FPL managers to have FIVE free transfers on Saturday - all the details

The Scout explains what managers in Fantasy Premier League need to know about the impact of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), including when they will receive up to FIVE free transfers.

Managers in Fantasy will be given extra free transfers in Gameweek 16 to help plan around this season’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which begins on 21 December.

The tournament, which involves players from 24 African countries, takes place midway through the Premier League season, finishing on Sunday 18 January 2026.

From a Fantasy perspective, the AFCON matches cover Gameweeks 17-22.

However, there is a possibility that some players will leave early for the tournament ahead of the Gameweek 16 fixtures.

Dates of AFCON matches and the corresponding GWs in FPL

As a result, your total number of free transfers in Fantasy will be topped up to the maximum possible number of five immediately after the Gameweek 15 deadline at 11:00 GMT on Saturday 6 December, ahead of Gameweek 16.

This will allow you to react if any members of your FPL squad do depart early, while also helping you avoid any potential price drops when rival managers sell the same players.

Strategically, in order to fully profit from the extra free transfers, managers would be wise to ensure they have ZERO free transfers before the Gameweek 15 deadline.

This would mean that, along with your usual free transfer for Gameweek 16, you would benefit from FOUR more of them.

By contrast, if you banked your free transfers in Gameweeks 14 and 15 and went into Gameweek 16 with three of them, you would only be given two extra for AFCON, and you would miss out on the other two that were available.

Consider your chip strategy

There are only six Gameweeks remaining to use your chips in the first half of 2025/26 Fantasy, so the extra free transfers handed to us for the AFCON should be factored into your planning. 

For example, the Wildcard and Bench Boost chips are typically used in conjunction, with managers ensuring they have 15 players who are all regular starters prior to playing the Bench Boost chip to gain points from all of their squad. 

But by using the extra free transfers to prepare your squad for a Bench-Boost in Gameweeks 16-19, you could also bring forward your Wildcard plans to Gameweek 14 and benefit from players with good fixtures in the short term. 

Who are the key players going to AFCON?

Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo (£8.6m) and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (£14.1m) are the headline names among the departing AFCON stars. 

They are the second and fourth most-owned midfielders in Fantasy, with 36 and 21 per cent backing respectively. 

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr (£6.7m) and Everton's Iliman Ndiaye (£6.6m) are also popular midfielders, with ownerships in excess of 11 per cent, although the former was forced off with an injury in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.

The 15 players whose involvement at AFCON is likely to have the biggest impact on FPL managers are listed in the table below.

Due to Ghana not qualifying for AFCON, AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo (£7.8m) and Tottenham Hotspur's Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) are unaffected and will remain with their clubs, along with Brighton & Hove Albion winger Yankuba Minteh (£6.2m), whose county Gambia also failed to qualify.