Fantasy EFL is back for the 2026/27 campaign, giving managers the chance to build a seven-player squad from across the Championship, League One and League Two.

Unlike Fantasy Premier League (FPL), there are no player prices or transfer limits to worry about. Instead, managers can rebuild their squad every Gameweek, switch captains throughout the round and even score points through club selections.

Below, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about Fantasy EFL, including team selection, transfers, captaincy, chips, scoring and Gameweeks.

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REGISTRATION

Fantasy EFL is free to play.

To get started, simply register or log in with an existing EFL account before choosing a team name and favourite club.

TEAM SELECTION

Every Fantasy EFL squad consists of seven players and two clubs from across the Championship, League One and League Two.

Unlike Fantasy Premier League (FPL), there are no player prices or budgets. That means you can pick any player you like each Gameweek, regardless of their reputation or form.

Your squad must include:

• One goalkeeper
• Two to three defenders
• Two to three midfielders
• One to two forwards

Three formations are available:

• 1-2-2-2
• 1-2-3-1
• 1-3-2-1

Alongside your seven players, you’ll also need to select two clubs. Those club picks score points based on their results and performances, making them just as important as your player selections.

PLAYER AND CLUB LIMITS

While there are no transfer restrictions, Fantasy EFL still rewards long-term planning.

You can select an individual player as many times as you like throughout the season. However, you can only own a maximum of two players from the same club in any one Gameweek.

Club selections are even more valuable. You can only choose each club five times during the entire campaign, so deciding when to back the strongest fixtures is a key part of the game.

TRANSFERS

Fantasy EFL effectively gives every manager a Free Hit each Gameweek.

There are no transfer limits, budgets or player prices, allowing you to change all seven players and both club selections before every round if you wish.

Managers can also start building their team for the following Gameweek as soon as the current one begins, making it easier to plan ahead.

CAPTAINS

Each Gameweek, you’ll need to nominate both a captain and vice-captain.

Your captain scores double points and can be changed throughout the Gameweek until their fixture kicks off. Once a player becomes locked, you’ll need to move the armband to someone who has yet to play.

If your captain doesn’t feature, your vice-captain automatically receives double points instead. Captaincy only applies to players, so you cannot captain either of your club selections.

THE VICE-CAPTAIN TRICK

One of Fantasy EFL’s biggest strategic differences is the famous vice-captain trick.

Experienced managers often give the vice-captaincy to a player with an early fixture and the captaincy to someone playing later in the Gameweek.

If the vice-captain produces a huge haul, you can move the captaincy to a player who won’t feature. As your captain fails to play, the vice-captain automatically receives double points instead.

For example, if your vice-captain scores 15 points on Friday, you could switch the captaincy to a non-playing goalkeeper before the remaining fixtures. That would lock in a 30-point return from your vice-captain.

The strategy does come with a sacrifice, though. You’ll lose the points from the player you deliberately captain, so many experienced managers only use the trick when their vice-captain scores around 14 points or more.

It’s not something you’ll use every week, but it can make a real difference over the course of a season.

CHIPS

Fantasy EFL features two chips that can help maximise your score.

MAX CAPTAIN

The Max Captain chip automatically awards the armband to your highest-scoring player once every member of your squad has played.

You receive two Max Captain chips each season. One must be used during the first half of the campaign, with the second available after the midway point.

Many managers save this chip for Double or Triple Gameweeks, when players have multiple opportunities to score points.

ONE CLUB

The One Club chip removes the usual two-player limit from a single club for one Gameweek.

It can only be used once each season and must be activated before the first fixture kicks off.

The chip becomes especially powerful during Double Gameweeks, when loading up on players from one team can produce huge returns.

SCORING

Fantasy EFL rewards far more than just goals and assists.

Players also earn points for defensive contributions such as clearances, blocks, tackles and interceptions, meaning centre-backs and defensive midfielders can often compete with more attacking options.

Goalkeepers score for saves, while your two club selections also earn points for wins, draws, clean sheets and goals scored.

The full scoring matrix is shown below:

ALL PLAYERS

GOALKEEPERS + DEFENDERS

DEFENDERS

MIDFIELDERS

MIDFIELDERS + FORWARDS

FORWARDS

CLUBS

LOCKOUT

Fantasy EFL uses a rolling lockout system.

Players and clubs become locked as soon as their fixture kicks off. From that point, they can no longer be transferred in or out of your team.

The same rule applies to captaincy, meaning you’ll need to plan any armband changes before your chosen player’s match begins.

LEAGUES

Once you’ve saved your team, you’ll automatically join three leaderboards:

• Overall
• Favourite Club
• Division

Managers can also create or join an unlimited number of public and private mini-leagues to compete against friends and family.

GAMEWEEKS

Fantasy EFL Gameweeks run from Thursday through to Wednesday.

If a player or club has multiple fixtures during that period, they’ll score points in every match they play. Captains also receive double points in each fixture during Double or Triple Gameweeks.

Equally, any player or club without a fixture will score zero points, making fixture planning one of the biggest strategic elements of the game.