The new Premier League season is almost upon us, with millions of Fantasy Football managers worldwide preparing to select their ideal teams. Whether you're aiming to demonstrate your football knowledge by topping a friends' league, competing against colleagues for a cash prize, or striving to prove that you're among the best football managers globally, it requires an exceptional football IQ to consistently choose players who will earn you points.
While there are several fantasy leagues available, the official Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is undoubtedly the most popular. Since its debut in 2002, the fantasy football league has seen consistent growth in player numbers, with over 10 million participants in the 2023/24 campaign.
If you plan to participate virtually in the 2024/25 season, there are several rules and regulations you need to be aware of, as well as crucial cut-off dates to keep you on track. Here, The Express breaks down everything you need to know about this year's FPL - from basic rules to spending allowances.
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How do you play Fantasy Premier League?
To take part in the 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League, you'll need to create an account on the official FPL website using your email address. Returning players can simply log into their accounts, confirm any changes to their information, accept the terms and conditions, and dive right back in.
Before you can start selecting your squad, you'll need to come up with a team name for your fantasy club. Players often get quite inventive with their team names, usually opting for football-related puns to bring a bit of humour to the game. For instance, this Express reporter chose 'Ba-Celona' this year - a playful combination of Abdoullah Ba and La Liga runners-up, Barcelona, inspired by his support for Sunderland.
We've noticed some other brilliant team names this year, including 'Netflix and Chilwell', 'Come Digne With Me', 'Backstreet Moyes' and 'Expected Tolouse', to mention just a few. Once you're satisfied with your team name, it's time to pick your squad: two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three attackers.
You'll then need to decide on your starting XI and four substitutes. Your chosen starting XI will earn you points on matchdays, while your substitutes won't contribute at all - regardless of whether they play, score, assist or keep a clean sheet in real life - unless you activate a bench boost power-up, but we'll explain more about that later.
So, how much can you spend on your team?
To stop players from monopolising the top talent every week, FPL participants are given a virtual budget of just £100million to spend on their starting XI and substitutes. Player prices are determined based on past performance, so a consistent goalscorer will be much pricier than a regular squad player.
While £100million may seem like a hefty budget for fifteen players, you'll quickly realise the need for strategic squad selection - all positions must be filled, and high-profile players can rapidly deplete your season's transfer total. Here are some player prices for the 2024/25 FPL season to give you an idea:
- Erling Haaland - £15m
- Darwin Nunez - £7.5m
- Cole Palmer - £10.5m
- Phil Foden - £9.5m
- Alexis Mac Allister - £6.5m
- Virgil Van Dijk - £6m
- Matt Doherty - £4.5m
- Tino Livramento - £4.5m
- Ederson - £5.5m
- Emi Martinez - £5m
- Remi Matthews - £4m
How do points accumulate in FPL?
- A goal scored by a goalkeeper will score 10 points
- A goal from a defender will score six points
- A goal scored by a midfielder will score five points
- A goal scored by a forward will score four points
- A player who plays up to 60 minutes will get one point, while players playing more than 60 minutes will get two points
- An assist will score three points
- A goalkeeper or defender clean sheet will score four points
- A midfielder clean sheet will score one point
- Every three shots saved by a goalkeeper will score one point
- A penalty save will score five points
- A penalty miss will deduct two points
- Every two goals conceded by a goalkeeper or defender will deduct one point
- A yellow card will deduct one point from the player who receives it, while a red will deduct three points
- An own goal will deduct two points
Bonus points are also awarded as detailed below -
- Goalkeepers who score or concede goals will be worth -four bonus points
- A goalline clearance will score three bonus points
- A foul won will be worth one bonus point
- A shot on target will be worth two bonus points
- The best players in each match will score one to three bonus points
There are five boosts available to enhance points earned -
- Bench Boost - Allows benched players to accrue points for a selected game
- Triple Captain - Triples your captains points for one match
- Free Hit - Allows you to make unlimited transfers in one game week
- Wildcard - Allows you to make unlimited transfers in one game week without incurring a points penalty (can be used twice per season)
- Mystery Chip - To be revealed in January 2025
Crucial deadlines
Your team needs to be finalised and entered into all desired leagues by 6.30pm on Friday, August 16. After this time, no changes can be made to your team as Manchester United and Fulham commence their Premier League campaign at 8pm.
Changes for gameweek two can be made once the fixture has begun. You can join up to 30 private leagues with friends, colleagues or strangers, as well as up to five public leagues to compete against the best - but ensure that you're registered by 6.30pm on August 16.
