A new era is dawning for gamers who enjoy the FIFA franchise that releases annually on consoles. This year’s release will see EA change the game with a brand new name for their flagship IP, the name changing from FIFA to the brand new name of EA Sports Football Club 24. The inaugural instalment of the new game is set to release on September 29th of this year, with the previous release FIFA 23, currently in the ‘endgame’ phase of its lifespan.

The main game mode we see players enjoy the most is the ultimate team mode, where players can build their team of players, choosing some of the best players in the world with regular promotional content added to the mode. But there are still plenty of single-player game modes available to play, and one of those is career mode, where players can choose a team to take over and play multiple seasons with them.

And there have been revamps made to the game mode, such as players needing to hire coaches to get the best out of their team. There has also been the addition of a spectate mode, which allows players to view the game from a manager’s perspective on the touchline. With changes being made to the career mode that many have felt to be neglected, Here are six sides you could choose as your new career mode team. 

Wrexham

Our first pick is Wrexham, a team many have discussed frequently in recent years, partly due to the takeover of Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The team returned from the National League after 15 years of heartbreak following an epic encounter with Notts County, with both sides set to battle out in League Two again next season. Back in April, TREFL writer Jordan took a look at whether or not Wrexham are ready for a push for League One promotion. However, the club will be looking further than that, and you, the player, can also look further and see just how far you can take Wrexham up the league pyramid.

Fans expect Wrexham to be battling it out at the top of League Two this coming season and earn promotion to League One, and they are first on the list here to take control of and help guide them to their goal to the third division. One thing that players will have to do to achieve that goal is remember the need to hire coaches to get the best out of their players. And the one name they will need to get playing to his highest level is Paul Mullin, Wrexham’s top scorer last season. Of course, in reality, Wrexham will be without Mullin following his injury against Manchester United in pre-season, where he suffered a punctured lung after a collision with United keeper Nathan Bishop.

The Welsh club enjoyed a mixed pre-season, the highlight being a 2-1 win over the Red Devils in the aforementioned fixture and a 4-0 win over LA Galaxy II. Despite those fixtures, the club were humbled in the Florida Cup final, suffering a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Premier League Chelsea.

Wrexham continue their EFL journey with a visit from recently relegated MK Dons.

Crawley Town

The next team to be featured is Crawley Town, who are expected to be at the opposite end of the table to Wrexham. The team survived last season, finishing three points above Hartlepool, who joined Rochdale in the drop to the National League, losing their status as a Football League club.

Crawley Town has been nothing short of controversial since the arrival of WAGMI United, whose goal following their takeover was to take Crawley to the Premier League. However, the ownership of the NFT firm has had quite the opposite effect, with the club finding itself now at the opposite end of the table than they hoped to be. 

And pre-season has seen the club mostly playing non-league sides with narrow victories secured in those fixtures. Despite that, one result can be found concerning in their pre-season, this being their behind-closed-doors friendly with Portsmouth. Scott Lindsay’s side were humiliated on the day, losing 9-1 to Pompey. 

Dominic Telford led the side in goals last season, hitting the back of the net 13 times for the club. And he will be the player you will have to get the best out of with your coaches in the upcoming game, hopefully getting that number up for the forward. Or perhaps you could dip into the transfer/loan market and find another player to help guide the club to safety in League Two. If you fancied a long-term project with the club, why not see if you could achieve WAGMI’s promise of taking the club to the Premier League?

Crawley Town starts their season with a trip to Bradford City.

Reading

Next on our list, we move to League One for the next challenge. The first choice for this list is Reading, who were relegated from the Championship last season and looking for an immediate return to the second tier. The games are not known for being as in-depth as the Football Manager series, so players will not have the challenge of a transfer embargo that Football Manager players would face.

Despite the lack of the transfer embargo, players would still face a challenge, with the Royals requiring a lot of replacements for their squad. Numerous senior players departed at the culmination of last season, such as Lucas Joao, Scott Dann and Liam Moore, among others. However, the side managed to keep hold of forward Andy Carroll and have also brought in Charlie Savage from Manchester United as they look to return immediately to the Championship.

