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How to Play Fantasy Premier League: A Beginner's Guide to FPL

Updated 8 July 2026

Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is the world's most popular fantasy football game, with over ten million managers competing every season. It lets football fans create and manage their own team of real-life Premier League players and compete against friends, colleagues and the global community based on how those players perform in actual matches.

What is FPL?

Fantasy Premier League is the official free fantasy football game of the Premier League. You build a virtual squad of real players, score points based on their real-life performances, and compete against other managers in overall rankings and private mini-leagues. The game runs in parallel with the Premier League season, making every match more engaging as your players accumulate points for your team.

How to Play FPL

1. Creating Your Team

  • Budget: Each manager starts with a budget of £100 million to spend on a squad of 15 players.
  • Squad Composition: You need to select 2 goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders, and 3 forwards.
  • Team Constraints: You can pick a maximum of 3 players from any single Premier League club.
  • Research: Before picking anyone, browse the player statistics table to compare points, form and price across every Premier League player.

2. Scoring Points

  • Performance Metrics: Players earn points for real-match actions such as scoring goals, assisting teammates, keeping clean sheets, making saves and racking up defensive contributions. The full breakdown is in our guide to how FPL points work.
  • Negative Points: Points can be lost for actions like receiving yellow/red cards or conceding goals.
  • Bonus Points: Up to three extra points per match go to the best performers, decided by the Bonus Points System (BPS). Our guide to how FPL bonus points work explains the system in full, and you can watch bonus being awarded in real time on the live bonus points tracker.

3. Gameweeks

  • Structure: The Premier League season is divided into "Gameweeks," each usually covering one round of matches. Check the fixtures page for live scores, kick-off times and results.
  • Transfers: You can make player transfers between Gameweeks. Each Gameweek you get one free transfer, extra transfers cost 4 points each, and unused free transfers can be banked (up to 5) — see our banked transfers guide.
  • Captaincy: You must choose a captain whose points are doubled, and a vice-captain who takes over if the captain doesn't play. Captaincy is one of the biggest skill gaps in FPL — our guide to picking the perfect FPL captain walks through it.

4. Using Chips

  • Wildcard: Allows you to make unlimited transfers for one Gameweek — see our wildcard strategy guide for the best timing.
  • Bench Boost: All 15 players in your squad score points for one Gameweek, not just your starting 11.
  • Triple Captain: Your captain's points are tripled for one Gameweek.
  • Free Hit: You can make unlimited transfers for one Gameweek, after which your team reverts to its previous state.
  • You get two of each chip per season — one set for each half, with the first set expiring at the Gameweek 19 deadline. Our FPL chips guide explains how to play them all.

Strategy and Tips for New FPL Managers

1. Balancing Form and Fixtures

  • Managers often debate between selecting players in good form versus those with favorable upcoming fixtures. A balanced approach is typically the best strategy. Use the fixture difficulty planner (FDR) to see which teams have the easiest upcoming schedules — our FDR guide explains how to read it.

2. Differentials

  • Choosing less popular players, known as differentials, can give you an edge in your mini-leagues. These players can help you gain points where others might miss out — here's how to find FPL differentials.

3. Managing Transfers

  • Plan your transfers carefully, considering fixture difficulty and player fitness. Saving transfers for double Gameweeks, where some teams play twice, can be particularly rewarding. Our guide to managing FPL transfers like a pro covers the fundamentals, and the gameweek transfer trends show which players the crowd is buying and selling.

Community and Resources

The FPL community is vast and vibrant, with numerous websites, podcasts, and social media channels dedicated to the game. Engaging with the community can provide valuable insights, strategies, and up-to-date news that can help you succeed. Keeping an eye on the real Premier League table also helps you understand which teams are strong at both ends of the pitch.

Why Play Fantasy Premier League?

Fantasy Premier League adds an extra layer of excitement to following the Premier League. It allows fans to engage more deeply with the matches, enjoy friendly competition with friends and colleagues in mini-leagues, and develop their understanding of the sport. Whether you're a seasoned football fan or completely new to fantasy football, FPL offers an engaging and fun way to be part of the season.