⚽ FPL 2025/26 Season Preview: New Rules, Launch Prices & My Early Draft
The game launched on 21 July and I've already redrafted my team more times than I'd like to admit. This is one of FPL's biggest rule shake-ups in years: defenders get rewarded for defending, and there are twice as many chips to plan around.
Here's what's changed, who's worth the money, and where my head is two weeks before Gameweek 1.
📜 The Big Rule Changes
🛡️ Defensive Contributions (DefCon)
Outfield players can now earn 2 points for defensive work in a single match:
- Defenders: 10+ combined clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles (CBIT).
- Midfielders & forwards: 12+ of the same, with ball recoveries also counting (CBIRT).
It's capped at 2 points per match. This is huge for no-nonsense centre-backs and holding midfielders who never used to get a look-in.
🎯 Simpler Assists
The assist rules have been loosened. FPL says the new rules would have handed out 41 extra assists last season:
- If the scorer receives the ball in the box after only one defensive touch, the assist now stands.
- Players no longer have to "force" a handball. Any pass, cross or shot that leads directly to a handball earns the assist if the penalty or free-kick is scored.
- A defender's unforced error no longer cancels an assist.
🃏 Two of Every Chip
We now get two sets of chips: Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost, one set for each half of the season. The first set must be used before the Gameweek 19 deadline (18:30 GMT, Tuesday 30 December) and can't be carried over. The Assistant Manager chip is gone.
🌍 AFCON Top-Up & BPS Tweaks
Free transfers will be topped up to five in Gameweek 16 to cover players away at the Africa Cup of Nations. The bonus points system has also been rebalanced, with goal-line clearances worth far more and penalty goals worth less.
🆙 The Promoted Teams
This year's promoted teams are Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland, with Sunderland coming up via a stoppage-time winner in the play-off final. Promoted sides usually concede plenty, so their opponents' attackers are worth targeting. Some of their defenders are cheap starters though: Leeds' Pascal Struijk is £4.5m, and several promoted defenders, including Burnley's Maxime Esteve, are £4.0m.
💰 Launch Prices: The Premiums
| Player | Club | Pos | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | MID | £14.5m |
| Erling Haaland | Man City | FWD | £14.0m |
| Alexander Isak | Newcastle | FWD | £10.5m |
| Cole Palmer | Chelsea | MID | £10.5m |
| Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | MID | £10.0m |
| Ollie Watkins | Aston Villa | FWD | £9.0m |
| Viktor Gyökeres | Arsenal | FWD | £9.0m |
| Bruno Fernandes | Man United | MID | £9.0m |
| Florian Wirtz | Liverpool | MID | £8.5m |
| Hugo Ekitike | Liverpool | FWD | £8.5m |
Salah's £14.5m is the highest opening price ever for a midfielder, after a record 344-point season. Haaland has dropped £1.0m from last year's £15.0m after scoring "only" 181 points.
💎 Mid-Price & Budget Picks That Caught My Eye
- Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) and Matheus Cunha (£8.0m): both new at Man United, and Cunha is now listed as a midfielder.
- Chris Wood (£7.5m) and João Pedro (£7.5m): Wood scored 200 points last season, and Pedro has a kind early run at Chelsea.
- Morgan Rogers (£7.0m): 161 points last season, and £2.0m cheaper than Watkins.
- James Tarkowski (£5.5m) and Daniel Muñoz (£5.5m): likely DefCon winners.
- Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m): 143 points last season, which would have been 165 with DefCon points included.
- David Raya (£5.5m), Matz Sels (£5.0m) and Caoimhín Kelleher (£4.5m) in goal.
🔄 Position Changes to Exploit
Myles Lewis-Skelly and Nico O'Reilly are now defenders. Cunha, Gakpo and Marmoush are now midfielders. Jarrod Bowen has moved to forward.
🧠 My Draft-Team Thinking
My first draft is built around these ideas:
- Salah is non-negotiable (for now). After 344 points I'm not brave enough to start without him. That makes Haaland a luxury at £14.0m, and fitting both costs £28.5m of a £100m budget.
- Buy defenders for DefCon, not just clean sheets. Centre-backs who make lots of clearances and blocks now have a points floor. I'd rather have a £5.5m defender who regularly hits 10 CBIT than a £4.5m one hoping for a clean sheet.
- One Arsenal attacker, maybe two. Yes, I'm biased. But Gyökeres at £9.0m as our first proper No. 9 in years is hard to ignore. The question is whether Saka at £10.0m fits as well.
- Plan the first Wildcard early. The first set of chips expires at GW19, so no hoarding. I'm pencilling in a Wildcard around the October international break, with a Bench Boost or Triple Captain over the festive period.
🔮 Final Thoughts
DefCon could change the template more than any rule change in years. My guess is the managers who find the busy centre-backs and defensive midfielders first will build an early lead.
Last season's lesson still stands: value wins championships. Good luck in your mini-leagues, and may your captain never blank.