How to play FPL — a beginner's guide
Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is a free game where you build a squad of real Premier League players and score points based on how they perform each week. It's free to play at fantasy.premierleague.com. Here's everything a beginner needs to get started.
1. Build your squad
You have £100.0m to buy 15 players: 2 goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders and 3 forwards, with a maximum of 3 from any one club. Each gameweek you pick 11 starters in a valid formation, plus a captain and vice-captain.
2. Score points
Players earn points for appearances, goals (4–10 by position), assists (3), clean sheets, saves and bonus points — and lose points for cards and own goals. Your captain scores double. In 2025/26, defenders and midfielders can also earn defensive-contribution points.
3. Make transfers
You get one free transfer per gameweek (bank up to five); extra transfers cost 4 points. Plan them ahead in the transfer planner and time them using fixture difficulty and price changes.
4. Use your chips
Wildcard, Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain each give a one-off boost and are available once per half of the season. Save them for the right fixtures and Double Gameweeks.
5. Win your mini-leagues
Join leagues with friends and track them live. OneFPL turns your Team ID into a live league table, suggests the best captain, and finds differentials to help you climb — free, no login.
FAQ
How does Fantasy Premier League work?
In FPL you build a 15-player squad of real Premier League players within a £100m budget, then pick 11 starters each gameweek. Your players score points based on their real-life performances — goals, assists, clean sheets, saves and bonus. You captain one player for double points and can make transfers between gameweeks.
How much is the FPL budget and squad size?
You start with £100.0m to buy 15 players: 2 goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders and 3 forwards. You can pick a maximum of 3 players from any single club. Each gameweek you choose a starting XI in a valid formation and name a captain and vice-captain.
How do you score points in FPL?
Players earn points for playing (1–2), goals (4–10 depending on position), assists (3), clean sheets (up to 4), saves and penalty saves for keepers, and bonus points for the best performers. Points are deducted for cards, own goals and penalty misses. Defenders and midfielders can also earn defensive-contribution points in 2025/26.
How do FPL transfers and chips work?
You get one free transfer each gameweek (bankable up to five); extra transfers cost 4 points each. Chips give one-off boosts: Wildcard (unlimited free transfers for a gameweek), Free Hit (a one-week temporary squad), Bench Boost (your bench scores too) and Triple Captain (captain scores triple). Each chip is available once per half of the season.
What is the FPL deadline?
Every gameweek has a deadline 90 minutes before the first match kicks off. Your team, captain and transfers must be set before then. After the deadline your team is locked for that gameweek, so check team news and predicted lineups first.