You know how it goes: as much as we enjoy managing Europe's giants, there's one kind of challenge that's far more addictive. Taking a club that used to be big, with trophies gathering dust in the cabinet, and bringing back its lost glory. Here are 20 sleeping giants to try as soon as FM27 arrives, spread across several continents and inspired by the sources the community often turns to: Reddit threads, FM forums and sites dedicated to save ideas.
One important thing before we start: we made a point of leaving out clubs with millionaire owners ready to splash the cash. Where there are investors, as at Sheffield Wednesday, the budget is still limited by financial restrictions. The idea is to suffer a bit before winning it all again. We reviewed the list in October 2026, based on each club's latest situation: the 2025/26 season in European leagues and the 2025 or 2026 season in countries that play a calendar-year season. The FM27 database may differ.
- 20 fallen historic clubs from 15 countries to start an FM27 save with.
- Ranked from the most accessible (2) to the most brutal (20). Torreense always come first.
- No clubs with millionaire owners. Each club’s situation reviewed in October 2026.
How we ranked the 20
This time we ranked the list by difficulty, from the most “accessible” challenge (number 2) to the most brutal of all (number 20), always thinking about the road you'd have to travel to lift trophies again. The only exception is number 1: Torreense always come first, and not by chance. It's a Portuguese club, it's our home, and the real story it's living right now (2026) deserved its own spotlight, whatever the difficulty. Bear in mind that difficulty doesn't depend only on how many promotions you need: resources, the strength of your rivals and the goal you set for your save all count too.
The list
Showing all 20.
See all 20 in the list
- 1
TorreensePortugal · 1 promotion - 2RosenborgNorway · Top flight
- 3NacionalUruguay · Top flight
- 4IFK GöteborgSweden · Top flight
- 5IndependienteArgentina · Top flight
- 6Tokyo VerdyJapan · Top flight
- 7OFK BeogradSerbia · Top flight
- 8HonvédHungary · Top flight
- 9Vasco da GamaBrazil · Top flight
- 10KaiserslauternGermany · 1 promotion
- 11NürnbergGermany · 1 promotion
- 12Dynamo DresdenGermany · 1 promotion
- 13SampdoriaItaly · 1 promotion
- 14Ruch ChorzówPoland · 1 promotion
- 15CobreloaChile · 1 promotion
- 16IsmailyEgypt · 1 promotion
- 17Sheffield Wed.England · 2 promotions
- 18Pro VercelliItaly · 2 promotions
- 19GuaraniBrazil · 2 promotions
- 20BelenensesPortugal · 2 promotions
SC União Torreense
- Starts in
- Liga 2 + Europa League
- To the top
- 1 promotion
- Biggest achievement
- 2025/26 Taça de Portugal
- The drought
- Last top-flight season: 1991/92
This one simply had to open the list, and you'll soon see why. In May 2026 Torreense became the first club from outside the top flight to win the Taça de Portugal, beating Sporting 2-1 at the Jamor after extra time, with the winner coming from a penalty by captain Stopira. The cup brought the first European qualification in the club's history. Days later, fatigue took its toll in the promotion play-off for the Primeira Liga: a goalless draw at home and a 2-0 defeat to Casa Pia, who kept their place. The result: Torreense start the new season in Liga 2 and in the Europa League at the same time, something very rare in Portuguese football (one precedent is Leixões, who reached the UEFA Cup from the third tier in 2003 after losing the cup final).
It isn't a “giant” in the traditional sense, having spent few seasons in the top flight, the last in 1991/92, but in 2026 it became one of the most talked-about names in Portuguese football. Can you do better than reality and win promotion while playing in Europe? And the project doesn't end there: the club has announced a new stadium to replace the historic Manuel Marques, with the east stand marking the first phase of the works. It's the most special challenge on the list, and there's no arguing with that.
