Euro 2024 Fantasy Football is here, and for those ready to dive into the tactical challenge, UEFA’s official fantasy game offers a thrilling parallel experience to the tournament itself. If you’re looking to outsmart your friends and family, understanding the nuances of this game, especially how chips like the Wildcard operate, is crucial. Unlike the familiar Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Euro Fantasy introduces unique twists, and getting to grips with them is the first step to fantasy glory as Euro 2024 kicks off with Germany hosting Scotland on Friday, June 14.
So, how exactly does this game function? What sets it apart from Fantasy Premier League, and what are the secrets to achieving success? Let’s break down the essential elements with insights from fantasy experts Abdul Rehman and Holly Shand, focusing particularly on the pivotal Wildcard chip and how to leverage it effectively.
Understanding Transfers and Squad Building in Euro Fantasy
Before the tournament commences, you have the luxury of unlimited transfers to assemble your initial 15-player squad. As the group stages unfold, you’ll receive two free transfers each matchday – a step up from the single free transfer in FPL. Strategic planning is key, as you can only bank one transfer, meaning the maximum free transfers you can accumulate during the group stage is three.
Be mindful of exceeding your free transfer allowance; each additional transfer will cost you four points. Also, deploying any of your chips means forfeiting the ability to carry over a free transfer.
Here’s a clear breakdown of the free transfers allocated per tournament phase:
| Phase | Number of Free Transfers |
|---|---|
| Before Tournament Starts | Unlimited |
| During Group Stage | 2 per Matchday |
| Before Round of 16 | Unlimited |
| Before Quarter-Finals | 3 |
| Before Semi-Finals | 4 |
| Before Final | 5 |
Just like in FPL, your Euro Fantasy squad consists of 15 players: two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders, and three forwards. However, the squad construction strategy diverges from FPL. Euro Fantasy allows for manual in-game substitutions and captaincy changes, demanding a more balanced and robust overall squad. In contrast to FPL, where a strategy of heavily investing in the starting XI with a budget bench is common, this approach is less effective in Euro Fantasy.
With a higher volume of transfers available across just seven matchdays, you can adopt a more proactive and aggressive transfer strategy.
Abdul Rehman
Scoring System and Key Differences from FPL
The fundamental scoring in Euro 2024 Fantasy mirrors FPL, with points awarded for appearances, goals, assists, and clean sheets. However, Euro Fantasy introduces a more nuanced scoring matrix that broadens the appeal of different player types, including defensive midfielders and centre-backs. Bonus points are available for long-range goals and for every three ball recoveries a player makes.
A single appearance point is awarded, with an additional point granted for playing 60 minutes or more. A significant departure from FPL’s bonus points system is the “Player of the Match” award, worth three points. Decided by a UEFA panel, this award often goes to influential midfield figures such as Toni Kroos (€6.5million), Rodri (€6.5m) and Bruno Fernandes (€9m).
Crucially, winning a penalty in Euro Fantasy yields two points, a valuable source of points regardless of the penalty’s outcome. A player can even earn points for both winning and scoring a penalty. This rule enhances the appeal of players like Romelu Lukaku (€9m), Harry Kane (€11m), Kylian Mbappe (€11m) and Cristiano Ronaldo (€10m). Conversely, conceding a penalty results in a one-point deduction.
Assist points are generally awarded in a similar fashion to FPL, but with a distinction: the pass must be deemed intentional. Goals arising from solo runs or dribbles will not result in assist points.
Holly Shand
Go Deeper into Euro 2024 Team Analysis
Key Rule Differences Compared to FPL
Euro Fantasy introduces several rule variations that significantly impact gameplay compared to FPL:
- Budget Increase: After the round of 16, your budget increases from €100million to €105million, reflecting the higher concentration of expensive assets from stronger nations progressing in the tournament.
- Increased Player Limit per Team: The number of players you can select from a single national team increases progressively throughout the tournament. It starts at three during the group stages, rising to four in the round of 16, five in the quarter-finals, six in the semi-finals, and eight in the final.
- Dynamic Captaincy: You have the flexibility to change your captain each day within a matchday to maximize points. However, any captaincy points already earned will be lost if you switch captains.
