FIFA World Cup 2022 is set to start, and with it, the FIFA World Cup Fantasy. In Fantasy, each player acts as a manager and can make his team taking players from countries participating in FIFA within a budget of $100 Million.
FIFA World Cup Fantasy has its own set of rules and powerups, and chips that each player must follow. With an estimated 5 Billion people watching FIFA, we can assume a small portion will also participate in fantasy football.
Goalkeepers
We want our goalkeeper to maintain a clean sheet. If a goalkeeper keeps a clean sheet while also playing a minimum of 70 mins we get 5 points. We also earn 9 points for a goal scored by the goalkeeper but that is highly unlikely.
Goalkeepers playing against weaker teams have a higher chance of maintaining a clean sheet and making more saves.
Hernan Galindez of Ecuador at $4M kept a clean sheet against Qatar on an opening day. He played full-time in the match.
England's goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford at $5.5M is a good candidate. Considering, England has a good defense and is playing against a relatively easy group of opponents.
Portugal's goalkeeper Diego Costa ($5M) is also an excellent candidate. Portugal is facing off against Ghana, which is one of the weakest teams in FIFA.
Thibaut Courtois, Allison Becker, Hugo Lloris, and Manuel Neuer are the most expensive goalkeepers, each costing $6M. These are the players you want if u want to invest more in goalkeeping. However, that doesn't necessarily mean more points.
Thibaut is playing for Belgium and he's also the goalkeeper for Real Madrid. Belgium has a strong team and good history. Belgium took third place in 2018. Belgium is up against Canada for its first match. It's Canada's first time in the FIFA so Belgium has the advantage over them.
Allison Becker is a Brazilian goalkeeper and he also plays for Liverpool. He has also won the golden glove twice. Brazil is one of the strongest teams in FIFA, they have a total of 5 world cups and are ranked in the first position. Brazil is up against Serbia for their first match and they have a good fixture overall.
Hugo Lloris is playing for France, the winners of the World Cup 2018. He's also a goalkeeper for Tottenham. France has a good fixture overall, they're playing against Australia for their match. Australia is ranked 38th and France 4th
Manuel Neuer is a German footballer. Germany has a good fixture as they are ranked higher than their opponents. They have a strong team and rank.
Haseen Mouez, Nawaf Alaqidi, and Brady Ngapandouetnbu are all priced at 3.5M dollars.
Haseen Mouez is a Tunisian goalkeeper. For their first match, they are against Denmark. Denmark performed well at Euro 2020 where they reached the semi-final. Tunisia will have a difficult time with Denmark as they haven't achieved as much as Denmark.
Nawaf Alaqidi is playing for Saudi Arabia, against Argentina. Saudi Arabia will struggle against Argentina. Alaqidi will be goalkeeping against the likes of Messi, Marinez, and Dybala.
Brady Ngapandouetnbu is the goalkeeper for Cameroon. Cameroon is placed 43rd on the FIFA ranking and is playing against Switzerland, ranked 15th for their first match. Switzerland has a more established history, especially in Euros, so Cameroon is expected to be challenged by Switzerland.
It is best to be economic in terms of the goalkeeper and chose players from strong defending teams with good fixtures to maintain a clean sheet. However, using the cheapest player comes with a risk. They are from weaker teams with bad fixtures and may not be as skilled as their more expensive counterparts.
Defenders
Depending on your play style, you may want more or less than four defenders and expensive or cheaper players.
Defenders score points through clean sheets. They also make 7 points on each goal scored. Therefore looking into goal-making defenders is a good choice as well.
Kieran Tripper at $5M from England is a good candidate. Considering England's performance in Euro they have proved to have a good defense. So since they are against a weaker team like Iran they have a chance at keeping a clean sheet. Along with creating chances for his teammates, he will also be taking corners and free kicks. Freekicks can provide a good opportunity for scoring a goal.
Joakim Maehle at $4.5M from Denmark is a considerably cheap player. He plays as a left-wing back/left midfielder. Denmark has a strong team as well and Maehle also has a strong goal-scoring record in Denmark. Denmark is opening against Tunisia which is a relatively weaker team.
Borna Sosa is the main left-back for Croatia. He is even cheaper with a value of $3.5M. Croatia is a reasonably strong team and they are opening against Morocco so they have a good chance of winning.
The most expensive defenders hail from countries like the Netherlands, France, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, and Brazil with each costing $6M.
