Setup Types
From Soccer Manager Wiki
Soccer Manager offers a choice of Standard Setups, Custom Setups and Gold Setups. Numerous setups are created throughout the day (at random times) and you also have the option to purchase a Standard Setup or upgrade to become a Gold Member via the SM Shop.
Standard Setups
Soccer Manager have created a number of setup types for you to control a team in English Championship, European Championship, World Championship, and also a choice of some of the worlds leading leagues. If you are new to the game we suggest you play in one of the following setups to familiarise yourself with the game.
To access the rules for each individual setup you can view the Setup Rules and Managers page.
English Club Championship
This setup type is based on the current real life English League structure with all four English Leagues and 80 professional clubs. They are split into four divisions with 20 clubs in each division. If you decide to play this setup type you will have the choice to manage one English club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
Below is an example of clubs within a English Club Championship:
| Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Blackpool | Barnsley | Bournemouth |
| Aston Villa | Bristol City | Bristol Rovers | Bradford City |
| Birmingham City | Burnley | Carlisle United | Brentford |
| Blackburn Rovers | Cardiff City | Doncaster Rovers | Brighton and Hove Albion |
| Bolton Wanderers | Charlton Athletic | Hartlepool United | Cheltenham Town |
| Chelsea | Colchester United | Hull City | Chesterfield |
| Derby County | Coventry City | Leeds United | Crewe Alexandra |
| Everton | Crystal Palace | Leicester City | Darlington |
| Fulham | Ipswich Town | Luton Town | Gillingham |
| Liverpool | Norwich City | Millwall | Huddersfield Town |
| Manchester City | Plymouth Argyle | Nottingham Forest | Leyton Orient |
| Manchester United | Preston North End | Oldham Athletic | Lincoln City |
| Middlesbrough | Scunthorpe United | Port Vale | Milton Keynes Dons |
| Newcastle United | Sheffield United | Queens Park Rangers | Morecambe |
| Portsmouth | Sheffield Wednesday | Southend United | Northampton Town |
| Reading | Southampton | Swansea City | Peterborough United |
| Sunderland | Stoke City | Swindon Town | Rochdale |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Watford | Tranmere Rovers | Rotherham United |
| West Ham United | West Bromwich Albion | Walsall | Shrewsbury Town |
| Wigan Athletic | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Yeovil Town | Stockport County |
Please note that not all of the 92 clubs in England are involved in the English Club Championship and only the top 80 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Spanish Championship
This Setup contains the top 40 clubs from Spain and splits them into two divisions with 20 clubs in each division. The setup also contains two cups the Spanish Champ Cup and Spanish Champ Shield.
Below is an example of clubs within a Spanish Club Championship:
| Division 1 | Division 2 |
|---|---|
| Almería | Alavés |
| Athletic Bilbao | Albacete |
| Atlético Madrid | Cádiz |
| Barcelona | Castellón |
| Deportivo La Coruña | Celta Vigo |
| Espanyol | Córdoba |
| Getafe | Eibar |
| Levante | Elche |
| Mallorca | Gimnàstic |
| Osasuna | Granada 74 |
| Racing Santander | Hércules |
| Real Betis | Las Palmas |
| Real Madrid | Málaga |
| Real Murcia | Numancia |
| Recreativo de Huelva | Racing Ferrol |
| Sevilla | Real Sociedad |
| Valencia | Salamanca |
| Valladolid | Sevilla Atlético |
| Villarreal | Sporting Gijón |
| Zaragoza | Tenerife |
Please note that not all of the clubs in Spain are involved in the Spanish Club Championship. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Italian Championship
This Setup contains the top 40 clubs from Italy and splits them into two divisions with 20 clubs in each division. The setup also contains two cups the Italian Champ Cup and Italian Champ Shield.
Below is an example of clubs within a Italian Club Championship:
| Division 1 | Division 2 |
|---|---|
| Atalanta | Albinoleffe |
| Cagliari | Ascoli |
| Catania | Avellino |
| Empoli | Bari |
| Fiorentina | Bologna |
| Genoa | Brescia |
| Internazionale | Chievo |
| Juventus | Frosinone |
| Lazio | Grosseto |
| Livorno | Lecce |
| Milan | Mantova |
| Napoli | Messina |
| Palermo | Modena |
| Parma | Piacenza |
| Reggina | Pisa |
| Roma | Rimini |
| Sampdoria | Spezia |
| Siena | Treviso |
| Torino | Triestina |
| Udinese | Vicenza |
Please note that not all of the clubs in Italy are involved in the Italian Club Championship. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
German Championship
This Setup contains the top 36 clubs from Germany and splits them into two divisions with 18 clubs in each division. The setup also contains two cups the German Champ Cup and German Champ Shield.
