Norwegian top-flight football gets underway this weekend, meaning Eliteserien Fantasy 2026 is back.
Having compiled all of The Mentaculus’ excellent team previews, let’s check out the game’s rules.
In summary, Eliteserien Fantasy is almost identical to Fantasy Premier League (FPL), except for a few differences. The visual aspect is very recognisable, too.
WHAT’S THE SAME AS FPL?
BASICS
Both games ask managers to pick a 15-player squad using a budget of 100.0 million, before choosing a starting XI featuring at least three defenders and one forward.
There’s a maximum of three individuals per club, while a Captain’s points get doubled, and a Vice Captain is ready to take the armband if he doesn’t play. Similarly, substitutes automatically replace ‘starters’ who don’t feature – so make sure you’ve put them in a good order!
Compared to FPL, the same number of points is awarded for goals, own goals, assists, appearances, clean sheets, yellow cards and sendings off.
Every three goalkeeper saves earn one point but, like defenders, one point gets deducted every time two goals are conceded. A penalty save brings in five points, as the player who misses loses two.
Check out the full rules here.
TRANSFERS
Once the season begins, managers will start receiving one free transfer per Gameweek. Up to five freebies can be collected over time, even through chip usage, but making an extra move requires a four-point sacrifice.
Players can be sold for profit – or loss – depending on their purchase price and current cost.
The Wildcard chip exists in Eliteserien: one can be used before Gameweek 15’s deadline, the other between then and Gameweek 30.
Just like 2025/26’s FPL, where the Africa Cup of Nations transfer boost felt like a mini-Wildcard, every manager will be topped up to five free transfers during the large gap that precedes Gameweek 12.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT TO FPL?
Right, there are a few things that diverge from the English top-flight game.
Defensive contribution (DefCon) rewards aren’t here, and the players who’ll receive one, two and three bonus points get decided by TV 2’s match commentator.
However, the main difference is chips. Alongside a couple of Wildcards, everyone gets to use one of the following:
| CHIP | WHAT IS IT? |
|---|---|
| Rich Uncle | One Gameweek of unlimited transfers, using an unlimited budget. Think of it like an FPL Free Hit, but without a financial limit. |
| Attack! Attack! | All forwards get double points. Therefore, no captain selection. |
| Two Captains | Both the Captain and Vice Captain get double points. |
| Park the Bus | All defenders get double points. Therefore, no captain selection. |
It should also be said that none of these can be used at the same time as a Wildcard.
One minor change is that, in the extremely rare situation where a goalkeeper scores a goal, they will only receive six points rather than 10.
Interestingly, Gameweek deadlines are a mere five minutes before its first kick-off, meaning that managers will know some lineups. In Gameweek 1, the deadline is 10 minutes after the start of Ham Kam v Viking on Saturday 14 March.
