Fantasy Premier League

Fantasy Challenge: A beginner's guide

21 Apr 2024
FPL Challenge: A beginner's guide

Your step-by-step guide to setting up a team in Fantasy Challenge

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FPL Challenge is a new game that allows you to pick a DIFFERENT team for each Gameweek and test your skills in a UNIQUE challenge each week. 

Each week's Challenge can be found on the “Manage Team” page where you build your team for that Gameweek.

ALL managers will compete in the same challenge. Scores will be reset and prizes will be won on a weekly basis.

Your FPL Challenge team is entirely separate from your team in the main Fantasy Premier League game. Your choices, scores and performance don’t affect the main game.

How to register

To play FPL Challenge, as with the main game, you need to have an account. If you are already signed in, then you can start to play. 

If you have not played Fantasy before, first register on the FPL site. Head over to fplchallenge.premierleague.com to register your account by submitting an email address, setting up a password and then confirming your email address.  

Please note that to play FPL Challenge on the app, you need to update to the latest version from the app store. 

Once you have set up your account and chosen a team name you are ready to start playing. 

Are you ready for the latest challenge?

Players from Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Spurs get DOUBLE POINTS!

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How to play

FPL Challenge is a game that casts you in the role of a Fantasy manager of Premier League players, facing a new challenge each week.

You must pick a squad of 15 players, who score points for your team based on their performances for their clubs in PL matches.

Prices are given to players based on the number of FPL points they are projected to deliver and you are limited to a budget of £100.0m for your 15-man squad.  

How to build your squad

Each Gameweek you select a new 15-player squad from scratch. If you enter after the start of the Gameweek you will be limited to players whose teams have yet to play in the Gameweek.

A standard squad consists of 15 players with a budget of £100.0m and up to FIVE players from a single Premier League team, rather than the usual THREE in Fantasy Premier League. 

A standard squad consists of two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards. 

To select a player for your squad, you can pick his club on the dropdown filter. You then have access to the club's player list, which is sorted by position. Clicking on the player will add him to your squad. 

Alternatively, you can type the player surname into the menu search function to find them. 

In the interest of fair play, you can only enter one team for each Gameweek in FPL Challenge.

Managing your team

From your 15-player squad, select 11 players, a captain (who scores double points) and a vice-captain to form your team.

You can make unlimited changes (starting team, captains, squad) before and during the Gameweek but these must be made before a player's team starts their first match of the Gameweek; after this they will be locked in.

Your team can play in any formation providing that one goalkeeper, at least three defenders and at least one forward are selected.

If no changes are made after the first match of the Gameweek has started, then automatic substitutions will take place at the end of the Gameweek in a similar way to Fantasy Premier League. 

Based on the priorities you assign, automatic substitutions are processed at the end of the Gameweek as follows:

Goalkeeper
If your 'keeper doesn't play in the Gameweek, he will be substituted by your replacement goalkeeper if he played in the Gameweek.

Outfield players
If any outfield player doesn't play, he will be substituted by the highest-priority outfield substitute who played in the Gameweek and doesn't break the formation rules. (For example, if your starting XI has three defenders, a defender can only be replaced by another defender.)

Deadlines 

The late deadlines allow managers to play FPL Challenge when they want.

You can essentially choose your own deadline to submit a squad for the remaining matches in each FPL Challenge Gameweek, providing at least three teams are yet to play a match.

Even after that point, you can continue to make changes to your team (e.g. starting 11, transfers, captain). However, once a player's club has started their first match of the Gameweek, they will be locked from any changes, so you can't swap them in or out.

As the deadlines are right up until a match starts, managers in FPL Challenge will be more informed in their decision-making as they will have team news readily available.

A list of the deadlines can be found in the Rules tab of the Help section here.

How are points awarded?

Points are awarded to players for goals, assists, saves and clean sheets.

Players can also earn additional bonus points in Fantasy as a reward for a good performance in a match (see the Bonus Points System for more).

Your team's points for the match round or "Gameweek" will be scored by your starting XI. But if a starting player does not feature for their club in that round of matches, the points scored by the first player on your bench will automatically be counted instead.

The same process occurs if two or three starting players fail to appear.

You can also earn extra points by selecting a captain from your starting line-up. The captain's points are doubled in that Gameweek. 

Players who receive additional points related to the challenge that week will receive the Challenge Bolt on their player card.

Player prices

Player prices will reflect those in Fantasy Premier League, including any rises and falls. As a result of this the value of your squad may differ from the initial £100.0m budget. 

However, when making any changes to your squad players will be sold at the price you paid, irrespective of any price change.

Leagues

After entering your squad, you can join and create leagues to play against friends. Just create a league and then send out the unique code to allow your friends to join. 

You can compete in up to 25 private leagues. There's no limit on the number of teams in a single league. Everyone starts from 0 for each new Gameweek and you'll automatically join your existing leagues when creating a team for a new challenge.

You are automatically entered into the following global leagues: The overall league featuring all registered teams, a league for fellow managers from your country, and a league for supporters of your favourite Premier League team. 

Prizes 

An end of season prize draw will be held, with all managers who have joined the game and entered a team before the end of the 2023/24 season eligible to win a trip to New York City. Each Gameweek team entry is an entry to the prize draw.

Signed Premier League shirts will also be up for grabs in each of the weekly challenges:

Unlimited Budget: Ange Postecoglou
Forward Focus: Rasmus Hojlund
Red Rivalry: Alexis Mac Allister

The three top-scoring managers of each weekly Challenge will each receive:

An Official Premier League Nike match ball, an EA SPORTS FC game and an FPL bundle consisting of a rucksack, T-shirt, mug, thermal bottle, stress ball, pen, pad and key ring.

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