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Scouting is one of the most critical aspects of building a winning team in Football Manager 2024. If I had to narrow my focus to just 20 countries, these would be my absolute must-scout nations (not necessarily with the best youth rating). They provide a balance of established talent, emerging stars, and great value for money across different budgets and styles of play.

 

After this focused list, I’ll provide a more comprehensive breakdown on where to send your scouts, including additional countries and the best regions, to give you a wider pool of talent to consider. Whether you’re managing a team with a tie budget or a global powerhouse, this guide will help you uncover hidden gems and secure the next big names in football (newgens intake alert!).

 

Quick Answer

🇧🇷 Brazil 163 (Best Youth Rating in game)

🇫🇷 France 155

🇪🇸 Spain 145

🇦🇷 Argentina 140

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England 135

🇵🇹 Portugal 134

🇳🇱 Netherlands 132

🇪🇬 Egypt 125

🇧🇪 Belgium 120

🇲🇽 Mexico 120

🇳🇬 Nigeria 120

🇨🇴 Colombia 117

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast 105

🇨🇲 Cameroon 100

🇷🇸 Serbia 100

🇭🇷 Croatia 98

🇪🇨 Ecuador 94

🇩🇰 Denmark 91

🇸🇪 Sweden 88

🇳🇴 Norway 82

 

You can see a complete list of the youth ratings for every nation in the FM24 Youth Ratings Guide

 

Some More Ideas

 

The Obvious Powerhouses

 

If you’re looking for the crème de la crème of football talent, these nations are always a safe bet:

 

  • Brazil & Argentina: Synonymous with producing world-class players, these countries are must-scout destinations. Their youth systems churn out technical wizards and versatile players, often available for reasonable fees compared to European counterparts.

 

  • England, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands: Europe’s elite nations offer an endless pool of talent. From young wonderkids to ready-made stars, you can’t go wrong here.

 

 

Western Europe: Efficient and Talent-Rich

 

Western Europe is a sweet spot for scouting, particularly as a region. It includes football powerhouses Portugal, Spain, and France, and only features minor outliers like Andorra and Gibraltar, which won’t take up much of your scouts’ time. With a high concentration of top-tier academies and youth setups, this region offers a lot of bang for your buck.

 

 

Northern Europe: The Home of Potential Giants

 

Northern Europe is one of the best regions to scout if you’re hunting for hidden gems:

 

  • Norway: With the likes of Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard setting the bar, Norway has become a hotspot for emerging talent.

 

  • Denmark & Sweden: These nations consistently produce affordable players with high potential, especially for mid-tier European clubs.

 

There are less productive nations like Faroe Islands, Finland and Iceland, but just for the sake of the other 3 it makes sense to scout for the region.

 

 

UK & Ireland: Scout the Region, Not Just England

 

Instead of focusing solely on England, scout the entire UK & Ireland region. This approach will help you discover hidden gems from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Ireland while also catching the top-tier talent from England.

 

 

Central Europe: A Balanced Region for Scouting

 

Central Europe is a well-rounded scouting region that offers a mix of elite and affordable talent. It is home to some of the world’s most developed footballing nations, such as Germany, Belgium, and Netherlands, as well as emerging talent hubs like Czechia and Poland. The region strikes an excellent balance between producing world-class players and affordable prospects, making it ideal for clubs at almost every level.

 

  • Belgium: offers incredible value for money. Despite being a smaller nation, Belgium consistently punches above its weight, producing high-potential players at reasonable costs. With less years needed to grab Belgian nationality there is also lot of talent coming from other places.

 

  • Czechia and Poland: rising forces in youth development, producing players with strong mental and physical attributes. These nations are excellent hunting grounds for clubs looking to add depth without breaking the bank.

 

 

Africa: Balancing Gems with Patience

 

Africa is a double-edged sword for scouting. The continent boasts some of the best talent, but sifting through the noise is essential so it’s better to target countries individually instead of large regions:

 

  • Egypt & Algeria: Egypt with the highest youth rating in Africa and Algeria with the 4th, are a prime location for scouting. You’ll find technical players with immense potential (think of Salah and Mahrez).

 

  • Nigeria & Ivory Coast: Nigeria with the second highest youth rating in Africa and Ivory Coast with the 3rd, are known for their physically gifted players, these countries are also rich in high-potential wonderkids.

 

Avoid completely Eastern Africa and Southern Africa (except South Africa)

 

 

North America: The Underappreciated Continent

 

  • Mexico: A higher youth rating than USA makes Mexico the go-to country in North America. Mexican players are often versatile and can be signed for reasonable fees and your scout will love the beaches.

 

  • Canada: While they’re improving, the value isn’t as high as you’d find south of the border.

 

 

South America: Beyond Brazil and Argentina

 

While Brazil and Argentina steal the limelight, Colombia is an underrated gem. The country consistently produces technically gifted and physically capable players who can often be signed at a fraction of the cost of their Brazilian or Argentine counterparts. Keep an eye out for Ecuador, Uruguay, and Chile as well—smaller nations that punch above their weight in talent production.

 

 

Oceania: A Niche Market

 

  • Australia: Particularly useful for lower-league English teams. Australian players are affordable, speak English, and can easily integrate into your squad.

 

  • New Zealand: A less productive nation than Australia but worth a look, especially for budget-conscious managers.

 

 

Asia: Slim Pickings

 

Asia is a huge continent, hosting more than 60% of the world’s population, but when it comes to developing football talent you’re limited to Japan and South Korea with a huge drop off in the youth ratings of Asian countries after that:

 

  • Japan and South Korea: These are the best two nations for talent and well worth sending some scouts too, with a Youth Rating on par with the likes of Colombia.

 

  • Saudi Arabia and Qatar: These two World Cup hosting countries have a decent Youth Rating based on the investment they’ve made into sport in real life, but they shouldn’t be a priority.

 

 

I've mentioned regions a few times, if you're not sure which countries are in which regions, check out the FM24 Regions Guide

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