With the 2026 World Cup just around the corner, fans around the world are starting to put their preparations in place for how they will experience the tournament hosted in North America this summer.

Whether it’s opening sticker packs or card packs, watching at home or at a bar, people will have their own rituals and ways of enjoying the biggest competition in football.

Then there are the Fantasy Football managers, who pit themselves against their friends and the rest of the world by selecting a team of players they think can score enough points to win.

It’s an online game that has been popular among Premier League and Champions League fans, spreading across leagues and sports, and not even the World Cup is safe from its own version of the game.

So, with that said, here’s a look at everything you need to know about World Cup Fantasy Football.

World Cup Fantasy Football works similar to most other games in the genre, as managers get an opportunity to pick a squad of 15 players, with a starting 11 that will land them points.

What Positions Managers Can Pick

• 2x Goalkeepers
• 5x Defenders
• 5x Midfielders
• 3x Forwards

Fantasy Budget And Restrictions

Managers can pick a maximum of three players per country for the group stage and round of 32, but this increases to four for the round of 16, five for the quarter-final, six for the semi-final, and eight for the final.

As for the budget, each manager will get $100 million to start with, while budgets will increase as the tournament progresses to account for the high-value players that are likely to remain as it continues.

The value of these players will be determined before the competition starts, and they won’t increase or decrease based on performances, like some other fantasy games.

There are captains and vice-captains, who will have their points doubled after you pick them. You can change a captain mid-round, but you won’t be able to put the captaincy back on a player who has already played.

Team Changes And Strategy

One key difference with World Cup Fantasy Football is the ongoing nature of a round, as it equates to one round of fixtures in each part of the tournament.

For example, there are 24 games in the first round that last roughly a week, meaning it would be a long time to lock in the same team and not touch it.

Therefore, World Cup Fantasy Football allows managers to change their team and substitutes, but only if a player is unlocked, meaning their game hasn’t been played.

Any player who is locked on the substitutes’ bench won’t be able to come on, because their game has been played, so anyone that is substituted must do so with caution.

It means setting up your team with that in mind for each round is important, but it allows the manager to have some ongoing control.

In terms of transfers, there are unlimited changes allowed pre-tournament, while the group stages only allow for two transfers per round. There are then unlimited transfers allowed once again in the round of 32 phase, before four transfers for the round of 16 and quarter-finals, with five before the semi-final and six for the final. Exceeding the limit will deduct three points for every extra transfer completed.

What Boosters Are There?

In Fantasy Football games, it is common to include some sort of booster item, sometimes known as chips, that allow managers some variation in how they control their teams.

There will be five boosters available during World Cup Fantasy Football, with only one of them allowed to be used in any given round, so they do not stack.

The World Cup fantasy boosters are:

• Wildcard
• 12th Man
• Maximum Captain
• Qualification Booster
• Mystery Booster

The Wildcard allows for unlimited transfers, but this cannot be used for round one, due to unlimited transfers already being in place pre-tournament, nor for the round of 32 for the same reason.

The 12th Man booster will draft in another player to score points for the team, with any player not already part of the squad being eligible for selection. Budget and team restrictions are not a factor for this booster.

Maximum Captain will assign the captaincy to your highest-scoring player at the end of the round, removing some of the guesswork in predicting the best captaincy option.

Qualification Booster can only be used from the round of 32 onwards, but it grants two extra points to any player who progresses to the next round of the competition, so long as they make an appearance in the game. It’s worth noting that the captaincy does not double the qualification bonus.

As for the Mystery Booster, that will be revealed after the end of the group stage.

How Points Are Scored

Points can be earned, or lost, in several different ways and while there are general points every player can get, there are position-specific point boosts too.

All players can earn:

Goalkeepers earn these specific points:

Defenders earn these specific points:

Midfielders earn these specific points:

Forwards earn these specific points:

Best Players to Pick

When it comes to picking the best players, there are several factors that need to be weighed up. There are the teams they play in and their strengths, the opposition they face, how they maximise points and their budget.