Below is an example of clubs within a German Club Championship:
| Division 1 | Division 2 |
|---|---|
| 1 FC Nurnberg | 1 FC Koln |
| Arminia Bielefeld | Alemannia Aachen |
| Bayer Leverkusen | Borussia Monchengladbach |
| Bayern Munchen | Carl Zeiss Jena |
| Borussia Dortmund | Erzgebirge Aue |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | FC Augsburg |
| Energie Cottbus | FC St. Pauli |
| FC Schalke 04 | FSV Mainz 05 |
| Hamburger SV | Greuther Furth |
| Hannover 96 | Kaiserslautern |
| Hansa Rostock | Kickers Offenbach |
| Hertha BSC Berlin | SC Freiburg |
| Karlsruher SC | SC Paderborn 07 |
| MSV Duisburg | SV Wehen Wiesbaden |
| VFB Stuttgart | TSG 1899 Hoffenheim |
| VFL Bochum | TSV Munchen 1860 |
| VFL Wolfsburg | TuS 1911 Koblenz |
| Werder Bremen | VFL Osnabrück |
Please note that not all of the clubs in Germany are involved in the German Club Championship. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
French Championship
This Setup contains the top 40 clubs from France and splits them into two divisions with 20 clubs in each division. The setup also contains two cups the French Champ Cup and French Champ Shield.
Below is an example of clubs within a French Club Championship:
| Division 1 | Division 2 |
|---|---|
| Auxerre | Ajaccio |
| Bordeaux | Amiens |
| Caen | Angers |
| Le Mans | Bastia |
| Lens | Boulogne |
| Lille | Brest |
| Lorient | Chateauroux |
| Lyon | Clermont Foot |
| Marseille | Dijon |
| Metz | Grenoble |
| Monaco | Gueugnon |
| Nancy | Guingamp |
| Nice | Le Havre |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Libourne-Saint-Seurin |
| Rennes | Montpellier |
| Saint-Etienne | Nantes |
| Sochaux | Niort |
| Strasbourg | Reims |
| Toulouse | Sedan |
| Valenciennes | Troyes |
Please note that not all of the clubs in France are involved in the French Club Championship. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Portuguese Championship
This Setup contains the top 16 clubs from Portugal all in one division. The setup also contains two cups the Portuguese Champ Cup and Portuguese Champ Shield.
Below is an example of clubs within a Portuguese Club Championship:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| Académica |
| Belenenses |
| Benfica |
| Boavista |
| Estrela da Amadora |
| FC Porto |
| Leixoes |
| Maritimo |
| Nacional de Madeira |
| Naval |
| Paços de Ferreira |
| Sporting |
| Sporting Braga |
| União Leiria |
| Vitória de Guimarães |
| Vitoria Setubal |
Please note that not all of the clubs in Portugal are involved in the Portuguese Club Championship. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Scottish Championship
This Setup contains the top 24 clubs from Scotland and splits them into two divisions with 12 clubs in each division. The setup also contains two cups the Scottish Champ Cup and Scottish Champ Shield.
Below is an example of clubs within a Scottish Club Championship:
| Division 1 | Division 2 |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Airdrie United |
| Celtic | Clyde |
| Dundee United | Dundee |
| Falkirk | Dunfermline Athletic |
| Gretna | Greenock Morton |
| Hearts | Hamilton Academical |
| Hibernian | Livingston |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Partick Thistle |
| Kilmarnock | Queen of the South |
| Motherwell | Ross County |
| Rangers | St Johnstone |
| St Mirren | Stirling Albion |
Please note that not all of the clubs in Scotland are involved in the Scottish Club Championship. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Australian Championship
This Setup contains the top 8 clubs from Australia all in one division. The setup also contains the Australia Champ Cup.
Below is an example of clubs within a Australian Club Championship:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| Adelaide United |
| Central Coast Mariners |
| Melbourne Victory |
| Newcastle United Jets |
| Perth Glory |
| Queensland Roar |
| Sydney FC |
| Wellington Phoenix |
Please note that not all of the clubs in Australia are involved in the Australian Club Championship. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
American Soccer League
This Setup contains the top 14 clubs from the USA all in one division. The setup also contains two cups the American Soccer League Cup and American Soccer League Shield.