Rosenborg BK
- Starts in
- Eliteserien (1st tier)
- To the top
- Already in the top flight
- Biggest achievement
- 26 Norwegian titles
- The drought
- Last trophy: 2018
We start the “proper” challenges with the one we consider the most accessible: Rosenborg are in Norway's top flight, the Eliteserien, and have the structure of a big club. They have 26 Norwegian titles, including 16 in 19 seasons between 1988 and 2006, 13 of them in a row (1992 to 2004), one of the greatest spells of dominance in European football history. Under Nils Arne Eggen they reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 1996/97 after winning at San Siro against AC Milan, and players such as Roar Strand, Harald Brattbakk and a young John Carew came through.
The last trophy came in 2018 and the club has been far from the title ever since, even spending part of the 2026 season in the relegation zone. The foundations are still there: loyal fans, a fitting stadium and a recent history too good to forget. A great entry point if you want to try this kind of challenge without starting from scratch.
Club Nacional de Football
- Starts in
- Uruguayan top flight
- To the top
- Already in the top flight
- Biggest achievement
- 3 Copa Libertadores
- The drought
- Last Libertadores: 1988
Fifty Uruguayan titles, three Copa Libertadores (1971, 1980 and 1988) and three Intercontinental Cups make Nacional one of the most successful clubs in South America. Álvaro Recoba played there, and so did Luis Suárez, who came through the academy, made his first-team debut before leaving for Europe and returned in 2022. At home, Nacional keep winning: they were Uruguayan champions in 2025, beating Peñarol in the final.
The problem is abroad. The last Libertadores came almost 40 years ago, and the competition is increasingly dominated by the financial muscle of Brazilian and Argentine clubs. A continental rather than domestic challenge: the goal isn't winning in Uruguay, it's being respected across South America again.
IFK Göteborg
- Starts in
- Allsvenskan (1st tier)
- To the top
- Already in the top flight
- Biggest achievement
- 2 UEFA Cups (1982, 1987)
- The drought
- Last title: 2007
Two-time UEFA Cup winners (1982 and 1987), one of the few Scandinavian clubs with a genuine European title, IFK Göteborg have 18 Swedish league titles in the cabinet. Glenn Hysén, later captain of Sweden, and legendary goalkeeper Thomas Ravelli both played there. They're in the top flight (Allsvenskan) but haven't been champions since 2007 and finished 13th in 2023 and 2024, dangerously close to relegation: in 2024 they only avoided the play-off by scoring more goals than Värnamo, level on points and goal difference.
In 2025 they showed signs of life with a fourth-place finish, which makes now the ideal time to take over. It blends genuine European history with an unpredictable domestic league, where any team can surprise from one year to the next.
Club Atlético Independiente
- Starts in
- Argentine top flight
- To the top
- Already in the top flight
- Biggest achievement
- 7 Copa Libertadores
- The drought
- Last title: 2002
Seven Copa Libertadores, more than any other club, earned them the nickname “Rey de Copas”. Ricardo Bochini and Daniel Bertoni are two of the legendary names in their history, and Sergio Agüero took his first steps in Independiente's youth teams before becoming a world star. In 2013 they suffered the first relegation in their history, unthinkable for a club of this stature.
Although they came straight back the following year and still won the Copa Sudamericana in 2017, they have never returned to their old level, with financial problems along the way. They haven't won the Argentine league since 2002, and it's a brutally competitive championship, with Boca Juniors, River Plate and eternal rivals Racing always close by. A harder project than the division they play in might suggest at first glance.
Tokyo Verdy
- Starts in
- J1 League (1st tier)
- To the top
- Already in the top flight
- Biggest achievement
- 2 J.League titles (1993, 1994)
- The drought
- 15 straight seasons in J2
Back-to-back J.League champions in the first two years of Japanese professional football (1993 and 1994, then as Verdy Kawasaki), the club's great star was Kazuyoshi Miura, “King Kazu”, an absolute legend of Japanese football who kept playing professionally past the age of 55. Then came the fall: financial problems and 15 straight seasons in J2, between 2009 and 2023.
