There are many challenges you can try on Football Manager but the most famous among them is, for certain, the Pentagon Challenge. It’s also one of the most difficult ones. So if you like tough challenges, this is for you. Also, if you like traveling and exploring new, distant places and countries, but you don’t have the money to go there, you can experience them virtually through Football Manager.
During this challenge, you will travel across all five playable continents in Football Manager. You’ll also be able to manage clubs you’ve never heard of and players you’ve never managed before. You might think this challenge sounds simple enough, but there is a strict set of rules you must follow. Because of these rules, this challenge is one of the most difficult in the history of Football Manager.
Objectives
Very simple! At least to write, not really to realize. The goal is to win the Champions League on all five continents whose leagues are available on Football Manager. These are the following trophies:
- AFC Champions League
- CAF Champions League
- UEFA Champions League
- Copa Libertadores
- CONCACAF Champions League
As you can see, there is no competition from Oceania on the list. This is because there are no Oceania leagues available on Football Manager (except through add-ons, but that’s not part of the challenge). That is why the focus is on the strongest club competitions on the other five continents.
Pentagon Challenge Rules
There are a number of rules that make this challenge what it is – challenging!
- All trophies must be won during one career (with the same manager)
- You have to start unemployed
- You must start without a coaching license
- You must start with the lowest playing experience (Sunday League Footballer)
- You can’t manage a national team
You also need to turn off the in-game editor so you won’t be tempted to “help” yourself a little in the early part of your career, especially since that part can be tiring.
You should turn on attribute masking to make it harder for you to buy players without scouting them first. This seems like something that takes up a lot of time during the challenge, but I think it’s necessary to simulate real scouting experience.
Database
In order to successfully complete the Pentagon challenge, you need to manage clubs on all five continents where Football Manager can be played. However, you don’t need to load all the necessary leagues right at the start. Most players start in Asia or Africa, so try to load all available Asian leagues and the only African league, which is South Africa.
Of course, if you have a good computer you can include as many leagues as possible. Loading a large database makes the most sense because you’ll want as many players available as possible when you’re starting in one of the lower leagues.
You have to start unemployed, so you will have to wait for a club to offer you a job. After you get the first offer, the Pentagon challenge begins. Of course, given that you start without coaching licenses and without playing experience, the first clubs will be from a lower league and it will take some time before you fight for your first trophy. After winning your first Champions League, you should try to move to another continent and do it again.
Tips for the Pentagon Challenge
This challenge is extremely difficult, even for the most die-hard FM players. Therefore, we bring you a few tips that will help you on your way. These are just tips, not cheats. The idea of this challenge is to show off your FM skills and there is no point in playing this challenge if you intend to cheat.
- When creating your profile as a manager, focus on increasing the Adaptability attribute. This will increase your chances of getting job offers from foreign countries.
- Check the league rules before signing contracts with foreign players. Many leagues have a limited number of foreign players that you can register or include in your matchday squad. It’s always a good idea to use young players to make sure you fill all the quotas and aren’t caught off guard when registration day comes around.
- Install Real Name Fix and colors for Brazilian clubs. This is more about the gameplay experience than the actual advice that will make it easier for you to play the challenges. One of the goals is to win the Copa Libertadores, and there you have a great chance with the Brazilian clubs. If those clubs don’t have the right names, the experience won’t be as enjoyable.
- Research clubs that have Sugar Daddy owners. In such clubs, you will have more money to spend. Therefore, when you receive offers from several clubs, it would be wiser to accept the offers from those who have a Suger Daddy owner.
- Starting career in your country will help you develop as a coach, i.e. in obtaining coaching licenses. Acquiring these licenses will be financed by your club, and it is more likely that a domestic club will agree to the financing. You can immediately find a job in China’s second league or South Africa, but this will only provide you with short-term benefits. During the initial part of your career, you should focus on getting your coaching licenses.
Conclusion
Pentagon Challenge is not for everyone, especially if you want to play it by all the rules. If you are someone who likes to spend loads of money, bring in the best players and just win trophies, this might not be for you. There will be all that during this challenge, but it will come only after several (dozens) of years.
If you do decide to play this challenge, we invite you to let us know your results. Contact us on the forum, Facebook, Twitter (X), or Instagram. We will be happy to share your screenshots with our fans on social networks.
