How to get started on your fantasy football dream team

Now that we are approaching the start of the Fifa 2022 World Cup, it's the season for picking your fantasy soccer dream team. It's a great way to add extra enjoyment to the tournament and you can battle your friends, family and the rest of the world to come out on top. That said, it can be tricky to know how to get started. Should you go for the biggest names? Carefully allow a budget for each position? Or simply give up and use a random generator? Here we will give you a few tips on how to build your ideal dream team today.

How it works

Fantasy soccer involves picking a team of players from different countries (though they don't have to be) to try and get the most points you can. Points are gained for clean sheets for defenders and keepers who don't concede goals, goals scored, and how well they play among others. Points are lost for a number of goals conceded, yellow and red cards, and so on. You will be able to make transfers and changes to your team, however, as the tournament goes on these will usually be limited to a certain number. You can play online or even build your own league at home, it's up to you.

Money, Money, Money

The first thing you have to consider is your budget. Depending where you build your fantasy soccer team you may have differing amounts of "money", but this will be reflected in the cost of each player and shouldn't be a factor. Remember that you need a full team of 11 players so divide your total budget by that to give you a rough spend per player. You don't have to spend the exact same amount on each, but it will help you stay on track. For example, if you spend over budget on a striker you will have to cut back somewhere else. Some managers may choose to spend their budget on a few superstars and fill the rest with cheap options who can do well, while others will go for a more balanced team and try to get points from every player. Note: The fantasy soccer team league we are linking to here is only available in Australia, however, there are many different leagues for you to choose from depending on where you are based.

Your team line up

You will then have to decide what form your team will take. Are you a 4-4-2 kind of manager or will you go for an extra striker? You need to consider your budget as many of the top strikers like Ronaldo will be much more expensive, but also which players are more likely to gain you points through goals for example, and if it is a risk to have more defenders who could lose you points.

The competition line up

When you start off in the group stages with your team you should consider which countries have good groups and are likely to make it through. You want your players to remain in the competition, but also don't want to load your team from the start with defenders from a top country that have a hard group and are likely to concede goals. Check out the groups and remember you can make transfers as the competition progresses. Initially you are making the best team you can for the group stage. There are many different ways to approach your team but if you keep your budget in mind, look at the line up, and then go with your gut, you will soon have a team you can be proud of and one that will hopefully do well for you in this Fifa World Cup.