Below is an example of clubs within a American Soccer League:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| Chicago Fire |
| Chivas USA |
| Colorado Rapids |
| Columbus Crew |
| D.C. United |
| FC Dallas |
| Houston Dynamo |
| Kansas City Wizards |
| Los Angeles Galaxy |
| New England Revolution |
| New York |
| Real Salt Lake |
| San Jose Earthquakes |
| Toronto FC |
Please note that not all of the clubs in USA are involved in the American Soccer League. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Argentine Championship
This Setup contains the top 20 clubs from Argentina all in one division. The setup also contains two cups the Argentine Champ Cup and Argentine Champ Shield.
Below is an example of clubs within a Argentine Championship:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| Argentinos Juniors |
| Arsenal de Sarandí |
| Banfield |
| Boca Juniors |
| Colón |
| Estudiantes |
| Gimnasia de Jujuy |
| Gimnasia la Plata |
| Huracán |
| Independiente |
| Lanús |
| Newell’s Old Boys |
| Olimpo |
| Racing Club |
| River Plate |
| Rosario Central |
| San Lorenzo |
| San Martín de San Juan |
| Tigre |
| Vélez Sársfield |
Please note that not all of the clubs in Argentina are involved in the Argentine Championship. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Brazilian Championship
This Setup contains the top 20 clubs from Brazil all in one division. The setup also contains two cups the Brazilian Champ Cup and Brazilian Champ Shield.
Below is an example of clubs within a Brazilian Championship:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| Atletico Mineiro |
| Atletico Paranaense |
| Botafogo |
| Corinthians |
| Coritiba |
| Cruzeiro |
| Figueirense |
| Flamengo |
| Fluminense |
| Goias |
| Grêmio |
| Internacional |
| Juventude |
| Náutico |
| Palmeiras |
| Paraná |
| Santos |
| São Paulo |
| Sport Recife |
| Vasco da Gama |
Please note that not all of the clubs in Brazil are involved in the Brazilian Championship. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Mexican Championship
This Setup contains the top 18 clubs from Mexico all in one division. The setup also contains two cups the Mexican Champ Cup and Mexican Champ Shield.
Below is an example of clubs within a Mexican Championship:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| América |
| Atlante |
| Atlas |
| Cruz Azul |
| Guadalajara |
| Jaguares de Chiapas |
| Monterrey |
| Morelia |
| Necaxa |
| Pachuca |
| Puebla |
| San Luis |
| Santos Laguna |
| Tecos de la UAG |
| Toluca |
| UANL Tigres |
| UNAM |
| Veracruz |
Please note that not all of the clubs in Mexico are involved in the Mexican Championship. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Dutch Championship
This Setup contains the top 18 clubs from the Netherlands all in one division. The setup also contains two cups the Dutch Champ Cup and Dutch Champ Shield.
Below is an example of clubs within a Dutch Championship:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| Ajax |
| AZ Alkmaar |
| De Graafschap |
| Excelsior |
| FC Groningen |
| FC Twente |
| FC Utrecht |
| Feyenoord |
| Heerenveen |
| Heracles Almelo |
| NAC Breda |
| NEC Nijmegen |
| PSV |
| Roda JC |
| Sparta Rotterdam |
| Vitesse Arnhem |
| VVV Venlo |
| Willem II |
Please note that not all of the clubs in the Netherlands are involved in the Dutch Championship. Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
European Club Championship
This game setup contains the top 24 clubs from around Europe and splits them into three divisions with 8 clubs in each division. Each day the top 24 clubs are decided by rating and these will be updated into the setup. If you decide to play this setup type you will have the choice to manage one European club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
Below is an example of clubs within a European Club Championship:
| Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Internazionale | Ajax |
| Barcelona | Liverpool | Atlético Madrid |
| Bayern Munchen | Lyon | Borussia Dortmund |
| Chelsea | Marseille | Everton |
| Juventus | Newcastle United | Manchester City |
| Manchester United | Roma | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Milan | Tottenham Hotspur | Villarreal |
| Real Madrid | Valencia | Werder Bremen |
Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
World Club Championship
This setup type is the most popular. It contains the top 80 clubs from around the world. They are split into four divisions with 20 clubs in each division. Each day the top 80 clubs are decided by rating and these will be updated into the setup. If you decide to play this setup type you will have the choice to manage one club from around the world from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
This is a view of a previous World Club Championship:
| Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajax | Benfica | AEK Athens | 1 FC Nurnberg |
| Arsenal | Boca Juniors | Aston Villa | América |
| Atlético Madrid | Celtic | AZ Alkmaar | Athletic Bilbao |
| Barcelona | CSKA Moskva | Bayer Leverkusen | Borussia Dortmund |
| Bayern Munchen | Dynamo Kyiv | Besiktas | Colo Colo |
| Chelsea | Everton | Blackburn Rovers | Dinamo Zagreb |
| FC Porto | FC Schalke 04 | Bolton Wanderers | Estudiantes |
| Internazionale | Fenerbahçe | Bordeaux | Feyenoord |
| Juventus | Fiorentina | Deportivo La Coruña | Lille |
| Liverpool | Hamburger SV | Espanyol | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Lyon | Lazio | Galatasaray | Manchester City |
| Manchester United | Marseille | Guadalajara | Middlesbrough |
| Milan | Newcastle United | Internacional | Napoli |
| Real Madrid | Palermo | Monaco | Portsmouth |
| Roma | PSV | Olympiacos | Real Betis |
| São Paulo | River Plate | Paris Saint-Germain | Rennes |
| Sevilla | Sporting | Rangers | Sampdoria |
| Tottenham Hotspur | VFB Stuttgart | Santos | Toulouse |
| Valencia | Villarreal | Shakhtar Donetsk | Udinese |
| Werder Bremen | Zaragoza | Spartak Moskva | West Ham United |
Each summer Soccer Manager will review the clubs within this setup and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Cups
Each season there will be two cup competitions in each of the different setups that run throughout the season. Each Standard Setup contains a 'Cup' and 'Shield' format cup competition which varies depending on setup. Your club will automatically enter each cup competition at the start of the season. Because it involves clubs of all standards playing against each other there is the possibility for "minnows" from the lower divisions to become "giant-killers" by eliminating top clubs from the cup.
Both cup competitions are a knockout tournament with pairings drawn completely at random - there are no seeds, and a draw takes place after the fixtures have been played in each round. In the early stages of the cup some clubs may receive a bye into the next round. This means that a club is allowed to advance to the next round without playing. If the match is a draw after 90 minutes have been played, then penalties are used to decide who will progress to the next stage of a tournament, or who will win it.
Please Note: If a player plays in either the Shield or Cup and moves clubs he will be ineligible to play in the competitions for his new club.
Promotion and Relegation
At the end of every season clubs can either be relegated or promoted dependent on their league position. Relegation means the mandated transfer of the least successful teams of a higher division into a lower division at the end of the season. This is usually accompanied by the most successful teams from the lower division enjoying the opposite procedure - promotion. The number of teams exchanged between the divisions is normally identical.
Here are the promotion and relegation rules for the World & English Club Championships:
- Division 1: Bottom three teams relegated.
- Division 2: Top three automatically promoted and bottom three relegated.
- Division 3: Top three automatically promoted and bottom three relegated.
- Division 4: Top three automatically promoted and no teams are relegated.
Here are the promotion and relegation rules for the European Club Championship:
- Division 1: Bottom two teams relegated.
- Division 2: Top two automatically promoted and bottom two relegated.
- Division 3: Top two automatically promoted and bottom two relegated.
- Division 4: Top two automatically promoted and no teams are relegated.
Currently there are no play-offs within these setup types.
End of Season
When a season ends there will be a 3 day wait until the new season starts and clubs will either be relegated or promoted dependent on their league position. There will then be a 7 day break for you to prepare your team prior to your teams opening fixture for the new season. Please note that the setup is not reset and players do not return to their original teams.
Custom Setups
Gold Members can create and control their own Custom Setups. These setups have various formats and teams and are available to all managers. However, many of these setups are buddy leagues and private setups.
Gold Setups
Gold Setups are the premier setups created for Gold Members only! They include all major world clubs split into 12 geographical leagues (England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Scotland, Holland & Belgium, Eastern Europe, Mediterranean, America, Central Europe, Scandinavia). As well as domestic cup competitions they also include an International SMFA Champions Cup and the SMFA Shield.
Please Note: You must have a SM Reputation of 40+ to participate in the various Gold Setups.
When are Gold Setups Created?
