In FIFA 23 Career Mode, building a squad filled with promising young talent isn’t just satisfying—it’s one of the most effective ways to dominate long-term. Whether you’re rebuilding a lower-tier club or just want to futureproof your team, understanding how to identify, scout, and grow young players is essential. This guide is split into two key sections: how to scout young talent on the transfer market, and how to recruit top-tier youth through your Academy. Let’s jump in.

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Scouting the Transfer Market: Spotting Stars Before They Shine

One of the most underused and misunderstood features in Career Mode is player potential status. Without even scouting a player, you can sometimes see a small indicator on their profile that gives you critical insight into their growth ceiling:

• “Joined the club in [Year]” – Below 80 potential. Not worth pursuing.
• “Showing great potential” – 80–85 potential.
• “An exciting prospect” – 86–90 potential.
• “Potential to be special (PTBS)” – 91–94 potential.

With this info alone, you can filter out hundreds of low-ceiling players immediately. No time wasted scouting duds. Just go straight for the gems.

Another concept crucial to mastering the transfer market is Regens. These are new players generated by the game to replace retiring legends. A regen keeps the original player’s nationality, position, and potential, but comes with a new name and appearance. For example:

• Ronaldo’s regen would be a Portuguese striker, likely with 87 potential.
• Benzema’s regen will eventually emerge—either in the free agents pool or in the same league—as a young French forward with very high potential.

Every season, check the free agents list on Day One. Scan through young players with strong stats and match them to possible retiring legends. If you can spot them early, you’ll often get a future superstar for free or at a bargain price.

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Using the Scouting Network: Passive Discovery, Massive Returns

While transfer market scanning and regen hunting require hands-on time, the scouting network is your passive powerhouse. The beauty of scouting is that it works in the background as you progress your save, delivering regular reports packed with potential gems.

Start by setting up your scouting instructions correctly. These define what types of players your scouts will look for. Crucial instruction types for young player discovery include:

• Promising – This is a must. Without it, you’ll get reports full of older players like Jamie Vardy when you’re looking for teenagers.
• Pacy – Targets quick players.
• Tall – Brings in height-focused prospects.
• Aerial threat – Looks for players strong in heading and jumping.

Set these filters based on your tactic. For example, if you’re using a 4-4-2, create six instructions to cover:

1. Young attackers
2. Wingers
3. Central midfielders
4. Fullbacks
5. Center backs
6. Goalkeepers or another needed role

This wide net, combined with solid filters, will generate between 10–20 new reports every week, giving you access to over 1,000 player summaries annually. Look for the player status messages mentioned earlier, then shortlist and scout anyone that seems promising. Over time, this gives you a steady pipeline of top-tier talent.

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Youth Academy: Building Stars From the Ground Up

Now let’s talk about Youth Academy recruitment, the second major way to find future icons. There are two key factors that affect the quality of players your Youth Academy brings in:

1. Scout’s Judgment Star Rating
2. The Nation You Send Them To

Understanding how the judgment stat impacts player generation is vital. The game uses four tiers or “ranges” for potential, and a scout’s judgment rating determines the likelihood of pulling from the top ranges.

Here’s a breakdown:

• A 1-star judgment scout will only find platinum-level players (elite potential) about 1% of the time.
• 2- and 3-star scouts not only generate more reports per season (30 and 48 players respectively), but their chance of finding top-level talent increases significantly.

With a 3-star scout, you’ll likely find two 85+ potential players per season, if not more. Multiply that across two or three scouts, and your Youth Academy becomes a consistent talent factory.

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Scouting Summary: Three Reliable Methods to Find Wonderkids

In total, there are three proven strategies to regularly find high-potential young players:

1. Manually check player status messages on the transfer market. It’s slow, but accurate.
2. Scan for Regens every new season in the transfer market or free agent pool. Fast, with huge upside.
3. Use the Scouting Network with proper filters. The most passive and high-yield option.

And when it comes to Youth Academy success:

• Use higher-star scouts with strong judgment.
• Send them to countries known for talent.
• Monitor reports regularly and promote wisely.

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Bonus: Keep Career Mode Balanced and Fun

If your youth intake is too strong and you’re hoarding wonderkids, try swapping unused top prospects with weaker teams in your league. This keeps the save competitive and prevents it from becoming a walkover.

Let’s say you’re sitting on five 88-potential strikers. Instead of letting them rot, send a couple to a rival team and give them a fighting chance. This simple step can make your league much more interesting long term.

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Final Thoughts

Finding the best young players in FIFA 23 Career Mode isn’t just about luck—it’s about knowing where and how to look. With the tools laid out in this guide, you can build a world-class team from scratch, dominate your save, and still keep the journey engaging.

Scouting is more than a background task—it’s the key to legacy-building. Get out there, find your future legends, and craft a squad built to last.