The 2024/25 Premier League season is over but fear not Fantasy fans, we’ve found something to tide you over for a little while longer – the official FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Fantasy game!
The newly expanded Club World Cup sees 32 teams from across the globe competing. The tournament takes place in the USA and runs from mid-June until mid-July.
For those who have played World Cup or Euro Fantasy games before, this one will be very similar. In other words, it should be easy to pick up and play along.
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In this article, we guide you through the rules.
Our complete guide will house all our content between now and the big kick-off on June 15. That can be found on the top menu bar of the site and while skeletal now, will be packed full of articles by the time Matchday 1 commences.
HOW TO PLAY FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP FANTASY: BASIC RULES
Similar to Fantasy Premier League (FPL), the Club World Cup (CWC) Fantasy game is free to play but requires an account to save your created team.
The starting budget from which you can build your squad of 15 players is $100m. That rises to $105m from the round of 16.
Throughout the tournament, each Fantasy squad must include two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards.
The ‘per team’ maximum limits depend on the stage of the tournament:
- Group stage = 3 players per club
- Round of 16 = 4 players per club
- Quarter-final = 5 players per club
- Semi-final = 6 players per club
- Final = 8 players per club
Again, like FPL and other popular Fl games, you must bench four players (including one of your goalkeepers). The remaining XI can play in one of the following formations:
- 4-4-2
- 4-3-3
- 4-5-1
- 3-4-3
- 3-5-2
- 5-4-1
- 5-3-2.
You can make unlimited changes to your squad right up until the first match of the Club World Cup kicks off. That’s at 1am UK time on Sunday 15 June.
CAPTAINS
As usual in Fantasy games, captains score double points.
Vice captains take up that mantle if your selected captain fails to feature at all during the Matchday – but only if you haven’t made any other changes to your team during a live Matchday.
You can change your captain/vice at any time prior to the beginning of a Matchday (aka a ‘Gameweek’, in FPL parlance!). Simply click the player and select either captain or vice-captain, as shown here:
Your captain can be changed an unlimited number of times during a live Matchday as long as the new captain is yet to play.
Once your captain has played, you are still able to change your captain one more time for another player who is yet to play. That hich would mean losing your first choice’s double points, and doubling the score of your new captain instead.
So, effectively, two bites of the cherry as is the case in UCL Fantasy.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Before the commencement of each Matchday, you can switch your substitutes and your starting XI to your heart’s content.
Once a Matchday is live, substitutions can still be made in two ways:
AUTOMATIC
Substitutes from your bench, in the order that you arrange them (while sticking to the available formations), can replace starting XI players who did play.
This happens automatically at the end of a Matchday, but only if you have not made any manual changes to your team during the Matchday (more on that below).
Automatic substitutes will only happen at the end of a Matchday, allowing you to make manual substitutions up until the start of the final match of the Matchday.
MANUAL
If a bench player is yet to play and you stick to the valid formations, you can also manually replace a player from your starting XI – either before the latter’s game starts, or after it has finished. Again, like in UCL Fantasy.
Doing so means you’ll only get points from the new player, and this change is irreversible.
To reiterate, any manual changes – subs or changing your captain or vice captain – made to your team during a live Matchday (which can be done right up until the final match) will cancel the auto-subs functionality for that Matchday.
TRANSFERS
Each Fantasy CWC manager is given a set number of free transfers they can use, which varies based on the stage and Matchday of the tournament as below:
- Before the tournament starts = Unlimited transfers
- Before Matchday 2 = 2 transfers
- Before Matchday 3 = 2 transfers
- Before the Round of 16 = Unlimited transfers
- Before the Quarter-finals = 4 transfers
- Before the Semi-finals = 5 transfers
- Before the Final = 6 transfers
During the group stage, managers can roll over a maximum of one transfer into the next Matchday. This does not, however, apply from Matchday 3 into the round of 16, as you’ll already have unlimited transfers at that stage anyway.
If you exceed your free transfers allowance in any stage of the tournament, the penalty is a three-point deduction per additional transfer. These points are deducted once the Matchday locks and your players start scoring points.
Transfers are irreversible (for free) after they have been confirmed, and can only be made for the next scheduled Matchday. For example, any transfers made during a live Matchday won’t change your current team and would only apply from the next Matchday onward.
Another important point is that all player prices are fixed and will not change based on their performance throughout the tournament.
HOW DO PLAYERS SCORE POINTS?
Player performances do of course influence the Fantasy points scored!
Some of the metrics for how many points are scored by each action apply to all players, while some are position-specific.
We’ve outlined them all below, as well as the bonus points on offer – which look a little different to FPL’s system.
All Players
| Action | Points |
| Appearance (Up to 60 minutes) | +1 |
| Appearance (60+ minutes) | +1 |
| Assist | +3 |
| Yellow Card | -1 |
| Red Card | -2 |
| Own Goal | -2 |
| Winning a penalty | +2 |
| Conceding a penalty | -1 |
Goalkeepers
| Action | Points |
| Clean Sheet (must have played 60+ minutes) | +5 |
| First goal conceded | 0 |
| Each additional goal conceded | -1 |
| Goal Scored | +9 |
| Penalty save (not including shootouts) | +3 |
| Every 3 Saves | +1 |
Defenders
| Action | Points |
| Clean Sheet (must have played 60+ minutes) | +5 |
| First goal conceded | 0 |
| Each additional goal conceded | -1 |
| Goal scored | +7 |
Midfielders
| Action | Points |
| Clean Sheet (must have played 60+ minutes) | +1 |
| Goal scored | +6 |
| Every 3 tackles | +1 |
| Every 2 chances created | +1 |
Forwards
| Action | Points |
| Goal scored | +5 |
| Every 2 shots on target | +1 |
Bonus Points
| Action | Points |
| Goal from direct free-kick: If any of your players scores a goal from a direct free-kick (in addition to the goal points) | +1 |
| Scouting bonus: If any of your players scores more than 4 pts in a match and is in fewer than 5% of all teams’ selection | +2 |
As you might have noticed, there are a few differences to the FPL points scoring system.