These elite setups can be created at any time during the course of a year and they are usually created in correlation with the number of Gold Members we have. Prior to creation of these elite setups we will make an announcement on SM Info and within the SM Blog
English League 
This league is based on the current real life English League structure with all four English Leagues and 80 professional clubs. They are split into four divisions with 20 clubs in each division. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one English club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the English League are:
| Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Blackpool | Barnsley | Bournemouth |
| Aston Villa | Bristol City | Bristol Rovers | Bradford City |
| Birmingham City | Burnley | Carlisle United | Brentford |
| Blackburn Rovers | Cardiff City | Doncaster Rovers | Brighton and Hove Albion |
| Bolton Wanderers | Charlton Athletic | Hartlepool United | Cheltenham Town |
| Chelsea | Colchester United | Hull City | Chesterfield |
| Derby County | Coventry City | Leeds United | Crewe Alexandra |
| Everton | Crystal Palace | Leicester City | Darlington |
| Fulham | Ipswich Town | Luton Town | Gillingham |
| Liverpool | Norwich City | Millwall | Huddersfield Town |
| Manchester City | Plymouth Argyle | Nottingham Forest | Leyton Orient |
| Manchester United | Preston North End | Oldham Athletic | Lincoln City |
| Middlesbrough | Scunthorpe United | Port Vale | Milton Keynes Dons |
| Newcastle United | Sheffield United | Queens Park Rangers | Morecambe |
| Portsmouth | Sheffield Wednesday | Southend United | Northampton Town |
| Reading | Southampton | Swansea City | Peterborough United |
| Sunderland | Stoke City | Swindon Town | Rochdale |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Watford | Tranmere Rovers | Rotherham United |
| West Ham United | West Bromwich Albion | Walsall | Shrewsbury Town |
| Wigan Athletic | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Yeovil Town | Stockport County |
Please note that not all of the 92 clubs in England are involved in the English League and only the top 80 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Spanish League 
This league is based on the current real life Spanish League structure with all two Spanish Leagues and 40 professional clubs. They are split into two divisions with 20 clubs in each division. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one Spanish club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the Spanish League are:
| Division 1 | Division 2 |
|---|---|
| Almería | Alavés |
| Athletic Bilbao | Albacete |
| Atlético Madrid | Cádiz |
| Barcelona | Castellón |
| Deportivo La Coruña | Celta Vigo |
| Espanyol | Elche |
| Getafe | Gimnàstic |
| Levante | Granada 74 |
| Mallorca | Hércules |
| Osasuna | Las Palmas |
| Racing Santander | Málaga |
| Real Betis | Numancia |
| Real Madrid | Polideportivo Ejido |
| Real Murcia | Real Madrid Castilla |
| Recreativo de Huelva | Real Sociedad |
| Sevilla | Salamanca |
| Valencia | Sevilla Atlético |
| Valladolid | Sporting Gijón |
| Villarreal | Tenerife |
| Zaragoza | Xerez |
Please note that not all of the 42 clubs in Spain are involved in the Spanish League and only the top 40 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Italian League 
This league is based on the current real life Italian League structure with the top two Italian Leagues and 40 professional clubs. They are split into two divisions with 20 clubs in each division. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one Italian club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the Italian League are:
| Division 1 | Division 2 |
|---|---|
| Atalanta | Albinoleffe |
| Cagliari | Ascoli |
| Catania | Bari |
| Empoli | Bologna |
| Fiorentina | Brescia |
| Genoa | Cesena |
| Internazionale | Chievo |
| Juventus | Frosinone |
| Lazio | Grosseto |
| Livorno | Lecce |
| Milan | Mantova |
| Napoli | Messina |
| Palermo | Modena |
| Parma | Piacenza |
| Reggina | Ravenna |
| Roma | Rimini |
| Sampdoria | Treviso |
| Siena | Triestina |
| Torino | Verona |
| Udinese | Vicenza |
Please note that not all of the 78 clubs in Italy are involved in the Italian League and only the top 40 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Scottish League 
This league is based on the current real life Scottish League structure with the top Scottish League and 20 professional clubs. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one Scottish club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the Scottish League are:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| Aberdeen |
| Airdrie United |
| Celtic |
| Derry City |
| Drogheda United |
| Dundee |
| Dundee United |
| Falkirk |
| Gretna |
| Hamilton Academical |
| Hearts |
| Hibernian |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle |
| Kilmarnock |
| Linfield |
| Livingston |
| Motherwell |
| Queens Park |
| Rangers |
| St Mirren |
Please note that not all of the 42 clubs in Scotland are involved in the Scottish League and only the top 20 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
French League 
This league is based on the current real life French League structure with the top two French Leagues and 40 professional clubs. They are split into two divisions with 20 clubs in each division. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one French club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the French League are:
| Division 1 | Division 2 |
|---|---|
| Auxerre | Ajaccio |
| Bordeaux | Amiens |
| Caen | Angers |
| Le Mans | Bastia |
| Lens | Boulogne |
| Lille | Brest |
| Lorient | Chateauroux |
| Lyon | Clermont Foot |
| Marseille | Dijon |
| Metz | Grenoble |
| Monaco | Gueugnon |
| Nancy | Guingamp |
| Nice | Le Havre |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Libourne-Saint-Seurin |
| Rennes | Montpellier |
| Saint-Etienne | Nantes |
| Sochaux | Niort |
| Strasbourg | Reims |
| Toulouse | Sedan |
