The 2026/27 Premier League season will commence later today, and fans can look forward to another exciting season of Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Soccernet.ng reports.
The Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has become one of the most popular ways for football fans to follow the Premier League, allowing managers to build their own teams and compete with friends and millions of other players around the world.
For fans in Nigeria wondering how to play FPL, the process is very straightforward. Managers can create a team, select players from Premier League clubs and earn points based on how those players perform in real matches.
The FPL is an online fantasy football game based on the real life Premier League. Each manager is given a £100 million budget to build a squad of 15 players. The squad consists of 11 starting players and four substitutes.
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Managers must use their budget wisely when selecting their players, with each player having a different price based on their expected performances.
Players earn FPL points for their performances in Premier League matches. Goals, assists, clean sheets, saves and other actions can all contribute to a player’s score. The aim is to select players who can consistently earn points and make the right decisions each gameweek.
How to play FPL from Nigeria
Fans can register for an FPL account on the official Premier League website, create their team and select 15 players within the £100 million budget.
The squad must contain two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards. From the 15 players, managers select 11 starters for each gameweek, while the remaining four players stay on the bench.
Managers can also choose a captain and vice captain before every gameweek. The captain is particularly important because he receives double points for that gameweek. If the captain does not play, the vice captain takes over the captaincy.
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Points are awarded according to what players do during Premier League matches. Goals and assists are among the main ways players earn points, while defenders and goalkeepers can also collect points through clean sheets.
Goalkeepers can earn additional points for saves, while players can also receive bonus points based on their performances.
FPL chips to know
FPL also gives managers special chips that can be used at different stages of the season. There are eight chips available across the season, with four available during the first half of the campaign and the other four becoming available after the Gameweek 19 deadline on January 2.
The first set of chips must be used during the first half of the season and cannot be carried into the second half.
The main FPL chips are the Triple Captain, which gives the selected captain three times his normal points instead of the usual double points. The Free Hit allows managers to make unlimited changes to their squad for one gameweek. After that gameweek, the team returns to the squad that was in place before the Free Hit was activated.
The Bench Boost allows managers to earn points from all 15 players in their squad, meaning points scored by the four players on the bench also count and the Wildcard allows managers to make unlimited permanent changes to their squad without being penalized for the transfers.
Each chip can only be used once in a gameweek, so managers have to carefully decide when each one is most useful.
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FPL 2026/27: 3 Nigerians who could help win
Several Nigerian players will be involved in the 2026/27 Premier League season and could be useful additions to FPL teams.
1. Taiwo Awoniyi — Coventry City
Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi could be an interesting option for FPL managers following his recent move to Coventry City from Nottingham Forest.
The Nigerian forward is expected to play an important role for Coventry City and could provide points through goals and assists if he can maintain his best form.
With Coventry competing in the Premier League, Awoniyi could be one of the Nigerian players worth keeping an eye on throughout the season.
2. Calvin Bassey — Fulham
Calvin Bassey has established himself as an important defender for Fulham and could be another Nigerian option for FPL managers.
The Super Eagles defender can earn points through clean sheets and his defensive performances, while his ability to contribute at the other end of the pitch could also make him useful.
If Bassey takes on an even more prominent role under Alvaro Arbeloa, his FPL value could increase during the season.
3. Ola Aina — Nottingham Forest
Ola Aina is another Nigerian player who could prove useful for FPL managers. The Nottingham Forest defender is expected to play a more prominent wingback role, which could give him opportunities to contribute both defensively and offensively.
Aina can earn FPL points through clean sheets and defensive contributions, while his attacking involvement could provide another route to points.
FPL deadline: When do you need to make changes?
The FPL deadline for every gameweek is usually 90 minutes before the first Premier League match of that gameweek.
This means managers have until the deadline to select their starting XI, choose their captain and vice captain, make transfers and use any chips they want to activate.
It is important for FPL managers to check the deadline each week because missing it can leave players on the bench, an unwanted captain or transfers that were not completed.
Choosing an FPL team name is also part of the game. Managers can create their own unique team names based on their favourite club or player.
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For Nigerian FPL players, names could also be inspired by the Super Eagles or Nigerian football stars.
Arsenal will kick off the new Premier League campaign against Coventry City later today in the first game of the season.
The fixture will give FPL managers their first opportunity to see how some of their selected players perform before the rest of the gameweek.

