So soon after the 2025/26 Premier League season’s conclusion comes the official, free-to-play Fantasy game for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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It’s the first time that this global showcase will feature 48 participating nations, running from 11 June to 19 July.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the game’s rules.

• READ MORE: Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026 ultimate guide – Best players, tips, team reveals + more

HOW TO PLAY FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 FANTASY: BASIC RULES

Much like FPL, managers must pick a squad of 15 players, who will score points based on their on-field performances: two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards.

From these, pick a starting 11 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

Initially, there is a budget of $100.0m to build this squad, which increases to $105.0m from the Round of 32 onwards.

Player prices will NOT change throughout the tournament.

Meanwhile, the ‘per nation’ maximum limits depend on the stage of the tournament:

You can make unlimited changes to your squad until the first match kicks off. That’s at 20:00 (UK time) on Thursday 11 June.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

Substitutions

Even once a Matchday has started, managers can keep tweaking their squad’s starting XI, although a new entrant from the bench must not have yet played their fixture.

Doing so means you’ll only get points from the new player, and this change is irreversible. 

Automatic substitutions will only replace a DNP (did not play) individual with someone from the bench if the Matchday’s lineup stays untouched throughout.

That autosub will bring in the first player (prioritised one to three) that successfully meets a valid formation.

Captaincy

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.

Similarly to the above, you can change the captain an unlimited number of times during a live round manually, but it can’t be done in hindsight. The new one’s match must not have yet happened.

If you choose to change your old captain during a live round, you will lose their double points, and your new captain will score double instead.

TRANSFERS

Meanwhile, each manager is given several free transfers to use:

During the group stage, managers can roll over one transfer into the next Matchday. This does not, however, apply from Matchday 3 into the round of 32, as you’ll already have an unlimited supply at that stage.

Any additional transfers made will cause a three-point deduction.

Furthermore, any transfers made during a live Matchday won’t change your current team; they would only apply from the next Matchday.

HOW TO SCORE POINTS

When it comes to gaining (and losing) points, it’s a familiar system for FPL managers, but with a few differences.

For example, each position gets one more point for a goal, winning and conceding a penalty has consequences regardless of that spot kick’s outcome, plus there are no defensive contribution (DefCon) rewards.

Instead, midfielders are rewarded with a +1 for every three tackles made, as well as every two chances created. Forwards receive a +1 for every two shots on target.

Defenders and goalkeepers who have played for at least 60 minutes will do better (+5) for keeping a clean sheet, but there’s comparatively less leniency with goals conceded – each one after the first is penalised.

All Players 

Goalkeepers + Defenders

Midfielders + Forwards

Bonus points

On top of that, a couple of ideas that we saw in 2025’s Club World Cup Fantasy game for all players:

BOOSTERS

Called chips in FPL, there are five of these to activate across just eight rounds. Only use one at a time.

Now that the game is live and you’ve caught up with the rules, head over and create a first draft!

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