Having teamed up with Fantasy iTeam for World Cup 2018, we’re also giving you a heads-up on the official FIFA game.
Released earlier this afternoon, this remains a popular free option for Fantasy Premier League managers in need of a summer fix and boasts a remarkably similar ruleset.
Below, we’ll go through the basics – which will be familiar to most of you – and also look at some strategies available to profit from the two chips at our disposal.
Squad Selection
Similar to FPL, you must select a 15-man squad for the FIFA game, comprising of two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards.
You are handed an initial budget of €100, which rises to €105 when the knockout stages get underway.
Once the group stages are completed, player prices may alter depending on their performances over the first three matches.
Initially – as per FPL – you can select up to three players from a single team.
However, this quota increases as the tournament unfolds – you can pick four players per country for the Round of 16, five for the quarter-finals, six for the semi-finals and eight for the World Cup final.
In terms of your formation, a minimum of one goalkeeper, three defenders, two midfielders and one forwards must be selected in your starting line-up.
Essentially, this allows any of the following eight set-ups – 3-5-2, 3-4-3, 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-5-1, 5-4-1, 5-2-3 or 5-3-2.
Substitutions
Squad depth is crucial in the FIFA game as you have the option of utilising all 15 players in any given round of fixtures.
Just like the Champions League iteration or Ultimate FPL, this favours a hand-on approach. You can sub out underperforming players and bring in a replacement off the bench before the action gets underway. Those who drop to your bench will score zero points.
You can also change your captain before the next day’s matches start, though you lose their double points in doing so.
If you don’t make any substitutions or swap captains in a round, then the auto-sub rule similar to FPL kicks in.
However, you cannot sub out a player who has been sent off – a fact all the more compounded should they also be wearing the armband, as you are then unable to change your captain.
Scoring Points
Handily, the basic scoring system has been stripped back and is now identical to FPL.
Keepers and defenders earn six points for a clean sheet, midfielders are awarded more points for scoring than forwards (five to four) and so on.
The main difference involves penalty kicks.
A player will be awarded two points for earning a penalty, regardless of whether it is scored, while those who give away a spot-kick score minus one. This does not apply to penalties awarded for handball, however.
Points are accrued in the usual manner in matches that go into extra-time, though goals scored in a penalty shoot-out are not rewarded.
For the full lowdown on the rules, click here.
Transfers
FIFA managers are handed one free transfer per round over the group stages.
We then have unlimited trades to refresh our squads ahead of the knock-out stages, then a further three before the quarter-finals, and five prior to both the semi-finals and final.
Any transfers over the free limit will take four points from your total, while you are not allowed to carry over any trades to the next round. Use ‘em or lose ‘em.
Just like FPL, we also have a Wildcard this allows unlimited transfers before a particular deadline. You must make one additional transfer for the Wildcard to be enabled.
Historically, there have been two contrasting approaches as to when this is best wielded.
Some have used it in time for Round 2, focusing their opening 15-man squad on the first batch of fixtures.
Others have waited until Round 3 to play their Wildcard as, by then, many teams will already be through and therefore more prone to rotation.
This also allows the chance to focus our trades on sides needing a result to secure a place in the last 16.
The Deadlines
Before delving a little deeper, we have to point out that, at present, FIFA’s website says the deadlines below are “subject to change” and “tentative”.
Here’s why that could be the case:
FIFA also state that the deadline for each of the seven rounds will take place at the same time as the first match of that round.
While that logic applies to the deadlines for the first five rounds, it’s not the case with the final two.
The first match of Round 6 – or the Semi-Finals – gets underway on July 10 at 19.00 GMT.
Currently, this has a deadline of 16.00 GMT.
Meanwhile, the first match of Round 7 – which takes in both the third/fourth place play-off and the final – gets underway on July 14 at 15.00 GMT.
Yet the deadline is currently down for 16.00 GMT, ie, an hour after the match starts.
Round 1 Thursday 14 June, 16.00 GMT
Round 2 Tuesday 19 June, 19.00 GMT
Round 3 Monday 25 June, 15.00 GMT
Round of 16 Saturday June 30, 15.00 GMT
Quarter-Finals Friday July 6, 15.00 GMT
Semi-Finals Tuesday July 10, 16.00 GMT**
Finals Saturday July 14, 16.00 GMT**
**Likely to change.
With the deadlines expected to occur at the kick-off of the first match in each round, then, we are handed early heads-up on teamsheets and given more time to plan.
When constructing a squad for the group stages, in particular, it’s a wise tactic to afford yourself as many captain choices in any given Round in the event of an armband blank.
For example, both Round 1 and 2 are over six separate days, granting you the opportunity of handing your captaincy to six different players should your previous picks fail.
It’s worth paying particular attention to the deadlines between Round 1 and 2 during the group stages.
On Tuesday 19 June, for example, the first two matches – Colombia vs Japan at 12pm and Poland vs Senegal at 3pm – will conclude Round 1.
However, that day’s third, and final, fixture – Russia vs Egypt at 7pm – is the first match of Round 2, with the deadline at the same time.
The Chips
Each of the two chips at our disposal can be used only once during the tournament.
They also must be played prior to the start of the respective round.
Bench Boost
Again, this follows on from FPL and earns us the points for all 15 of our squad players in any given Round of matches.
Maximum Captain
An intriguing new addition to the game, this hands the armband to the highest scoring player in your final selected XI when the round concludes.
Effectively, it does away with the worry over captaincy decisions for that selected Round.
While it will, admittedly, be advantageous to our overall points hauls, there’s no doubt that the Maximum Captain chip may take some of the fun out of our armband dilemmas.
Arguably, this could be more effective in the group stages where there are more matches and therefore a greater number of differentials to potentially profit from.
Scout League
Our coverage for the tournament will feature updates of the official Scout League, as we keep you up-to-date with the leading managers.
For those yet to join, the league name is FantasyFootballScout and the code is HEWJPVYR.
We have also set up an official league for Fantasy iTeam – the league name is Fantasy Football Scout and the pin is 1887.
World Cup Previews by Team
Group A – Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group B – Iran, Morocco, Portugal, Spain
Group C – Australia, Peru, France, Denmark
Group D – Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
Group E – Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