| Valenciennes | Troyes |
Please note that all of the 40 clubs in France are involved in the French League and only the top 40 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
German League 
This league is based on the current real life German League structure with the top two German Leagues and 40 professional clubs. They are split into two divisions with 20 clubs in each division. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one German club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the German League are:
| Division 1 | Division 2 |
|---|---|
| 1 FC Nurnberg | 1 FC Koln |
| Alemannia Aachener | Borussia Monchengladbach |
| Arminia Bielefeld | Carl Zeiss Jena |
| Bayer Leverkusen | Eintracht Braunschweig |
| Bayern Munchen | Erzgebirge Aue |
| Borussia Dortmund | FC Augsburg |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | FC St. Pauli |
| Energie Cottbus | Greuther Furth |
| FC Schalke 04 | Kaiserslautern |
| FSV Mainz 05 | Kickers Offenbach |
| Hamburger SV | Rot-Weiss Essen |
| Hannover 96 | SC Freiburg |
| Hansa Rostock | SC Paderborn 07 |
| Hertha BSC Berlin | SV Wehen 1926 |
| Karlsruher SC | TSG 1899 Hoffenheim |
| MSV Duisburg | TSV Munchen 1860 |
| VFB Stuttgart | TuS 1911 Koblenz |
| VFL Bochum | Unterhaching |
| VFL Wolfsburg | VFL Osnabrück |
| Werder Bremen | Wacker Burghausen |
Please note that all of the 72 clubs in Germany are involved in the German League and only the top 40 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Dutch & Belgium League 
This league format contains the top 20 professional clubs from the Dutch & Belgium Leagues. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one Dutch or Belgium club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the Dutch & Belgium League are:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| Ajax |
| Anderlecht |
| AZ Alkmaar |
| Club Brugge |
| FC Brussels |
| FC Groningen |
| FC Twente |
| FC Utrecht |
| Feyenoord |
| Gent |
| Germinal Beerschot |
| Heerenveen |
| Heracles Almelo |
| PSV |
| Racing Genk |
| Roda JC |
| Standard Liege |
| Vitesse Arnhem |
| Westerlo |
| Willem II Tilburg |
Please note that not all of the 38 clubs from the Netherlands or the 18 clubs from Belgium are involved in the Dutch & Belgium League and only the top 20 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Eastern European League 
This league format contains the top 20 professional clubs from the Polish, Russian & Ukrainian Leagues. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one Polish, Russian or Ukrainian club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the Eastern European League are:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| Amkar |
| Chornomorets |
| CSKA Moskva |
| Dinamo Moskva |
| Dnipro |
| Dynamo Kyiv |
| FK Moskva |
| Krylia Sovetov |
| Legia Warszawa |
| Lokomotiv Moskva |
| Metalist Kharkiv |
| Rostov |
| Rubin Kazan |
| Saturn Ramenskoe |
| Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Spartak Moskva |
| Spartak Nalchik |
| Tom Tomsk |
| Wisla Krakow |
| Zenit St Petersburg |
Please note that not all of the 34 clubs from Poland, 38 clubs from Russia or the 56 clubs from the Ukraine are involved in the Eastern European League and only the top 20 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
American League 
This league format contains the top 20 professional clubs from the South American and North American Leagues. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one South or North American club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the American League are:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| América |
| Boca Juniors |
| Colo Colo |
| Cruz Azul |
| Cruzeiro |
| Estudiantes |
| Grêmio |
| Guadalajara |
| Independiente |
| Internacional |
| New York |
| Pachuca |
| Palmeiras |
| River Plate |
| San Lorenzo |
| Santos |
| São Paulo |
| Toronto FC |
| Vasco da Gama |
| Vélez Sársfield |
Please note that not all of the clubs from South and North America are involved in the American League and only the top 20 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Mediterranean League 
This league format contains the top 20 professional clubs from the Mediterranean Leagues. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the Mediterranean League are:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| AEK Athens |
| Beitar Jerusalem |
| Benfica |
| Besiktas |
| Boavista |
| Crvena Zvezda |
| Desportivo Nacional |
| Dinamo Zagreb |
| FC Porto |
| Fenerbahçe |
| Galatasaray |
| Hajduk Split |
| Maccabi Haifa |
| Olympiacos |
| Panathinaikos |
| PAOK |
| Partizan Beograd |
| Sporting |
| Sporting Braga |
| Trabzonspor |
Please note that not all of the 34 clubs from Greece, 24 from Israel, 32 from Portugal, 28 from Croatia, 30 from Serbia or 36 from Turkey are involved in the Mediterranean League and only the top 20 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Scandinavian League 
This league format contains the top 20 professional clubs from the Scandinavian Leagues. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the Scandinavian League are:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| AaB |
| AIK Solna |
| Brøndby IF |
| Djurgårdens |
| Elfsborg |
| Esbjerg |
| FC København |
| FC Midtylland |
| Hammarby |
| Helsingborgs IF |
| IFK Göteborg |
| Lillestrøm SK |
| Lyn Oslo |
| Malmö FF |
| OB |
| Rosenborg |
| SK Brann |
| Tampere United |
| Valerenga |
| Viborg FF |
Please note that not all of the 12 clubs from Denmark, 12 from Sweden, 30 from Norway or 14 from Finland are involved in the Scandinavian League and only the top 20 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Central European League 
This league format contains the top 20 professional clubs from the Central European Leagues. If you decide to play in this league you will have the choice to manage one club from the available teams. This is providing the club you wish to manage isn’t already managed by another person within your chosen setup.