For example, the rarity of goalkeepers scoring a goal is signified by it being worth +9 points, while each outfield position earns a point more than they would in FPL for scoring as well.
Defenders and goalkeepers also earn an extra point (+5) for keeping a clean sheet, assuming they’ve played past 60 minutes, compared to FPL, but there’s comparatively less leniency with goals conceded – each one after the first is penalised with a -1.
Goalies still receive a +1 for every three saves they make.
Interestingly, midfielders are rewarded with a +1 for every three tackles made as well as every two chances created. Forwards, meanwhile, receive a +1 for every two shots on target.
As in UCL Fantasy, players automatically receive a +2 for winning a penalty. Those who give away said penalty are deducted -1.
The scoring bonus is interesting, as well, and encourages the selections of some differentials!
ARE THERE ANY CHIPS?
There are indeed chips in Fantasy CWC, or “boosters” as they are called in-game.
These all can only be used once each, and cannot be activated at the same time as each other.
WILDCARD
As usual, a Wildcard will allow you to make unlimited transfers before a specific round. This is the only chip/booster that cannot be cancelled once it has been confirmed.
It also cannot be used for the first Matchday of the group stage or for the round of 16, given that managers already have unlimited transfers at both of those points.
12TH MAN
The “12th Man” booster lets Fantasy managers select one additional player to score points for their team during a Matchday.
Your chosen 12th man cannot be substituted, captained or transferred, but can be any player that is not already part of your squad.
Interestingly, neither budget nor team restrictions apply here.
MAXIMUM CAPTAIN
A chip familiar to Fantasy EFL managers!
The “Maximum Captain” booster automatically assigns the captaincy – and double points – to whichever player in your starting XI scores the most points.
No more ruing captaincy decisions (for that week at least)!
MYSTERY BOOSTER
A bit like how FPL’s Assistant Manager chip was initially kept under wraps, the “Mystery Booster” will only be revealed – and managers alerted via a pop-up notification – once Matchday 3 of the group stage is locked and the round of 16 has opened.
FIXTURES
Here are the fixtures for each Matchday during the group stage, with the times provided in UK time (BST):
MATCHDAY ONE
- Sunday 15 June
- Al Ahly vs Inter Miami – 1am kick-off
- Bayern Munich vs Auckland City – 5pm kick-off
- PSG vs Atletico Madrid – 8pm kick-off
- Palmeiras vs Porto – 11pm kick-off
- Monday 16 June
- Botafogo vs Seattle Sounders – 3am kick-off
- Chelsea vs LA FC or Club America – 8pm kick-off
- Boca Juniors vs Benfica – 11pm kick-off
- Tuesday 17 June
- Flamengo vs ES Tunis – 2am kick-off
- Fluminense vs Borussia Dortmund – 5pm kick-off
- River Plate vs Urawa Red Diamonds – 8pm kick-off
- Ulsan HD vs Mamelodi Sundowns – 11pm kick-off
- Wednesday 18 June
- Monterrey vs Inter Milan – 2am kick-off
- Manchester City vs Wydad Casablanca – 5pm kick-off
- Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal – 8pm kick-off
- Pachuca vs RB Salzburg – 11pm kick-off
- Thursday 19 June
- Al Ain vs Juventus – 2am kick-off
MATCHDAY TWO
- Thursday 19 June
- Palmeiras vs Al Ahly – 5pm kick-off
- Inter Miami vs Porto – 8pm kick-off
- Seattle Sounders vs Atletico Madrid – 11pm kick-off
- Friday 20 June
- PSG vs Botafogo – 2am kick-off
- Benfica vs Auckland City – 5pm kick-off
- Flamengo vs Chelsea – 7pm kick-off
- LA FC or Club America vs ES Tunis – 11pm kick-off
- Saturday 21 June
- Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors – 2am kick-off
- Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund – 5pm kick-off
- Inter Milan vs Urawa Red Diamonds – 8pm kick-off
- Fluminense vs Ulsan HD – 11pm kick-off
- Sunday 22 June
- River Plate vs Monterrey – 2am kick-off
- Juventus vs Wydad Casablanca – 5pm kick-off
- Real Madrid vs Pachuca – 8pm kick-off
- RB Salzburg vs Al-Hilal – 11pm kick-off
- Monday 23 June
- Manchester City vs Al Ain – 2am kick-off
MATCHDAY THREE
- Monday 23 June
- Atletico Madrid vs Botafogo – 8pm kick-off
- Seattle Sounders vs PSG – 8pm kick-off
- Tuesday 24 June
- Inter Miami vs Palmeiras – 2am kick-off
- Porto vs Al Ahly – 2am kick-off
- Benfica vs Bayern Munich – 8pm kick-off
- Auckland City vs Boca Juniors – 8pm kick-off
- Wednesday 25 June
- LA FC or Club America vs Flamengo – 2am kick-off
- ES Tunis vs Chelsea – 2am kick-off
- Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense – 8pm kick-off
- Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan HD – 8pm kick-off
- Thursday 26 June
- Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey – 2am kick-off
- Inter Milan vs River Plate – 2am kick-off
- Wydad Casablanca vs Al Ain – 8pm kick-off
- Juventus vs Manchester City – 8pm kick-off
- Friday 27 June
- RB Salzburg vs Real Madrid – 2am kick-off
- Al-Hilal vs Pachuca – 2am kick-off
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