You can embark on plenty of different types of managerial career modes inEA Sports FC 25. Some may want to start at aformer great team and rebuild themas they work their up the leagues until they can eventually challenge the best in world football once again. Others might want to skip all that and immediately start as one of the best teams in the world.
If you are part of the latter group, you will be happy to know that there are eight five-star teams you can choose to control in career mode. Each one has a bunch of exciting and very talented players. However, they each provide a different career mode experience. Here is a full ranking of them all.
The teams are ranked by how enjoyable they are to use in career mode.
Starting Transfer Budget
$75.8 million
The most surprising team to receive a five-star rating in the game is Lombardia FC, more commonly known as Inter. They won Serie A in the 2023-2024 season, so they clearly are a strong team with the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Nicolo Barella. However, their squad isn’t as impressive as the other five-star teams, nor is it as fun to use.
Plus, because EA Sports FC 25 couldn’t get the licensing for Internazionale, you are stuck with being called Lombardia FC. Perhaps an even bigger issue is that you don’t get accurate-colored kits either. Playing as Inter without wearing the iconic black and blue strip just doesn’t feel right.
$247 million
Man City are the juggernaut of the Premier League. They have won six of the last seven Premier League titles and don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon - unless the legal system puts a stop to them. Their squad contains several ofthe highest-rated players in the game, including Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, and, of course, Erling Haaland.
They’ve always been an odd team to play, as it’s hard to replicate Pep Guardiola’s distinct style of football in a video game. Yet, rampaging with Haaland or playing defense-splitting balls with De Bruyne is still plenty of fun, even if winning everything with City is perhaps a bit too easy. After all, not only do they already have an amazing squad, but they have a bigger starting transfer budget than every other five-star team.
$110 million
The goal when taking over Bayern Munich is pretty clear: win the Bundesliga again. Typically, Bayern win the league every single year. However, Leverkusen won it in the 2023-2024 season. So, getting back that crown and re-establishing yourself as the dominant team in Germany should be the main objective.
That should not be that hard, as they have an excellent team with the likes of Harry Kane and Manuel Neuer. Not to mention, they have Jamal Musiala and new boy Michael Olise, who are not only highly-rated players but also very entertaining to use due to their pace and dribbling skills. Also, they have more money than anyone else in the league, so even if Leverkusen causes you issues in the early years, you should be able to build a team to dominate them eventually. Perhaps you could even buy their best players, as that’s the way Bayern usually deals with title rivals.
$133.2 million
The downside to controlling Real Madrid in career mode is that it might be a bit too easy, as it’s not too difficult to win things with the players they have. On top of that, they have a lot of money to spend, and the board isn’t too concerned with you using youth players. Yet, they’re still an enjoyable team to control simply because of how exciting their team is.
Both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr are two ofthe fastest players in the game, so breezing past people as those two is a lot of fun. Along with them, you get to make use of the talents of Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde. There are also a couple of young superstars in the squad, Endrick and Arda Gular, who have the potential to be two of the best players in the world. Developing young players into greats is very satisfying in the game.
$115 million
Controlling Liverpool in EA Sports FC 25 isn’t too different from controlling Liverpool in EA Sports FC 24, as the squad is very similar to last year’s game since Liverpool only signed Federico Chiesa. That said, there is still plenty of enjoyment in managing the Reds. First of all, they have some exciting players, such as Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz.
They also present an interesting challenge because despite being five stars, they aren’t the best team in England. Man City are the top team. So, knocking them off their perch is an exciting objective. Also, it isn’t overly easy if you’re attempting to create a new era of Liverpool dominance since several of their best players, such as Mo Salah, Alisson, Virgil Van Dijk, and Andrew Robertson, are getting old. Therefore, you will need to build a team for the future.
$136.6 million
Out of all the five-star teams, Arsenal have had the least success in recent times. They haven’t won the Premier League since 2004, and they’ve never won the Champions League. This is part of what makes them a great career mode save, as you can aim to achieve the success that the Gunners have spent years striving for. It won’t be easy, as, like Liverpool, you have to contend with Manchester City.
Arsenal have a strong squad that’s somewhat capable of achieving greatness straight away. Defensive players like Declan Rice, William Saliba, and Gabriel give you a strong base from which to build. Yet, you may need to add to your attacking ranks, as Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka are the only attackers on the Arsenal squad who have overall ratings in the late 80s.
$64.4 million
Nobody had a better 2023-2024 season than Bayer Leverkusen. They only lost one game in all competitions, which is why they received a five-star rating. Before last season, nobody would’ve guessed that they’d ever get a five-star rating in one of these games, but they earned it. Can you keep the brilliance going in career mode, though? After all, Bayern Munich are typically the dominant team in Germany, so they’ll be coming back for their crown.
Leverkusen does have some great players, including the star of the team, Florian Wirtz. However, they still don’t have quite the quality that Bayern has, nor do they offer you as big of a transfer budget in your first season. So, even though they went undefeated in the league last season and are a five-star team, it’s still a bit of an underdog save.
$89.5 million
Barcelona have had plenty of financial issues in recent years. As such, when managing the team in career mode, you don’t get quite as much of a transfer budget as some of the other big teams, and the board’s financial expectations are ‘high.’ In fact, their expectations across the board are pretty high, as they clearly want managers to win a lot, manage their finances well, and promote youth. Also, the fact that you’ll be facing off against Real Madrid means this save could be a bit challenging.
It could also be rewarding, though, since you have some exceptional young players that you can attempt to mold into world-class players. Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Balde, and Pau Cubarsi are a few young players who have the potential to be among the best in the game. Managing and developing them will be very satisfying.