The best teams will balance the high-scoring meta picks, who will often be expensive, with the low-cost budget options who are able to punch well above their weight.

Here’s a look at a few good options you could throw in your team now.

Marc Cucurella (Spain) – $5.1m

An almost guaranteed pick at left-back for Spain, Marc Cucurella is a player who may surprise a few with his inclusion over someone like Pedro Porro, who has slightly more attacking prowess. The Chelsea star comes in at $0.4m cheaper than his Tottenham counterpart, however, and unlocks an option in the Spain backline.

La Roja have Cape Verde up first, a match that should land them a clean sheet if things go as many expect, while Cucurella isn’t lacking in attacking dynamism.

Nuno Mendes (Portugal) – $5.8m

Looking on the more expensive side, Portugal star Nuno Mendes looks set to be a popular pick for the tournament, and for good reason too.

The left-back has searing pace and trickery that often see him play more like a winger than a defender, and with favourable games against Uzbekistan, DR Congo, and Colombia, he should rack up clean sheets and goal involvements.

Michael Olise (France) – $9.5m

Michael Olise has been performing at a top level for Bayern Munich in recent months, and he may well translate that into the World Cup with a France team that looks scarily strong.

The winger is the joint-second most expensive player in the midfield ranks, but his ability to score and assist can’t be questioned, and he remains a top option.

Raphinha (Brazil) – $8.2m

When it comes to Brazil, most managers may be drawn to Vinicius Jr, but at $10m, he could be an extremely expensive option, considering Raphinha is available for $1.8m cheaper.

The winger is returning from injury after an impressive season with Barcelona and could be the key for Carlo Ancelotti‘s side to unlock the game.

Kylian Mbappe (France) – $10.5m

Don’t let the chaos at Real Madrid cloud the fact that Kylian Mbappe remains an elite player at the very top of the game.

The forward won the last golden boot at the World Cup, scoring eight goals in 2022 on the way to a defeat to Argentina in the final in Qatar.

While the price tag may put some people off, he’s almost certainly guaranteed goals.

Erling Haaland (Norway) – $10.5m

There may be some apprehension over picking Erling Haaland, because of Norway’s lack of recent World Cup participation, but the forward is as clinical as they come. Few come remotely close to his international record, with 55 goals scored in 49 caps for his country at the time of writing.

An opening match against Iraq looks filled with points on offer for the Manchester City man, while there is an option to pivot away from him easily due to the high price tag.

There is always an element of luck that creeps into Fantasy Football games, but there are certainly ways of playing that increase the chances of winning a league.

Use Starting Players & Be Ready to Change

One main tip to take on board for the World Cup Fantasy Football game is to put out a starting 11 that has games playing first, then switch them around if needed.

Players on the bench who have already played are locked and cannot be brought on later, so even if you have better players in the squad available, always start those who play first. They might surprise you with a good points haul. If not, you can change them before your squad options play later.

Use Your Boosters

Don’t be too stingy with your boosters either. There are five boosters to be spread across eight different rounds through the tournament. Keeping all of them for later in the tournament reduces the amount of flexibility available to make moves that will maximise points.

Time Your Booster Use Wisely

Timing the Wildcard Booster will be key to victory. There are reduced opportunities to use this booster, because it cannot be used going into round one or the round of 32, as unlimited transfers are available.

That reduces the chance of making changes down to just six possible rounds. But even then, a game like the final may reduce the player pool available, while the increased transfers later in the tournament may allow other players to make similar moves to the team and reduce the Wildcard’s effectiveness.

One option may be to play it before round three, using it as an opportunity to free hit the team into something for just the final group game, before changing it again with unlimited transfers for the round of 32.

Another option may be to use it around the quarter-final stage, as there will still be eight teams in contention, giving some variety in players available, while it is also two rounds on from the last use of unlimited transfers.

Useful World Cup links