Fantasy Football 2026/27 Mini Guide

Ben's Fantasy Football Mini Guide

Fancy managing your own Premier League team, competing against colleagues, friends and fellow supporters, and helping raise money for charity at the same time? 

Welcome to Fantasy Premier League. 

What is FPL? 

Fantasy Premier League, or FPL, is the official fantasy football game of the Premier League. 

You build a virtual squad of real Premier League players. Your players then earn points based on what they do in real matches. The better they perform, the more points you score. 

You can play through the FPL website or app. 

How to build your squad 

You have a £100.0m budget to select a squad of 15 players: 

• 2 Goalkeepers (GK) 

• 5 Defenders (DEF) 

• 5 Midfielders (MID) 

• 3 Forwards (FWD) 
  
  

You can select a maximum of three players from any one Premier League club. 

The challenge? Build the strongest possible squad within your budget. Choose wisely! 

Your team each Gameweek 

Each round of Premier League fixtures is called a Gameweek. 

Before the Gameweek deadline, you need to: 

• Select your starting XI 

• Choose your captain 

• Choose your vice-captain 

• Put your substitutes in order 
  
  

Your starting XI must include: 

• At least 1 goalkeeper 

• At least 3 defenders 

• At least 1 forward 

Popular formations include 3-5-2, 3-4-3 and 4-4-2. 

The captain is crucial 

Your captain scores double points. 

If your captain does not play a single minute, your vice-captain takes over the armband and scores double instead. 

So always choose both. 

Transfers 

You normally receive one free transfer each Gameweek. 

Unused free transfers can be saved, up to a maximum of five. 

Want to make more changes? Additional transfers cost four points each. 

Sometimes the best move is no move at all. After a bad Gameweek, it can be tempting to panic and make lots of changes. Resist the urge to completely rebuild your team every time things go wrong. 

Automatic substitutions 

If a player in your starting XI does not play a single minute, FPL may automatically replace them with the highest-priority substitute on your bench. 

The substitute must still leave your team in a valid formation. 

Tip: set your bench order carefully. 

Player prices 

Player prices can rise and fall throughout the season. 

A player who becomes very popular may increase in price, while a player being sold by lots of managers may fall in value. 

Building team value can give you more spending power later in the season. 

Maximise your points

The four chips 

Chips are special powers that can give your team a major boost. 

For 2026/27, you receive two sets of chips, with one set available in each half of the season. 

Wildcard 

Make unlimited transfers without taking points hits. 

Unlike a Free Hit, the changes are permanent. 

Free Hit 

Make unlimited transfers for one Gameweek only. 

After that Gameweek, your squad returns to how it was before you played the chip. 

Triple Captain 

Your captain scores triple points instead of double. Choose wisely. 

Bench Boost 

The points scored by all 15 players in your squad count for that Gameweek, including your substitutes. 

The chips are one of the most enjoyable parts of FPL, but don't feel you need to use them immediately. Save them for a Gameweek when they could make a real difference. 

 

How do players score points? 

Action	Points
Play up to 59 minutes	1
Play 60 minutes or more	2
Goal by a goalkeeper	10
Goal by a defender	6
Goal by a midfielder	5
Goal by a forward	4
Assist	3
Clean sheet: goalkeeper or defender	4
Clean sheet: midfielder	1
Every 3 goalkeeper saves	1
Penalty save	5
Bonus points	1-3
Yellow card	-1
Red card	-3
Own goal	-2
Penalty miss	-2
Every 2 goals conceded by a goalkeeper or defender	-1

There are also additional scoring rules and defensive contribution points, so the full FPL rules are worth checking if you really want to get serious. 

What's new for 2026/27? 

FPL continues to evolve. New features for the season include improvements to the live experience, including: 

• Live updates to mini-league standings and overall rank during matches 

• Projected bonus points during matches 

• Further changes to the Bonus Points System 

• Career history comparisons with FPL managers around the world 

• Updated Gameweek finalisation times 

The chip system also remains unchanged, with two sets of chips available across the season.

 

Beginner tips 

1. Pick players who actually play

A brilliant player on the bench is not much use to your FPL team. 

Look for players who regularly start matches. 

2. Always choose a captain

It sounds obvious, but forgetting to select a captain can be disastrous. 

3. Check injuries and suspensions

Before making a transfer, check whether your player is actually available. 

4. Look at upcoming fixtures

A player may be in great form, but difficult upcoming fixtures can change the calculation. 

5. Don't take too many points hits

Sometimes a transfer is worth the four-point deduction. Often it isn't. 

6. Don't panic

One bad Gameweek does not mean your team is broken. Sometimes the best move is no move at all. 

7. Keep an eye on price changes

If a player has just scored a hat-trick and is suddenly being transferred into thousands of teams, their price may rise. 

Getting in early can sometimes save you money. But remember: chasing last week's points is one of the oldest FPL mistakes in the book. 

8. Treat pre-season with caution

Pre-season friendlies can provide useful clues about: 

• Who is starting regularly 

• New signings 

• Formation changes 

• Players returning from injury 

But pre-season can also be a complete red herring. 

And with the 2026 World Cup taking place before the 2026/27 Premier League season, some players may take longer than usual to get up to speed after a demanding summer. 

What if I don’t know where to start?

Have no fear! Fantasy Football has taken a life of its own outside the game, with many podcasts, TikToks and even subscription-based advice websites all to help players get the maximum of their teams.

These podcasts are all accessible on Spotify:

Fantasy Football Scout

FPL Family

TikTok accounts to follow:

Fplfan

Fplgraduates

holly_shand FPL

These websites may be a good place to start...

Fantasy Football Scout

The Athletic

Most importantly... 

FPL is supposed to be fun. You will make transfers that look brilliant for about five minutes before the player gets injured. You will captain the wrong player. Your bench will score more points than your starting XI. And someone in your mini-league will somehow finish top despite barely knowing what they are doing. 

That's all part of the game. 

Enjoy the season, enjoy the competition - thank you for your support!