Clubs Playing in Other Countries That are NOT Their Own

This article will highlight a selection of clubs playing in leagues outside of their own nation. These teams present some unique challenges on FM22.

Here's an interesting idea for your next FM22 save, manage a club that's playing outside their own nation.

This article will highlight a selection of clubs playing in leagues outside of their own nation. These teams present some unique challenges on FM22.

Wrexham - English Football League and National League - Country Wales

There are five Welsh teams which play across the English divisions. The reason that they play in England is because the Welsh league didn’t exist when they were founded. Swansea and Cardiff City are the most successful and have both played in the Premier League (Cardiff are actually the only Welsh side to have won the FA Cup).

Last year, Wrexham were bought out by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny. This new ownership has made Wrexham an extremely popular choice on FM22. Now the ambitions for the Dragons are high as they are predicted to finish first in the National League. Paul Mullin is the main man up front and should score goals at a higher level. James Jones is a superb box-to-box midfielder and Aaron Hayden will provide defensive strength.

Honourable Mentions: Cardiff City, Swansea, Newport County

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FC Vaduz - Swiss Challenge League - Country - Liechtenstein

One of the more unique challenges on FM is FC Vaduz. Vaduz are Liechtenstein’s most successful team but, because Liechtenstein is so small, they play in the Swiss league. Playing in Switzerland as a Liechtensteiner club means that FC Vaduz are not eligible to play in the Champions League even if they win the Swiss League. Therefore, to play in the Champions League is an extremely difficult challenge. Firstly Vaduz need to win the Liechtenstein Cup which would allow them to play in the Europa Conference League. From there, they would need to win the Europa Conference League outright to qualify for the Europa League which they would then need to win to get into the Champions League.

Put into context: no Swiss team has ever made a European final, let alone a Liechtensteiner side. FC Vaduz is a challenge not for the faint-hearted. Good luck!

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FC Andorra - Spanish Country Andorra

FC Andorra are a club based in the tiny country of Andorra located in the Pyrenees between Spain and France. The country’s official language is Catalan which links it directly with its owner, Barcelona’s Gerard Pique. Following in the footsteps of the Class of ‘92 at Salford, Pique dreams of taking FC Andorra to La Liga and the Champions League: "We want to become one of the key representatives of Andorra within the Spanish landscape and European landscape, for the country to be proud of this team."

Since Pique bought the club in 2019, FC Andorra have been promoted twice and are now in the third tier (Spanish Federation First Division B) for the first time. Times are looking bright for the club. However, despite being a representative of the Andorran state, the squad has a limited number of Andorran players. Can you take FC Andorra to the Champions League and improve Andorran football at the same time?

Honourable mentions: AD Ceuta, Melilla (both play in North Africa)

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AS Monaco - Ligue Un (France) - Country Monaco

Despite being based in Monaco, the second smallest country in the world, AS Monaco take part in the French footballing pyramid and are one of the most successful teams in France having won the league title eight times. They are well-backed and have a strong team which can compete with the might of PSG.

Wissam Ben-Yedder leads the line alongside Kevin Volland. Alexandr Golovin is a dynamo in midfield while Myron Boadu is a great prospect who should be playing first-team football. Benoit Badashile has the ability to become a world-class centre-back in the future.

READ ALSO: 5 Sleeping Giants to Manage on Football Manager 2022

Toronto - League MLS (USA) - Country - Canada

Toronto FC were the first Canadian side to join the MLS back in 2007 and managed to win the MLS Cup for the first time a decade later.

Recently, Toronto FC made the news of a surprising transfer. Club president Bill Manning decided to use the Football Manager method of checking players whose contracts were soon to expire and found Napoli superstar Lorenzo Insigne.

“I started writing down the players that I thought were world-class and would have commercial value. Lorenzo was one of the few that was coming out of contract. He’s a transformational player for us and our league” said Manning.

Insigne will join Toronto FC at the end of the European season. He will line up in a strong squad. alongside players like Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Carlos Salcedo and Alejandro Pozuelo.

Honourable Mentions: Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps

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Wellington Phoenix - A-League (Australia) Country - New Zealand

Based in rugby-mad New Zealand, Wellington Phoenix are a club facing many unique challenges. The Phoenix not only play in a different country to their own but they actually compete in a league based in a different confederation (AFC) to where they are based (OFC). Because of this, they aren’t eligible to compete in Asia’s continental competition.

In addition to this, since last year, the club have had to temporarily move to Wollongong, Australia due to Covid in order to deal with cross-border restrictions. The Phoenix have been one of the weaker teams in the A-League since forming 14 years ago having never won the league and only ever finishing as high as third. Are you the manager to make the Phoenix rise?