The current clubs which are involved in the Central European League are:
| Division 1 |
|---|
| Austria Kärnten |
| Baník Ostrava |
| CSKA Sofia |
| Dinamo Bucuresti |
| FC Basel |
| FC Zurich |
| FK Austria Wien |
| Grasshoppers |
| Levski |
| Mlada Boleslav |
| Rapid Bucuresti |
| SK Rapid Wien |
| Slavia Praha |
| Slovan Liberec |
| Sparta Praha |
| St. Gallen |
| Steaua Bucuresti |
| SV Mattersburg |
| SV Salzburg |
| Young Boys |
Please note that not all of the 10 clubs from Austria, 32 from the Czech Republic, 30 from Bulgaria, 36 from Romania or 28 from Switzerland are involved in the Central European League and only the top 20 from the previous seasons (real life) league standings are involved. Each time Soccer Manager create a new Gold Setup we will review the clubs within this league and make any necessary changes based on a clubs league standing in real life.
Domestic Cups
Each season there will be two cup competitions in each of the different leagues that run throughout the season. Each league(s) contains a 'Cup' and 'Shield' format cup competition which varies depending on the number of clubs within your league(s). Your club will automatically enter each cup competition at the start of the season. Because it involves clubs of all standards playing against each other there is the possibility for "minnows" from the lower divisions to become "giant-killers" by eliminating top clubs from the cup.
Both cup competitions are a knockout tournament with pairings drawn completely at random - there are no seeds, and a draw takes place after the fixtures have been played in each round. In the early stages of the cup some clubs may receive a bye into the next round. This means that a club is allowed to advance to the next round without playing. If the match is a draw after 90 minutes have been played, then penalties are used to decide who will progress to the next stage of a tournament, or who will win it.
Please Note: If a player plays in either the Shield or Cup and moves clubs he will be ineligible to play in the competitions for his new club.
SMFA Competitions
Each season there will be two cup competitions run by the SMFA which involve clubs from each of the different leagues that run throughout the setup. The setup contains the SMFA Champions Cup and SMFA Shield cup competitions. Because it involves clubs of all standards playing against each other there is the possibility for "minnows" from the lower divisions to become "giant-killers" by eliminating top clubs from the cups.
SMFA Champions Cup:
The elite tournament within Soccer Manager is the SMFA Champions Cup. This tournament involves the top 32 teams from across the 12 leagues who have qualified through their league position: England(4), Spain(4), Italy(4), Germany(3), France(2), Scotland(2), Holland & Belgium(2), Eastern Europe(4), American(4), Mediterranean(2), Central Europe(2), Scandinavia(2) and the current holders.
The tournament is split into two stages. First, a group stage involving 32 teams. The teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams (Group A through to Group H), with each team playing every other team in the group twice (home and away). Points are awarded as follows: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a defeat. The top two teams with the most points after 6 matches qualify for the knockout stage. Second, the knockout stage involving the 16 qualified teams from the group stage. The pairings for the knockout stage is drawn completely at random - there are no seeds, and a draw takes place after the fixtures have been played in each round. If the match is a draw after 90 minutes have been played, then penalties are used to decide who will progress to the next stage of a tournament, or who will win it.
SMFA Seeding:
This is in two stages:
- First, each club which qualifies for the opening group phase of the SMFA Cup will be seeded accordingly, and this will mean equally-matched teams will avoid each other until the latter stages;
- Second, group winners in the opening phase of the SMFA Cup will now play a runner-up from another group in the first knock-out round, and this will rewards the group winners for their performance in the SMFA Cup during the group phase.