Lisandro Martinez from Argentina will be defending against Saudi Arabia, a considerably weaker team. Therefore, he also has a chance for a clean sheet.
Other notable candidates for clean sheets are Jules Kounde (France), Carvajal and Alva (Spain), Cancelo (Portugal), Dumfries and Timber (Netherlands), etc are the most expensive defenders. These defenders hail from strong teams with good fixtures. So, they have a better chance at clean sheets than their cheap counterparts.
The cheapest defenders come from countries like Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia.
Qatar has already lost their first match where they lost 2-0 to Ecuador.
Other countries are up against better teams such as England, and Argentina.
Nader Ghandri from Tunisia will be defending against Denmark, who are ranked higher than Tunisia.
It is best to use the cheapest players from a strong country that can secure our clean sheets or even goals. Therefore, it is wise to go a level or two higher than the cheapest defenders.
Midfielders
Midfielders get points from clean sheets, key passes. and tackles. For every goal, they secure 5 points.
Argentina has a strong team and good fixtures. Argentina player, Angel Di Maria is priced at $8.5M and Rodrigo De Paul is priced at $5M is an absolute bargain. DI Maria is a right winger with a good record of goals and passes. We can leverage points from him as key passes. We can advantage of De Paul's low value as well. Since Argentina is up against Saudi Arabia they have a good chance of scoring several goals. And our Argentinian midfielders will possibly also be involved in these goals.
Skov Olsen priced at $6M is from Denmark and playing against Tunisia. He is a right winger who has a good history of scoring goals and a very appealing price.
Spanish attacker Pablo Sarabia is priced at $7.5M. Sarabia is one of the best players in Spain and considering the fixture. He is a very good candidate for picking up points for key passes as well.
Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium priced at $11M, the most expensive midfielder is also a good candidate. He is one of the star players for Belgium. He's been playing for Manchester City since 2015.
Burno Fernandes from Portugal is priced at %9.5M, the second most expensive player. He is also an attacking midfielder for Manchester United, where he played alongside his country's star player, Christiano Ronaldo.
Luka Modric ($8.5M) from Croatia plays a vital role in corners and penalties as well. Croatia also has a relatively strong team and a good fixture.
Abdulelah Almaki from Saudi Arabia is the cheapest midfielder valued at $3.5M. Saudi Arabia will be against Argentina for their first match. Argentina is one of the strongest teams in FIFA. So Abduleah's value comes at a price.
Other cheap players valued at $4M are from weaker countries like Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Ghana, Australia, and even Qatar. There is a reason these players are cheap, they come from weaker teams and aren't as successful as some of the other players.
Forwards
Forwards are the star players as they will be the ones making the most goals and also points.
Star players like Kylian Mbappe ($11.5M), Harry Kane ($11.0M), Karim Benzema ($11.0M), Neymar ($10.5M), Lionel Messi ($10.5M), Robert Lewandowski ($10.0M) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($10.0M) are all viable options. They are also one of the most popular players in football.
Messi is Argentina's most valuable player, considering they will be playing against Saudi Arabia and possibly dominating the match. His odds of scoring are very high. He is also a set piece for penalties, corners, and freekicks. If we have taken both Argentinian midfielders, DI Maria and De Paul we can fully leverage the Argentinian team as they will be playing in coordination and possibly assisting each other in goals.
Benzema has been ruled out as he won't be playing in the world cup due to his injury.
French striker Mbappe is the champion of the previous world cup champion scoring goals at the finale and becoming the youngest person to do so after Pele. He also received FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award.
Spain has a suitable fixture against Costa Rica so Spanish player Alvardo Morata ($8M) is a good candidate and considerably cheaper. He is a volume shooter. Since every two shots on a target earn a point we can use Morata to secure points.
Cheaper options such as Memphis Depay($8.5M) and Lautaro Martinez ($8.5) are also an option. However, it's best to use the previously mentioned player as they guarantee us more points.
The cheapest options include players from Tunisia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar at the price range of $4.5M.
Haris Seferovic stands out as he is playing for Switzerland, the strongest team in this price range. In Euro 2020, Seferovic scored two goals against France. However, he is expected to start on the bench.
It's best to save money on the defensive side and spend more on the offensive side as most offensive players secure more points.
The strategy of playing this game depends on each individual and at the end of the day, it's all about having fun.