They returned to J1 in 2024 via the play-offs and surprised everyone with sixth place, but they still have one of the smallest budgets in the league and spent 2025 in the bottom half of the table. You no longer need to win promotion: the challenge now is turning a J1 survivor into a title contender against far richer rivals.
OFK Beograd
- Starts in
- SuperLiga (1st tier)
- To the top
- Already in the top flight
- Biggest achievement
- 5 Yugoslav titles (as BSK)
- The drought
- Last trophy: 1966
Considered the successor to the legendary BSK, five-time Yugoslav champions between 1931 and 1939, OFK Beograd are one of the most historically respected clubs in Serbia, even if they live in the shadow of the capital's giants, Red Star and Partizan. After going down in 2016 and spending several years in the lower divisions, they returned to the SuperLiga in 2024 and have stayed there, finishing sixth in the 2025/26 regular season. Their last major trophy was the Yugoslav Cup in 1966.
The club is known for producing young talent that is then sold to bigger teams, which makes it hard to keep a competitive side but gives you an interesting base to work with. Here the challenge is more about restoring identity and competitiveness than about climbing divisions.
Kispest-Honvéd
- Starts in
- NB I (just promoted)
- To the top
- Already in the top flight
- Biggest achievement
- 14 Hungarian titles
- The drought
- Last title: 2017
This is probably the club with the most legendary history on the whole list. Honvéd were the backbone of Hungary's famous “Mighty Magyars” in the 1950s, with Ferenc Puskás, one of the greatest players of all time, alongside the likes of Sándor Kocsis and Zoltán Czibor. Fourteen Hungarian titles make them one of the most decorated clubs in the country, but the last came in 2017.
In 2023 they went down to the second tier and spent three seasons in NB II before securing a return to NB I by finishing second in 2025/26. So you arrive at a newly promoted club, with the immediate goal of staying up and a squad that needs rebuilding to fight for the title again. An ideal project if you want to feel the weight of history.
Vasco da Gama
- Starts in
- Série A
- To the top
- Already in the top flight
- Biggest achievement
- 1998 Copa Libertadores
- The drought
- 4 relegations to Série B
One of the most traditional and beloved clubs in Brazil, with four Brazilian titles and the 1998 Copa Libertadores in the cabinet. Some of the greatest strikers Brazil has ever produced have played at São Januário: Romário, Edmundo and Bebeto all wore the Cruzmaltino shirt in different golden eras. The problem is that financial management has been a real nightmare, with huge debts and four relegations to Série B (2008, 2013, 2015 and 2020).
They're still in Série A, but in 2026 they again spent much of the season in the relegation zone, and the Brasileirão is one of the most demanding leagues in the world. Competing at the top with no money to spend is very hard. One of Brazil's most passionate fan bases, waiting for someone to put the house in order for good.
1. FC Kaiserslautern
- Starts in
- 2. Bundesliga
- To the top
- 1 promotion
- Biggest achievement
- 4 German titles
- The drought
- Out of the Bundesliga since 2012
Four-time German champions and the only team to win the Bundesliga in the season straight after promotion (1997/98), a feat unlikely ever to be repeated. They have a deep link to the West Germany side that won the 1954 World Cup: that team's captain, Fritz Walter, was the club's idol (the stadium bears his name), and decades later Miroslav Klose, the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, also wore red.
They've been out of the Bundesliga since 2012, spent four seasons in the 3. Liga and finished 2025/26 sixth in the 2. Bundesliga. One promotion is all it takes to get back to the top of German football. A classic sleeping giant waiting for a manager to bring back the magic of the Betzenberg, one of the most intimidating atmospheres in Germany.