SMFA Shield:
The second most prestigious tournament within Soccer Manager is the SMFA Shield. This tournament involves 64 teams from across the 12 Leagues who have qualified through league position or winning the domestic cups: England(8), Spain(8), Italy(7), Germany(6), France(6), Scotland(4), Holland & Belgium(4), Eastern Europe(4), American(4), Mediterranean(4), Central Europe(4), Scandinavia(4) and the current holders.
The tournament is in a knockout format with pairings drawn completely at random - there are no seeds, and a draw takes place after the fixtures have been played in each round. If the match is a draw after 90 minutes have been played, then penalties are used to decide who will progress to the next stage of a tournament, or who will win it.
Please Note:
- If a player plays in either the SMFA Shield or Cup and moves clubs he will be ineligible to play in the competitions for his new club.
- Each respective league is only allocated a certain number number of SMFA Cup and Shield places. The number of places will always remain the same and will not change even if a club from that respective league wins either competition. e.g. In the English League Liverpool finish 10th but win the SMFA Cup. Liverpool as holders will automatically qualify for the SMFA Cup. Due to England only having four places allocated for the SMFA Cup, this will mean that the team finishing fourth will miss out on qualification.
Qualification for SMFA Tournaments
At the end of every season clubs can can qualify for either the SMFA Champions Cup or SMFA Shield dependent on their league position or if they have won one of their domestic cups. The number of teams which qualify for each SMFA tournament varies between each league.
Here are the qualification placements from the various leagues:
- England: 4 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 6 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 4 league placements). Please note extra league placements can be awarded based on cup winners.
- Spain: 4 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 6 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 4 league placements). Please note extra league placements can be awarded based on cup winners.
- Italy: 4 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 5 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 3 league placements). Please note extra league placements can be awarded based on cup winners.
- Scotland: 2 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 2 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 0 league placements).
- France: 2 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 4 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 2 league placements). Please note extra league placements can be awarded based on cup winners.
- Germany: 3 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 4 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 2 league placements). Please note extra league placements can be awarded based on cup winners.
- Holland & Belgium: 2 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 2 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 0 league placements).
- Eastern Europe: 2 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 2 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 0 league placements).
- American: 2 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 2 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 0 league placements).
- Mediterranean: 2 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 2 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 0 league placements).
- Central Europe: 2 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 2 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 0 league placements).
- Scandinavia: 2 teams qualify for SMFA Champions Cup and 2 teams qualify for SMFA Shield (2 cup winners & 0 league placements).
Please note that when a Gold Setup is created teams are already allocated to each respective tournament.
Promotion and Relegation
At the end of every season clubs can either be relegated or promoted dependent on their league position. Relegation means the mandated transfer of the least successful teams of a higher division into a lower division at the end of the season. This is usually accompanied by the most successful teams from the lower division enjoying the opposite procedure - promotion. The number of teams exchanged between the divisions is normally identical.
Here are the promotion and relegation rules for the English League:
- Division 1: Bottom three teams relegated.
- Division 2: Top three automatically promoted and bottom three relegated.
- Division 3: Top three automatically promoted and bottom three relegated.
- Division 4: Top three automatically promoted and no teams are relegated.
Here are the promotion and relegation rules for the Spanish, Italian, French and German Leagues:
- Division 1: Bottom three teams relegated.
- Division 2: Top three automatically promoted and no teams relegated.
Please note that in the Scottish, Dutch & Belgium, Eastern European, American, Mediterranean, Scandinavian and Central European League no clubs are promoted or relegated. Currently there are no play-offs within any of the leagues.
End of Season
When a season ends there will be a 3 day wait until the new season starts and clubs will either be relegated or promoted dependent on their league position. There will then be a 7 day break for you to prepare your team prior to your teams opening fixture for the new season. Please note that the setup is not reset and players do not return to their original teams.
Your behaviour
Soccer Manager is completely free of charge. We only insist that you follow some simple rules on how to act within the various setups which are explained in the Terms and Conditions and SM Code of Conduct. If you think that someone is breaking the rules, please notify us via support.
Appendix 1. The Soccer Manager Week
Something is always happening at Soccer Manager no matter what time of day you visit the site, thousands of users will be logged in. The transfer market never sleeps, and neither does the SM Forum and chat. However, some particular dates are important to remember due to the game being turn based, and you can find them all on your club schedule page where it will list all of your clubs fixtures for the season (with proposed date of fixture). Each fixture is played at 20:00 Game Time (GT) and is classed as a turn. You are reminded of your next fixture and kick off time in your 'Club Information Bar'. Please note that only league fixtures (and not cup fixtures) are classed as a turn, and your club will have two league fixtures each week no matter what 'Setup Type' you participate in.
