How to play FPL (Fantasy Premier League)

Build your 15-player squad

You start with a virtual budget of £100m to sign 15 players:

• 2 goalkeepers
• 5 defenders
• 5 midfielders
• 3 forwards

You can pick at most three players from any single club. Prices range from cheap squad fillers to premium stars, and balancing that budget is the first real puzzle of the game.

Set your starting eleven

Each gameweek you pick eleven starters from your 15. Any formation works as long as you field one goalkeeper, at least three defenders and at least one forward. Bench players score nothing — but if a starter does not play at all that gameweek, a substitute steps in automatically, in the bench order you set.

Pick a captain

Your captain scores double points, which makes the armband the biggest weekly decision. You also name a vice-captain, who takes over automatically if your captain does not play.

How scoring works

The main scoring events:

• Playing up to 60 minutes: 1 point; 60 minutes or more: 2 points
• Goal: 6 points for a goalkeeper or defender, 5 for a midfielder, 4 for a forward
• Assist: 3 points
• Clean sheet: 4 points for a goalkeeper or defender, 1 for a midfielder
• Goalkeeper saves: 1 point per three saves
• Bonus: the three best players in each match earn 3, 2 and 1 extra points
• Deductions: −1 for a yellow card, −3 for a red card, −2 for an own goal or a missed penalty

Scoring gets small tweaks from season to season, so skim the official rules page for the current details — the structure above has been stable for years.

Transfers and prices

Once the season starts you get one free transfer per gameweek, and unused free transfers roll over — you can bank up to five. Each extra transfer beyond your free ones costs 4 points. Player prices rise and fall with demand, so well-timed transfers can slowly grow your budget.

Chips

Chips are one-off boosts for key moments, one playable per gameweek:

• Wildcard — rebuild your entire squad with no transfer cost.
• Free Hit — unlimited transfers for one gameweek; your squad reverts afterwards.
• Bench Boost — all 15 players score points for one gameweek.
• Triple Captain — your captain scores triple instead of double for one gameweek.

How many of each chip you get can vary by season — check the official rules when the game opens.

Deadlines

Each gameweek locks shortly before its first kick-off — usually 90 minutes ahead. Line-up, captain and transfers must all be confirmed by then; after the deadline your team is locked until the next gameweek.

Mini-leagues

The real hook of FPL is competing with people you know. Create or join invitational mini-leagues with a simple code; you are also ranked in the worldwide overall standings. Classic leagues count total points, while head-to-head leagues pair you against one rival each gameweek.

Beginner tips

A few habits that separate solid first seasons from frustrating ones:

• Spread your budget — three stars plus twelve cheap fillers rarely works.
• Pick players from teams with good upcoming fixtures, not just big names.
• Save your chips for the right moment instead of burning them early.
• Never miss a deadline — a forgotten gameweek costs more than any bad transfer.

Reading fixtures is exactly what our FPL tools are for: a difficulty matrix built from real recent form, plus a weekly Gameweek Guide.