Read alsoThe 20 potential Portuguese wonderkids of FM 2027
1. FC Nürnberg
- Starts in
- 2. Bundesliga
- To the top
- 1 promotion
- Biggest achievement
- 9 German titles
- The drought
- In the second tier since 2019
For decades they were the outright record holders of German titles, with nine, until Bayern Munich overtook them in 1987. Max Morlock, a 1954 World Cup winner, is the figure most associated with the club, which also holds a far less pleasant record: in 1969 they were relegated the year after being champions. They bounced between the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga for decades without settling at the top, and have been in the second tier since 2019 (eighth in 2025/26). A true yo-yo club, with a huge and loyal fan base, waiting for a manager patient enough to restore the stability it lost.
SG Dynamo Dresden
- Starts in
- 2. Bundesliga
- To the top
- 1 promotion
- Biggest achievement
- 8 East German titles
- The drought
- Out of the Bundesliga since 1995
Eight-time East German champions and seven-time East German Cup winners, Dynamo Dresden were one of the giants of football in the East and reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1988/89. Matthias Sammer and Ulf Kirsten left to shine in a reunified Germany. After reunification they lasted four seasons in the Bundesliga before going down in 1995. Years of debt and relegations followed, taking them into the lower leagues. They returned to the 2. Bundesliga in 2025 and finished 11th in 2025/26. More than 30 years out of the Bundesliga and a large fan base known for backing the club: all that's missing is the right manager.
UC Sampdoria
- Starts in
- Serie B
- To the top
- 1 promotion
- Biggest achievement
- 1990/91 Serie A title
- The drought
- In Serie B since 2023
Italian champions in 1990/91 and European Cup finalists in 1992, Sampdoria had in Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini, under Vujadin Boškov, one of the most fondly remembered strike partnerships in Italian football. The club was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2023, the year it dropped into Serie B, and in 2025 it finished in a direct relegation spot to Serie C. It only stayed in Serie B because Brescia were penalised, which sent Samp into a relegation play-off against Salernitana, which they won.
In 2025/26 they again spent much of the season looking over their shoulder but secured survival before the final round and finished 13th. You need to win promotion and rebuild the club's finances at the same time, a double challenge that tests any manager.
Ruch Chorzów
- Starts in
- I Liga (2nd tier)
- To the top
- 1 promotion
- Biggest achievement
- 14 Polish titles
- The drought
- Last title: 1989
Fourteen-time Polish champions, for many years the country's record holders, and European Cup quarter-finalists in 1974/75, a remarkable result for the time. One of the most respected names in Polish football, with strong ties to the industrial region of Silesia. Their last title came in 1989 and their last trophy, the Polish Cup, in 1996.
Financial crisis dragged them through the lower leagues; they returned to the Ekstraklasa in 2023 but went straight back down the following year and failed to return in the last two I Liga seasons (seventh in 2025/26). They need to get back to the Ekstraklasa before even thinking about titles. A classic rebuilding project, with a solid historical base and a long road ahead.
Cobreloa
- Starts in
- Primera B (2nd tier)
- To the top
- 1 promotion
- Biggest achievement
- 8 Chilean titles
- The drought
- 2 Libertadores finals lost
Founded in 1977 in Calama, in the middle of the Atacama Desert and more than 2,000 metres above sea level, Cobreloa had a meteoric rise: eight Chilean titles and back-to-back Copa Libertadores finals in 1981 and 1982, lost to Zico's Flamengo and to Peñarol. Playing in Calama, with the altitude and the desert heat, was a nightmare for any visiting side.
They went down in 2015, spent eight years in the second tier, returned to the top flight in 2024 and dropped straight back down that same season on goal difference. In 2026 they are fighting for promotion in the Primera B. A challenge unlike any other on the list, at a club that was born big and is waiting to scare South America again.