- Deadline Structure: Unlike FPL’s gameweek deadline, Euro Fantasy has matchday deadlines, locking 90 minutes before the first kick-off of each matchday. This allows you to factor in team news for the initial matches before making your final team adjustments.
- Static Player Prices (Initially): Player prices remain fixed until the Matchday 2 deadline. Price fluctuations, based on player performance rather than transfer activity, begin after the Matchday 3 deadline.
Manual substitutions represent the most significant strategic divergence from FPL.
Between matchdays, you can substitute players who have already played with those yet to play. When setting your initial lineup, prioritize players from earlier matches within a matchday, as you cannot substitute in players who have already completed their game.
Once a manual substitution is made, it cannot be reversed, and the substituted player’s points are forfeited. Players sent off cannot be substituted.
If no manual substitutions are made, automatic substitutions will be applied, similar to FPL. However, making even a single manual substitution disables automatic substitutions entirely.
Success in Euro Fantasy hinges on building a strong, deep squad of 15 capable players. Aim to include players spread across different ‘game days’ within a matchday. This provides more opportunities for substitutions and captaincy changes, allowing you to react to match outcomes and maximize your score. Diversifying captaincy choices across a matchday is also crucial.
In contrast to FPL’s set-and-forget nature after the deadline, Euro Fantasy demands active management. Regular engagement, ideally daily, is essential to make necessary team adjustments and optimize your score.
Abdul Rehman
Jude Bellingham, England National Team Jude Bellingham’s Popularity in Euro Fantasy (Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Captaincy Strategy: Maximizing Your Points
Captaincy is paramount in Euro Fantasy, amplified by the ability to switch captains daily within a matchday. Your captain’s points are doubled, making strategic captaincy choices essential for a high score. The daily captain change feature requires managers to be actively involved, checking their teams between games to capitalize on potential high-scoring opportunities.
To optimize your captaincy strategy, creating a matrix to ensure a spread of captaincy options across each day of Matchday 1 is advisable.
Given the chips and transfer flexibility, detailed long-term planning beyond Matchday 1 is less critical initially. Focus on reacting to the unfolding tournament and leveraging information gained from the first round of matches.
Draft Matchday 1 Captaincy Plan Example:
| Day | Potential Captain Choice |
|---|---|
| June 14 | Florian Wirtz |
| June 15 | Alvaro Morata |
| June 16 | Harry Kane/Jude Bellingham |
| June 17 | Kylian Mbappe/Kevin De Bruyne |
| June 18 | Cristiano Ronaldo/Bruno Fernandes |
Selecting players from this list ensures you have a viable captaincy option each day. For instance, start with Florian Wirtz (€7.5m) on day one. If his return is underwhelming, switch to Alvaro Morata (€8.5m) on Saturday, then potentially Kane on Sunday, and so on. The challenge is discerning when to stick with a captain, ideally after securing a significant double-point haul. Opportunities become scarcer as the matchday progresses.
Holly Shand
Chip Strategy: Wildcard and Limitless Explained
Euro Fantasy features two powerful chips to enhance your score: Wildcard and Limitless. Understanding How Does Wildcard Work In Fantasy Euro and Limitless is key to strategic chip deployment.
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Wildcard: Functionally identical to the FPL Wildcard, the Euro Fantasy Wildcard allows for unlimited transfers without penalty. It provides a complete squad overhaul. However, it cannot be used in Matchday 1 or Matchday 4 (before the round of 16) as unlimited transfers are already available during these periods. This chip is crucial for restructuring your team based on tournament progression, form, and fixture changes.
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Limitless: An enhanced version of FPL’s Free Hit, the Limitless chip grants you a one-matchday dream team with no budget restrictions. After the matchday concludes, your team reverts to its previous state, similar to the Free Hit. The key difference is the unlimited budget, allowing you to select any players regardless of price. Standard team-per-nation limits still apply, varying by tournament stage. Limitless is ideal for targeting matchdays with high-scoring potential, allowing you to load up on premium players without budget constraints.
A recommended chip strategy is to use the Wildcard in Matchday 2 and the Limitless chip in Matchday 3. This aggressive approach effectively allows you to assemble a completely new team for the initial four matchdays of the tournament. Following Matchday 3, the round of 16 brings another opportunity for unlimited transfers, allowing you to reshape your squad for the knockout stages.
