if you’re looking for something truly twisted, this is it!

Travel Challenge

I’ve got to give credit to u/fairlycaffeinated on Reddit for this one – who has come up with a list of wacky challenges you can try on Football Manager here. A challenge as unique as it is enjoyable. The premise is simple: you’re only allowed to manage in countries or cities you’ve actually visited. If you’ve traveled the world, you’re set for a wild and immersive save. If you’ve never left Rochdale…well, good luck! This challenge could be the perfect excuse to start exploring new places. The best part? The challenge doesn’t end until you’ve won a trophy in every country or city you’ve been to. Honestly, as I’m writing this, it sounds brilliant. I might just try this in Football Manager 2025—whenever Sports Interactive decides to release it.

What other wild challenges or saves can you think of? Let me know if you’ve ever done a save that no one else has dared to try!

About the Author

William Reid

William is the admin of Out of Context Football Manager, an X account that focuses on FM news. He's worked for LADbible Group and is VG's resident FM expert.