Fantasy Premier League is back for 2025/26, and there are exciting changes to the game this season.
Here's everything you need to know.
Defensive contributions
Outfield players will now be rewarded for their defensive contributions with Fantasy points.
This season, any defender who reaches a combined total of 10 clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles (CBIT) in a single match will score two FPL points.
For midfielders and forwards, in addition to their clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles, their "ball recoveries" will also count towards their total of defensive contributions (CBIRT). As a result, they have to make 12 defensive contributions to earn their two FPL points, instead of 10.
Two sets of chips
Fantasy managers will now have TWO sets of chips in the 2025/26 season.
They will have a Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost chip to use in each half of the campaign, meaning eight chips in total. There will be no Assistant Manager chip this season.
Similarly to the use of the first Wildcard in recent seasons, the first set of chips must be played before the Gameweek 19 deadline passes at 18:30 GMT on Tuesday 30 December. They cannot be carried over into the second half of 2025/26.
Qualifying for elite global leagues
In 2025/26 Fantasy, there are TWO new leagues - one for managers who finished in the top one per cent in the world rankings last season, and one for managers who finished in the top 10 per cent.
Changes to assists rules
Fantasy assists are often awarded to the player from the goalscoring team who has the final touch before a goal is scored, and they are awarded three FPL points.
For the 2025/26 season, the definition of a Fantasy assist has been simplified to better recognise players for their contributions to goals, and to reduce the degree of subjectivity involved so that it’s easier for FPL managers to see when their player is getting an assist.
If these new 2025/26 rules had been in operation last season, there would have been 41 extra Fantasy assists awarded.
Extra transfers for AFCON
Managers in Fantasy will be given extra free transfers in Gameweek 16 to help plan around this season’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Their total number of free transfers in Fantasy will be topped up to the maximum possible number of five in Gameweek 16 due to the possibility that some players will leave early for the tournament.
Team badges
Thanks to the Premier League’s new partnership with Adobe, managers can create their own unique team badge using Adobe Express and its Firefly generative AI tool.
Tweaks to Bonus Points System
The Bonus Points System is an important element of Fantasy, as it helps determine the allocation of bonus points awarded in each match.
The BPS utilises a range of statistics supplied by Opta that capture actions on the pitch, to create a performance score for every player.
This season, there are changes to the number of points from goalkeeper saves, goalline clearances, penalty goals and successful tackles, with the potential for Fantasy managers to earn even more points.
FPL Draft
There are also changes in FPL Draft - the version of Fantasy Premier League where only ONE manager in a mini-league can own Mohamed Salah, or Erling Haaland, or anyone else.
Firstly, league administrators can now renew their leagues from the previous season, including all the managers who took part in 2024/25, rather than having to set up a new league and add everyone again.
Secondly, up until now there has only been one draft for each league, at the start of the season. But now, league administrators can schedule up to THREE additional drafts during the season.
Thirdly, league administrators can now use league standings to decide who gets the first draft pick, and who is last, instead of it being a random draw. It means the manager who finished bottom of the table last season can get the advantage of the first pick this campaign, with the reigning champion going last.
FPL Challenge
In this version of Fantasy, there is a different challenge for every Gameweek. But some aspects of the game have been standardised this season to provide more consistency across the challenges.
In 2025/26, the majority of challenges will involve picking a six-a-side team with an unlimited budget, and a limit of one player per club.
The variety will come from the different scoring systems. For example, in Gameweek 1, new signings will score double points.
Pick your GW1 Challenge team NOW