Alternatively, you could reverse the chip deployment, using Limitless in Matchday 2 and Wildcard in Matchday 3. This high-risk, high-reward strategy can yield significant early points but may leave you vulnerable later in the tournament if unexpected results occur. Saving a chip for the knockout stages is a safer approach, but potentially with a lower overall points ceiling.
A more aggressive chip strategy, deploying both chips in the first three matchdays, is well-suited to the short tournament format and can be more enjoyable. The highest scores are often seen in the early tournament stages with more unpredictable matches and a wider player pool to choose from. As the tournament progresses to the knockout rounds, matches tend to become tighter, with stronger teams facing each other, potentially leading to fewer high-scoring games.
Abdul Rehman
Identifying Teams with Favorable Fixtures
Strategic fixture targeting is vital in Euro Fantasy.
Germany, as hosts, are well-positioned in Group A alongside Scotland, Hungary, and Switzerland. England are strong favorites in Group C, facing Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia, with their most favorable fixture against Slovenia in Matchday 3, potentially coinciding with rotation if qualification is secured.
Group B is the perceived ‘group of death,’ featuring Spain, Italy, and Croatia, all FIFA top-10 ranked teams, alongside Albania. Italy, facing Albania in Matchday 1, presents an early opportunity, while Spain and Croatia matchups should be approached with caution.
France, the highest-ranked team, are in Group D with Austria, Netherlands, and Poland. Their toughest group game is against the Netherlands in Matchday 2, making their Matchday 1 fixture against Austria an attractive target. Belgium arguably has the most favorable fixtures in Group E against Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine, although their ‘golden generation’ is considered to be waning.
Group F includes Georgia, the lowest-ranked team, facing Turkey in Matchday 1. Portugal are expected to dominate this group, starting against the Czech Republic.
Holly Shand
Premium Player Picks for Euro Fantasy
When selecting premium players, Mbappe and Kane are top-tier choices. England and France are favorites to win the Euros, with Mbappe and Kane also leading contenders for the Golden Boot.
Tier two premiums include Jude Bellingham (€9.5m), Bukayo Saka (€8.5m), and Bruno Fernandes of Portugal.
Tier three features Ronaldo, Lukaku, Phil Foden (€9.0m), and Robert Lewandowski (€9.5m).
Fitting all these premium players into your squad is challenging, but aiming for three to four across these tiers is achievable while maintaining a balanced team.
With an aggressive chip strategy, starting with both Mbappe and Kane is viable, as they offer strong captaincy options for Matchday 1 and play on separate days. Including Saka and Lukaku in your initial draft without significant sacrifices is also possible.
Abdul Rehman
Romelu Lukaku, Belgium National Team Lukaku’s Goalscoring Record for Belgium (Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Differential and Budget-Enabling Players
For Matchday 1 differentials, consider Turkish forward Kenan Yildiz (€5.5m), facing Albania, the lowest-ranked team. He’s budget-friendly and a low-ownership differential. If Gianluca Scamacca (€7.0m) starts for Italy against Albania, he also presents a good differential option.
Antoine Griezmann (€9.0m) is another differential, owned by a fraction compared to Mbappe, yet a key playmaker for France. Doubling up on French attackers against favorable fixtures could be beneficial.
In midfield, Belgium’s Leandro Trossard (€8.0m) is a differential to exploit their favorable group. Germany’s Ilkay Gundogan (€7.0m), playing an advanced role and potentially on penalties, is also worth considering.
For budget enablers, Germany’s Robert Andrich (€5.0m), a defensive midfielder with goal threat, offers point potential. He’s preferred over cheaper €4.5m options despite occupying a Germany squad slot.
Antoine Griezmann, France National Team Griezmann as a Differential Pick for France (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
For budget goalkeepers, Thomas Strakosha (€4.0m) is Albania’s likely starter, expected to be busy. Bart Verbruggen (€4.5m) of the Netherlands offers higher clean sheet potential, while England’s Jordan Pickford (€5.0m) is a popular choice.
In defense, Germany’s Maximilian Mittelstadt (€4.0m) at left-back and Belgium’s Wout Faes (€4.0m) are budget-friendly options. Jules Kounde (€5.0m) of France, potentially starting at right-back, is cheaper than other French defenders.
Holly Shand
(Top photos: Getty Images)