Ismaily SC
- Starts in
- Egyptian second tier
- To the top
- 1 promotion
- Biggest achievement
- 1969 African Champions Cup
- The drought
- First relegation since 1958 (2026)
The first Egyptian club to win the African Champions Cup, in 1969, at a time when Egyptian football was beginning to establish itself as a power in Africa. Ismailia's “Yellow Dragons” spent more than six straight decades in the top flight, but the financial crisis kept getting worse, to the point where the club asked its fans directly for help to pay the bills. In May 2026 came the final blow: their first relegation since 1958. They need to get out of the second tier before thinking about competing on the continent again, in a country where football is lived with huge passion but where clubs' finances are complicated.
Sheffield Wednesday
- Starts in
- League One (3rd tier)
- To the top
- 2 promotions
- Biggest achievement
- 4 English titles
- The drought
- Out of the Premier League since 2000
Four-time English champions, three-time FA Cup winners and League Cup winners in 1991, Sheffield Wednesday are one of English football's historic clubs. Players such as Chris Waddle and David Hirst were part of the side that reached both cup finals in 1993. They've been out of the Premier League since 2000 and in 2025/26 lived through one of the worst seasons in their history: they entered administration at the end of 2025, were docked 18 points and went down bottom of the Championship.
In May 2026 they came out of administration after being bought by a consortium led by American businessman David Storch, and the EFL imposed budget restrictions for the next two seasons. They start 2026/27 in League One (the third tier) and need two promotions to get back to the top. A true fallen giant.
Pro Vercelli 1892
- Starts in
- Serie C (3rd tier)
- To the top
- 2 promotions
- Biggest achievement
- 7 Italian titles
- The drought
- Out of Serie A since 1934/35
Seven-time Italian champions between 1908 and 1922, one of the most dominant sides of Italian football's early days, but without a Serie A appearance since 1934/35. More than ninety years in the wilderness, practically a whole lifetime. Currently in Serie C (14th in Group A in 2025/26), the road back means two promotions before dreaming of Italy's elite. If you're looking for the ultimate “rebuild from the very beginning” challenge, with a genuinely ancient history behind it, this is probably the most extreme in Europe on this list.
Guarani FC
- Starts in
- Série C (3rd tier)
- To the top
- 2 promotions
- Biggest achievement
- 1978 Brasileirão
- The drought
- In Série C since 2025
They hold one of the most extraordinary and least talked-about feats in Brazilian football: in 1978 they became the only club from an inland city, neither a state capital nor a coastal city, to win the Campeonato Brasileiro, with Careca, later a Napoli star alongside Maradona, among the big names. They currently play in Série C, the third tier, where they have been since 2025; in 2026 they missed the promotion stage by a single point and will play a third straight season at that level.
They need two promotions (Série C to B, then B to A) to dream of the elite again, in a country where competition is fierce and traditional clubs fight year after year just to survive financially. One of the purest cases of a “sleeping giant” there is: genuine national champions, now in the third tier.
Os Belenenses
- Starts in
- Liga 3 (3rd tier)
- To the top
- 2 promotions
- Biggest achievement
- 1945/46 league title
- The drought
- Restarted in the district leagues in 2018
We close with the hardest challenge of all, and, once again, in Portugal. National champions in 1945/46, one of only two clubs outside the “Big Three” to win the league (the other is Boavista, in 2000/01), with three titles in the old Campeonato de Portugal (1927, 1929 and 1933) and the Taça de Portugal in 1942 and 1989. They went through one of the harshest collapses in European football: after the split with the club's SAD (its football company) in 2018, the SAD kept the place in the top flight and the club had to start again from scratch in the sixth tier, in the Lisbon district leagues.
They kept the Restelo and climbed tier after tier up to Liga 3, where in 2025/26 they fell just short of Liga 2 after losing the play-off to Farense. They need two promotions to get back to the Primeira Liga, a long road full of financial obstacles. If you're after the slowest and most emotional challenge on the list, with a genuinely tragic story behind it, this is the number one candidate. Good luck, you'll need it.
Think we missed a sleeping giant that deserved a spot? Tell us in the comments what your ideal FM27 challenge would be!
