If your captain fails in Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026, have no fear – you have the option to shift the armband multiple times!
As is the case in UEFA Champions League (UCL) Fantasy, you can ‘twist’ when it comes to the captaincy, giving Fantasy managers unlimited opportunities to get it right each round.
As per the rules…
With that in mind, it’s worth having a look at the best captaincy opportunities.
Below, we’ve put together an at-a-glance guide to Round 1, so you can see who the top armband options are for every match.
FANTASY FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 ROUND 1: AT-A-GLANCE CAPTAINCY GUIDE
| Thu 11 June | Fri 12 June | Sat 13 June | Sun 14 June | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixtures | MEXICO v South Africa (20:00) | KOREA REP v Czechia (03:00) CANADA v Bosnia (20:00) | USA v Paraguay (02:00) Qatar v SWITZERLAND (20:00) BRAZIL v Morocco (23:00) | Haiti v SCOTLAND (02:00) Australia v TURKEY (05:00) GERMANY v Curacao (18:00) NETHERLANDS v Japan (21:00) |
| Captaincy suggestion | Raul Jimenez ($7.0m, FWD) | Son Heung-min ($7.4m, FWD) Jonathan David ($7.0m, FWD) | Christian Pulisic ($7.0m, MID) Breel Embolo ($7.5m, FWD) Raphinha ($8.2m, MID) | Scott McTominay ($6.5m, MID) Arda Guler ($7.0m, MID) Florian Wirtz ($7.5m, MID) Denzel Dumfries ($5.7m, DEF) |
| Mon 15 June | Tue 16 June | Wed 17 June | Thu 18 June | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixtures | Ivory Coast v ECUADOR (00:00) SWEDEN v Tunisia (03:00) SPAIN v Cape Verde (17:00) BELGIUM v Egypt (20:00) Saudi Arabia v URUGUAY (23:00) | IRAN v New Zealand (02:00) FRANCE v Senegal (20:00) Iraq v NORWAY (23:00) | ARGENTINA v Algeria (02:00) AUSTRIA v Jordan (05:00) PORTUGAL v DR Congo (18:00) ENGLAND v Croatia (21:00) | GHANA v Panama (00:00) Uzbekistan v COLOMBIA (03:00) |
| Captaincy suggestion | Enner Valencia ($5.9m, FWD) Viktor Gyokeres ($7.8m, FWD) Mikel Oyarzabal ($8.1m, FWD) Kevin De Bruyne ($7.5m, MID) Federico Valverde ($7.5m, MID) | Mehdi Taremi ($6.1m, FWD) Kylian Mbappe ($10.5m, FWD) Erling Haaland ($10.5m, FWD) | Lionel Messi ($10.0m, FWD) Marcel Sabitzer ($6.8m, MID) Bruno Fernandes ($8.5m, MID) Harry Kane ($10.5m, FWD) | Antoine Semenyo ($7.2m, FWD) James Rodriguez ($6.5m, MID) |
FANTASY FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 ROUND 1: BEST CAPTAINS
Erling Haaland ($10.5m) leads our expected points (xPts) projections in Round 1, with a projected score of 6.97.
No team in Europe scored more goals than Norway’s 37 in qualification, with Haaland netting 16 times.
Iraq secured a creditable 1-1 draw with Spain last week, but have since lost 2-0 to Venezuela in their final warm-up friendly.
Our Stats Centre gives Norway an 84.0% chance of winning this match, which is only bettered by Germany (96.4%) and Spain (92.0%) in Round 1.
They face tournament minnows Curacao and Cape Verde respectively, with Florian Wirtz ($7.5m) and Mikel Oyarzabal ($8.1m) among the standout captain picks from those nations.
Kylian Mbappe ($10.5m), Harry Kane ($10.5m), Bruno Fernandes ($8.5m), Lionel Messi ($10.0m), Raphinha ($8.2m) and Viktor Gyokeres ($7.8m) feature in the top 20 for xPts in Round 1.
If you want a captain for Thursday’s World Cup opener, Raul Jimenez ($7.0m) should lead the line for Mexico. Playing in front of a home crowd, he’s one of the most reliable penalty takers in this competition.
Korea Republic’s Son Heung-min ($7.4m) and Canada’s Jonathan David ($7.0m) are favourable captaincy options for Day 2, against Czechia and Bosnia and Herzegovina respectively.
Looking further ahead, Mehdi Taremi (£6.1m), Marcel Sabitzer ($6.8m) and Antoine Semenyo ($7.2m) are solid picks for the final few days, should you need them. All three of those players currently qualify for the Scouting Bonus.
READ MORE OF OUR FANTASY FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 CONTENT
GROUP A: Mexico | South Africa | Korea Republic | Czechia
GROUP B: Canada | Bosnia & Herzegovina | Qatar | Switzerland
GROUP C: Brazil | Morocco | Haiti | Scotland
GROUP D: USA | Paraguay | Australia | Turkiye
GROUP E: Germany | Curacao | Cote d’Ivoire | Ecuador
GROUP F: Netherlands | Japan | Sweden | Tunisia
GROUP G: Belgium | Egypt | Iran | New Zealand
GROUP H: Spain | Cabo Verde | Saudi Arabia | Uruguay
GROUP I: France | Senegal | Iraq | Norway
GROUP J: Argentina | Algeria | Austria | Jordan
GROUP K: Portugal | DR Congo | Uzbekistan | Colombia
GROUP L: England | Croatia | Ghana | Panama
Round 1 Scout Picks | Round 1 best captains | Round 1 best differentials: | Sleep-friendly XV | Players to avoid | Team reveals | Best players by position + price
Predicted line-ups | Penalty + corner takers | Direct free-kick takers
How to play World Cup 2026 Fantasy | What is ‘Scouting Bonus’? | How to order your starters + subs | Can you captain, transfer or sub 12th Man? | 150 of the best, worst and funniest team names
Join our mini-league + win prizes! | Stats Centre | FREE AI Team Rater | Fixture Ticker | Scouting Bonus tracker | Fixture calendar
