If Fantasy Premier League is your thing, chances are you will fancy having a go at beating your friends at the World Cup fantasy football game. Luckily for all of us obsessed with the virtual game, the official FIFA website has put together a smart-looking game that we can get involved with.
So, how do I play?
Head to play.fifa.com/fantasy to create your team ahead of the first game. Qatar vs Ecuador kicks off at 4pm on Sunday, so make sure you’ve got your team sorted before then! Each manager is given $100m to spend on their squad that includes two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three strikers. Exactly the same format as Fantasy Premier League.
When can I make transfers?
Transfers are unlimited ahead of the first group game and after the final group game has taken place. This means across the whole squad, picking a team that has a simple group stage is likely to end with a whole lot of points. You can also do this safe in the knowledge that you won’t be stuck with a load of duds heading into the business end of the tournament.
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Between each group match you can make two transfers, you can make four before the quarter-finals, five before the semi-finals and six before the final, meaning you should always have a full squad to choose from.
So, which goalkeepers should I pick?
Let’s start at the back. With some expensive players to come, you want to save your money. Thibaut Courtois, Alisson and Hugo Lloris are the most expensive trio at $6m, while Argentina’s Martinez, England’s Jordan Pickford and Spain’s Unai Simon are $5.5m. Looking at the groups, Argentina should breeze through, but they have some star forwards you may want to include, and given you can only have three players per team in the group stage, look elsewhere.
Diogo Costa at $5m looks like a shrewd pick, given he is guaranteed to start and could establish himself as a star this tournament. If you wanna back the boys though, go for Pickford.
What about the defenders?
As always in fantasy football, finding those defenders that can deliver attacking returns is crucial. Denzel Dumfries ($6m) should play at right wing-back in a forward-thinking Dutch side while we all know how good Joao Cancelo can be at the same price point.
Set-piece experts are also a rarity, so England’s Kieran Trippier at $5m could be a bargain, while Nicolas Tagliafico ($5.5m) could also be a gem, if he can nail down a starting spot. At the start at least, it is better to play things safe with guaranteed starters, so the likes of Van Dijk, Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez may be worth considering. Back the big boys at the back.
Any midfield gems?
Here is where things get pricey. Kevin De Bruyne ($11m) could star for Belgium, Bruno Fernandes ($9.5m) could shine for Portugal and Germany’s Leroy Sane is $9m. Antony is $8.5m for Brazil, but perhaps it is worth looking at some other nation’s stars in order to save money for the attack. Trust me, you’ll need it.
Christian Eriksen is Denmark’s main man at $8m, Brenden Aaronsen can have a big impact for the USA at just $6m, and the same applies for Morocco’s Hakim Ziyech at $7m. Sure they may face some tougher fixtures along the way, but they are more than capable of producing in big moments. Mohammed Kudus has already shown his class for Ajax and the Ghanaian is just $6m, which could be a bargain if the African nation does well.
Who should I save my budget for?
The big money forwards. Kylian Mbappe ($11.5m), Harry Kane ($11m), Karim Benzema ($11m), Vinicius Jr and Neymar (both $10.5m), Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo (both $10m). Take your pick.
Below them we have the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Thomas Muller, Gabriel Jesus and Sadio Mane. All the major stars are in the forwards category and you can only pick three, but there does seem to be one name that is underpriced: Lautaro Martinez. He could well outscore Messi at this World Cup, and is just $8m. We’ve partnered him with Messi and Mbappe, but you could pick a combination of any of the above to get your points total rocking.
Can I join a league?
If you fancy joining The Sportsman’s World Cup league, you can join using our code: NSRJET50
