How to Find the Best Youth Academy Players in FC 26 Career Mode

The youth academy is the heart of every football club. But discovering the next Kylian Mbappé or Lamine Yamal? That’s often easier said than done and finding the best youth players in FC 26 Career Mode is no different. You need the right tools at your fingertips and of course, a little bit of luck.

There’s just something truly magical about promoting a young prospect from your academy and watching him grow over a few seasons into a Ballon d’Or winner or selling him for a record-breaking transfer fee.

Here are some tips and tricks to help you unearth the best talent and turn your youth academy into a factory of future stars.

1. Choose Instant Scouting Speed in Pre-Settings

Before you even load into Career Mode, make sure the scouting speed for both Star and General Players is set to Instant in the pre-settings. This setting lets you see a player’s overall, potential and market value right away in scout reports. That information is gold because a player’s value often gives you a clear hint about how good they already are and how good they can become.

The higher the value, the higher the potential. It’s a simple step, but it saves time and can give you an early edge, especially if you manage to spot a hidden gem in your very first scout report.

2. Hire the Best Scouts

Good scouts can make or break your youth academy. A scout’s judgment affects the quality of players they discover and how closely they follow your scouting instructions, while experience determines how many players they bring back. Higher ratings in both mean a better chance of finding top-tier, high-potential talent. Ideally, you want all three of your scouts to have 5-star judgment and 5-star experience.

These top-tier scouts are far more likely to uncover future stars. The downside? They’re expensive. Make sure your budget can handle it or use the financial takeover option in pre-settings to give yourself the funds to hire them. You can even take advantage of the hire-and-fire trick early in your save to secure the best scouts as soon as possible.

3. Scout One Position at a Time

When setting up your scouting instructions, focus on a single position and also avoid specifying FCIQ roles. Targeting one position like GK, CB or ST makes it much easier for your scouts to find high-quality players in that specific position. If you try to scout multiple positions at once, your scout will look for a player who matches all of those positions simultaneously, for example, CB, ST and CM which is extremely rare.

As a result, your scout often comes back empty-handed. The same applies to FCIQ roles: if you specify them, scouts may overlook high-potential players who don’t perfectly match your instructions. For this reason, when scouting, always focus on potential, you can always assign your preferred roles or additional positions later through development plans.

4. Send Scouts to the Top 9 Nations

Where you send your scouts matters just as much as who your scouts are. Certain countries are historically known for producing top-tier youth players. While good players can come from anywhere, sending scouts to these footballing hotbeds usually increases your chances of finding top talent.

Top 9 recommended nations to scout:

• Brazil
• Argentina
• Spain
• Germany
• France
• England
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Portugal

These nations have a rich football culture and the game tends to reflect that in how many high-potential players they generate.

5. Use the Save and Reload Method

This step isn’t mandatory, but it’s a handy trick if you want to get the most out of your youth academy. Before your scout report comes in, make a manual save a day or two earlier. If the results aren’t impressive, simply reload the save and try again, the player pool will change each time.

Although it’s not the most realistic approach, it’s a great way to increase your chances of discovering special talents, especially early in your Career Mode save.

Building your youth academy is all about smart scouting and strategic planning. By setting up instant scouting, hiring top scouts, focusing on one position at a time and using tools like the save-and-reload method, you give yourself the best chance to unearth the next Kylian Mbappe for your Career Mode team.