How fantasy soccer works, explained for anyone who plays NFL fantasy

Updated 2026-11-08 · Published by Gaffer

Fantasy soccer works like the fantasy football you know from the NFL, with three big differences. You pick players within a fixed budget instead of drafting them, so any number of managers can own the same star. You make transfers between rounds instead of waiver claims. And you name a captain whose points count double. Each round of matches is a gameweek with a deadline 90 minutes before the first kickoff, and the Premier League season runs 38 gameweeks from August to May. The best-known game is Fantasy Premier League, the official game of the English Premier League, and it is free.

Fantasy soccer vs NFL fantasy

	NFL fantasy (most leagues)	Fantasy Premier League
Getting players	A draft: each player is on one team in your league	A budget: any number of managers can pick the same player
Squad	Starters and a bench, set by the league	15 players; 11 start each gameweek
Between rounds	Waiver claims and free agents	Transfers: one free each gameweek, bankable up to five; each extra one costs four points
Your best player	No captain	A captain scores double points
A round	One NFL week	A gameweek, usually ten matches; the deadline is 90 minutes before the first kickoff
Season	September to January	August to May, 38 gameweeks
Leagues	Limited by the draft pool	Any size; one team can play in up to 30 private leagues

Want a draft anyway? The official FPL Draft game works the NFL way: each player belongs to one manager in the league, leagues have 2 to 16 managers, and there are no captains.

How points are scored

Players score for playing time, goals, assists and clean sheets, and lose points for cards, own goals and, for goalkeepers and defenders, goals conceded. A goal is worth more for a defender than for a forward, a clean sheet counts most for goalkeepers and defenders, and each match gives a few bonus points to its best players. Gaffer Classic publishes its full points table on the classic rules page; its bonus uses a Gaffer formula, not the official one.

Deadlines in US time

Premier League deadlines are set in UK time. The FPL deadlines in US time page converts every gameweek to Eastern time, so a Saturday deadline usually lands early in the morning on the East Coast. The deadline hub has every round with its fixtures.

Where to play

Fantasy Premier League, the official game: free, one team per person, which can play in up to 30 private leagues.
FPL Draft, the official draft version: free, leagues of 2 to 16, each player in one squad.
Sleeper lists Fantasy EPL in its game catalog; check its current rules in the app.
Gaffer: free Season League, Weekly Cup, Elimination and Groups games for the Premier League and the Champions League, and for MLS during its regular season, each league with its own squad. A season league can also carry an entry fee where paid entry is available. The entry fee, the 5% service fee that comes off it and the prize split are shown before anyone pays; each entry, minus the service fee, is paid at joining into the league's own vault, and the final table pays the winners automatically.

Fantasy soccer apps compared puts these side by side with the official MLS game on Kickbase, UEFA Champions League Fantasy and Fantrax.

You can create a free Gaffer game. Paid entry is for players 18 and over (or the age of majority where you live, if higher) in supported locations. It is not available in some US states and Canadian provinces or in a short list of countries, including those under comprehensive sanctions; the terms list them, and the location check runs when you create or join a paid league.

Questions people ask

How does fantasy soccer work?

You pick a squad of real players within a budget, score points from what they do in real matches and make transfers between gameweeks. In Fantasy Premier League, 11 of your 15 players start each gameweek and your captain scores double.

Is fantasy soccer free?

The official Premier League game and FPL Draft are free to play. Gaffer games are free to create and join; a league with an entry fee shows the fee and the prize split before anyone pays, where paid entry is available.

Can you play Fantasy Premier League in the US?

Yes. The official game is free to play and its deadlines are set in UK time; the US deadline page converts each one to Eastern time.

What is the difference between fantasy soccer and fantasy football?

In the US, fantasy football means the NFL. Fantasy soccer usually uses a budget instead of a draft, transfers instead of waivers, a captain who scores double and a 38-gameweek season from August to May.

Can you play fantasy soccer with friends for a prize?

Yes. Groups agree an entry fee and a prize split, and someone collects and pays out, unless the league collects at joining. On Gaffer, where paid entry is available, a league with an entry fee collects each entry at joining, and the prize pool, the entries minus the 5% service fee, sits in the league's own vault until the final table pays the winners automatically.

Sources and rules

References checked 2026-10-31

Premier League or Champions League, with your own group.

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