Best teams to start with in EA FC 25 Career Mode

By looking at league finishes last year and previous transfer window signings, we compiled a list of the best five teams to rebuild as well as the big-budget clubs with the most money in EA FC 25 Career Mode.

EA FC 25 introduces several exciting new Career Mode features. Players can manage top women’s teams from elite European leagues and America’s NWSL for the first time.

In addition, FC IQ overhauls tactics and forces managers to build their squads based on abilities and natural fit. EA has also revamped press conferences to have more of an impact on player morale and created live start points so players can jump in at different weeks of a season.

Before players can take advantage of every new feature, they must choose a club to take the helm at. Let’s jump right into which squads will be the most fun to rebuild and which teams have the most money.

EA FC 25 Career Mode best teams to manage

EA Sports

Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town earned promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years. If you want a challenge, keeping this young and inexperienced squad from getting relegated will be extremely difficult.

Veteran midfielder Kalvin Phillips is an exciting signing but he had a disappointing loan spell at West Ham last season.

In addition, Ipswich splashed some cash to bring in promising forwards Omari Hutchinson, Liam Delap, and Jack Clarke to provide a spark. However, putting so much trust in a youth movement comes with risks as well.

All three newly promoted teams got relegated last season, and the task falls on you to break that trend.

Ajax

Under manager Erik ten Hag, Ajax won three Eredivisie league titles between 2018 and 2022. Since then, the former European giants have fallen into a state of turmoil, finishing last season in eighth place. It didn’t help that those title-winning squads were also torn apart.

Ajax made an exuberant amount of money by selling Antony to Manchester United for $95 million and sold other big-ticket names like Lisandro Martinez, Mohamed Kudus, and Jurrien Timber.

The club hasn’t done a good enough job at re-investing that money in new talent and hasn’t looked the same since losing expert tactician ten Hag. As a result, players will have their hands full trying to rebuild this squad, but with a rich history and deep pockets, it should be a fun and exciting adventure.

Arsenal Women

EA Sports

There is no better women’s team to manage first than Arsenal or any of the other top clubs not named Chelsea. That’s because Chelsea has won five Super League titles in a row. That reign of terror has a chance to come to an end this season as Chelsea manager Emma Hayes left to take the USA women’s job.

Arsenal was the last team to lift silverware in the 2018/19 campaign. It won’t be easy, as the squad lost forward Vivianne Miedema to Manchester City over the summer and didn’t do much to replace her. In saying that, there is still plenty of talent to make a push.

Como 1907

In 2014 and 2017 Como 1907 went bankrupt twice and almost went under permanently. That was until two of the richest men in Italy purchased the club and helped spearhead a return to Serie A for the first time in 21 years this season.

During the summer transfer window, Como brought in an exciting mix of young and experienced players. Veterans Alberto Moreno, Pepe Reina, Sergi Roberto, and Raphael Varane all joined on free transfers.

Meanwhile, Como recruited budding star Nico Paz from Real Madrid’s academy and defensive midfielder Yannik Engelhardt from Germany’s second division. Serie A is ruthless just like the Premier League so staying up will be tough. However, there is a lot to be excited about with this group of players.

Union Berlin

After the 2022/23 campaign Union Berlin was on top of the world after finishing fourth and securing a Champions League spot. The miracle run came crashing down in dramatic fashion last season as the club fired longtime manager Urs Fischer in November after a slow start.

Things went from bad to worse as the club then cycled through two other different managers to only escape relegation because of a better goal difference. Berlin made all of the wrong signings after reaching the mountain top and fired the manager who got them there in the first place.

With its back most likely against the wall this season, players will have their work cut out for them trying to get back to the Champions League placement from before.

Birmingham City

Birmingham City couldn’t avoid relegation from the Championship in 23/24, but that doesn’t mean you’re joining a sinking ship. In fact, optimism is high at St. Andrews after a summer full of big signings. With backing from their American owners, which includes NFL legend Tom Brady, The Blues are looking to rebound straight back into England’s second tier, with an eye on Premier League and European success in the future.

The good thing about Birmingham City is that the club’s business in the summer transfer market has been very impressive, and should stand you in great stead. Your star man is likely to be 21-year-old striker Jay Stansfield, who The Blues spent $19.7 million to acquire from Fulham, breaking the League One transfer record.

FC Schalke 04

2023/24 was a scary season for fans of Die Knappen, with the club flirting with relegation from 2. Bundesliga. What made it truly frightening was the news that due to Schalke’s financial situation, they would not have been granted a license for 3. Liga, effectively killing the club as we know it.

Thankfully, Schalke climbed the table from 15th to 10th, securing their survival – literally. Die Knappen is the definition of a sleeping giant, with the Veltins-Arena holding over 60,000 fans, and a club membership that makes them the fourth-largest club in the world. Schalke needs someone to arrest the slide and take them back into the German top flight. Who knows, you might even be able to guide them to their first Bundesliga title since 1958.

Olympique Lyonnais

It was an odd summer for Lyon, who placed almost the entirety of their first-team squad on the transfer list, with L’Equipe reporting that “Just about everyone [was] for sale, as long as someone pays the right price.” The French side ended up selling Ireland international center-back Jake O’Brien to Everton, a talented young prospect to lose.

Still, you have a solid squad to work with here, including some faces familiar to Premier League fans. Moussa Niakhate and Orel Mangala both arrived from Nottingham Forest, while Said Benrahma swapped London and West Ham for the “Capital of Lights.” Can you break PSG’s Ligue 1 dominance?

Waterford FC

If you’re looking for a real challenge, then head to Ireland’s top flight and take over Waterford FC. Returning to the League of Ireland after three years in the second tier, The Blue and White Army need all the help they can get, especially considering that owner Andrew Pilley was sentenced to 13 years in prison for fraud in 2023.

Can you take Waterford, from statistically the game’s worst league, take them to domestic glory, and then go all the way in Europe? This is the ultimate “road to glory” save, but with a starting budget of $590,000, it’s not for the faint of heart.

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