5 nations to manage in FM23

Managing a club is the standard style of play in Football Manager, but many of you also take on the job as an international manager as a side job or even as a solo job. Managing a nation is very differnet from managing a club. Where you work with players on a dailly basis at your club, at a national team you have less than two weeks to perform at your best.

Another big difference is the inability to complete transfers as an international manager, while the development of players isn't something you would focus on. Your focus is performance and a quick understanding of your tactical expectations.

Something you should also focus on as an international manager is their current morale and form. Happy players will perform at their best and we can all agree that performing is the main objective for an international manager. Also, if we look at the past there are more than one example of teams that, based on mentality and team spirit, managed to perform great at a final tournament such as the Euros, Copa America or even the World Cup.

Top 5 nations to manage in FM23

Let's move on to our top 5 nations. These are in no particular order.

1. England

Football hasn't come home for almost 60 years now but we can all agree that England has one of the best teams in the world at the moment. The Three Lions have an extremely talented squad alongside the needed experience to dominate the 2022 World Cup. Utilise your captain Harry Kane up front, use Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount for the chance creation and develop youngsters like Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham into leading world-class players. England really does have everything a big nations needs!

Top 5 English players in FM23

2. USA

One nation that has been wanting to take themselves to the next level are the United States of America. They have invested millions of money in their own Major League Soccer in recent years, hoping that their national team would one day be able to compete for the world title. While the 2022 World Cup seems a bit too early for Team USA, we can't deny that they have some extremely talented players in Football Manager. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKenny and Giovanni Reyna are you three super stars and behind these three you have many talented players. Konrad de la Fuente, Yunus Musah and Brenden Aaronsen are only three of a big pool of talents!

Top 5 American players in FM23

3. Brazil

Who could look past the Selecao to manage in Football Manager? The South Americans have one heck of a squad at their disposal and managing them seems to be some sort of a cheat code in Football Manager. It has been twenty years since Brazil have won the World Cup and they are determined to shine in Qatar during the winter World Cup. With Neymar as your biggest start you have an amazing pool of players to pick from. You could even call-up 16-year-old wonderkid Endrick, who is considered as a leading wonderkid in FM23. Would Brazil be too easy as a challenge? We would rather think of them as an amazing squad to manage!!

Top 5 Brazilian players in FM23

4. Senegal

No African country has ever made it passed the quarter finals at the World Cup but Senegal could be the first to make it to the semi-finals in 2022. They won this year's Africa Cup and have an exciting squad with a perfect mix of experience and talent. Up front Sadio Mane is your absolute star, whilst Chelsea stopper Kalidou Koulibaly will lead the team from the back. And to top it off you have one of the best goalkeepers in the world with Edouard Mendy. And even if the World Cup will end in a disaster with Senegal, you would have an exciting team to manage going towards the next Africa Cup.

Top 5 Senegalese players in FM23

5. Mexico

Not many things in life are certain but Mexico participating at the World Cup really is one of these things.They have been there 18 times since the first tournament in 1930 and are currently on a streak of 8 World Cups in a row. Despite them being a steady nation at the tournament, Mexico's best performances have been two quarter finals. Interestingly enough, both these quarter finales were played in Mexico... In FM23 the team from Central America has some exciting players to manage. What to think of former Arsenal player Carlos Vela, who is now a legend at LAFC. But also Napoli winger Hirving Lozano is a player that any manager would love to have. Behind the top players you have some exciting young players who could boast Mexico's chances at future World Cups. With the 2026 tournament being held in Mexico, they could prove to be an excellent nation to develop during your FM23 save!

Top 5 Mexican players in FM23