And those two will be names that players will need to get the best out of to achieve their goals. With Savage being a young player, if you were to take on a long-term career mode project with the club, developing him could be the key to the club’s future. With a high enough rating, he could potentially bring in a sizeable transfer fee to help a player bring in more players to their squad for other positions. 

Reading began the century as a Premier League club, and if you want a long-term save with the Royals, why not see if you can guide them back to the top flight after a lengthy absence? This season will be their first in League One for some time, and it does look to be one of the most challenging in the club’s history. Could you be the one to help them through it in this year’s instalment of the popular video game?

The Royals start their season off with a visit from Peterborough United, who were beaten in the playoffs by Sheffield Wednesday last season.

Lincoln

The Imps have been somewhat of a mixed bag in League One, finishing in 11th place last season. This season will be their fifth successive season in the third division after winning the League Two title in the 2018/19 season. Their best finish in the third tier was fifth place in the 2020/21 season, where they were ultimately defeated 2-1 at Wembley by Blackpool in the playoff final.

With League One shaping up to look the weakest of the three EFL competitions on paper, Lincoln City could easily be considered a dark horse for promotion next season. At one stage over the past decade, the club looked to be beginning a meteoric rise up the football pyramid in England, winning the National League title and the League Two title. However, they have looked mid-table at best in their stint in League One so far, finishing 17th on two occasions. Could this be the year they move one step closer?

The return of Tyler Walker has brought some hope back to fans of the club, and he will be one of the players that players will need to develop in their career path with the Imps, alongside Ethan Erhahon, who arrived from Scottish side St Mirren in January. In a season-long loan with Lincoln in the 2019/20 campaign, Walker featured for the side 34 times, scoring 16 goals and providing four assists as the Imps finished 16th in their first season in the third division. And Erhahon arrived in January, featuring 19 times for the Imps in the second half of the season, providing an assist once and still to make an impact on the scoresheet for the club.

Taking over in League One with the side, could you help them continue their meteoric rise through the league system and finally take that next step in the club’s journey? Maybe you could help take them on another cup run, like their 2016/17 journey, reaching the quarter-finals before being eliminated 5-0 by Premier League side Arsenal.

Lincoln City begin their League One campaign with a visit to playoff semi-finalists Bolton Wanderers.

Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth Argyle returned to the Championship after a monumental season which saw them finish with 101 points and claim the league title, finishing one point above Ipswich Town, who join them in the second division. This is a career path which could take you in two different directions in your save.

The first is what many expect from Plymouth Argyle next season, with Steven Schumacher’s men believed to be in the bottom half of the table, fighting for survival in the second division. However, the second scenario that might be seen here is Plymouth establishing themselves as dark horses again and fighting for promotion to the Premier League.

Morgan Whittaker is a new arrival at the Pilgrims. And he is a player who could be vital to your career path, especially given his experience already in the Championship. Whittaker joined from Swansea, where he made 15 appearances last season, scoring once for the Swans. Still just 22 years of age, the forward has a lot to offer still, as well as a lot of development time, and establishing him as a regular top performer or even selling him to provide funds for other positions in the team could once again be a factor in this save.

The Pilgrims will begin their Championship campaign with an opening-day fixture against Huddersfield Town.

Leicester City

The final team is another team looking for an immediate return to a division they were relegated from last season. Leicester City were relegated from the Premier League on the final day of last season. However, they face tough competition, with the Championship looking set to be the most difficult of the three EFL competitions this coming season. They face a fight with two other relegated sides, Leeds United and Southampton.

Taking over the Foxes will provide a tough test for players as they begin with many key players missing following the sales of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, who joined Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. Another factor here is Jamie Vardy, who has been performing below expectations recently.

And the player’s first job with coaches would be developing Vardy into the striker he once was to try to get the club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking after a nine-year stint in the top flight. However, given the English striker’s age, it may be a better option for the player to develop another of the club’s players, such as Kelechi Iheanacho, or even look elsewhere to sign another player on the transfer market.

For Leicester, they are hoping for a return to the promised land in the top flight, and EA Sports Football Club 24 gives players the opportunity to guide them back to the top flight. Not only that but as a long-term project, players could look towards guiding them to another Premier League title and maybe even compete in European competition following on from that victory.

Leicester City open their season with a fierce local rivalry against Coventry City.