It is 11.30pm, and while my wife is trying to enjoy a must-watch comedy-drama my eyes stay glued to my phone. I am agonising over whether to swap midfielder Cole Palmer for Bruno Fernandes. I decided not to — and it costs me 17 points and three places in my fantasy mini-league.
For millions like me, Fantasy Premier League is no longer just a game — it is an obsession. What began as a bit of casual fun has evolved into a weekly ritual of overthinking transfers, scouring injury reports, and regretting last-minute line-up changes.
Even celebrities are not immune. Former tennis star Andy Murray, rapper Stormzy, ex-footballer-turned-pundit Micah Richards and five-times world chess champion Magnus Carlsen — who briefly topped the global FPL rankings — have all fallen under its spell.
Fantasy football — and FPL in particular — has become a global phenomenon, reshaping how fans engage with the sport in the digital age. And perhaps most surprisingly, it remains entirely free to play — a point the Premier League, which owns and operates FPL, considers central to its appeal.
“Fantasy Premier League is often the first touchpoint into engaging with us directly,” says Alexandra Willis, director of digital media and audience development at the Premier League. “People then go on to be immersed in our match day live experience, or watching content, or most importantly, they develop an affinity with a particular club.”
FPL is a virtual game in which participants assemble squads of real-life Premier League players, earning points based on their match week performances. Launched in 2002 in partnership with ISM Fantasy Games, it began modestly with just over 76,000 players according to allaboutfpl.com. Today, more than 11.4mn people worldwide are registered according to fantasy.premierleague.com — and for the Premier League, they represent far more than just fantasy managers.
“Fundamentally, what it’s designed to be is a broader marketing and promotional vehicle for the Premier League as a whole,” Willis explained at SportsPro Live in April 2023. “These things are going to allow people to develop an affinity that then allows them to go on to do something else.”
That “something else” can mean watching more games, buying club merchandise, or becoming a life-long fan. Willis says that of the 11.4mn people playing FPL, around 9mn have opted in to hear more from a club — data that highlights the game’s value as a gateway into deeper fandom.
As mini-leagues — like the one I’m in — become increasingly competitive, a vast ecosystem of tools and resources has developed. Today’s serious FPL managers turn to statistical models, podcast pundits, and AI-powered platforms to guide their choices.
Will Thomas, CEO and founder of Fantasy Football Hub — a subscription-based platform offering data-driven insights and strategy tools — saw this trend coming.
“My theory was that if you provided information in a cleaner, friendlier way — without ads — people might be willing to pay for a subscription,” Thomas says. He was right. FFH, launched in 2018, now turns over more than £2mn annually.
“When the business started, it was very much about tips and insights,” Thomas adds. “Now, with more people focusing on stats, we’ve developed our own AI models to give users better insights.”
These kinds of tools are potentially levelling the playing field for those without encyclopedic Premier League knowledge. Past winners have come from as far afield as Tanzania, the US, New Zealand and South Africa. Last year’s global FPL champion, Jonas Sand Låbakk from Norway, is a firm believer in the data-first approach.
“I do think you have an edge as an analytical manager,” he says. “It’s right there on the screen in black and white. Using analytical tools helps you eliminate many biases, rather than relying on the eye test.”
Låbakk’s journey also shows how FPL can turn into more than just a hobby. Since his win, the student has found himself appearing on podcasts, writing articles, and working with fantasy content platforms. “As a student who loves football, being able to earn a bit while studying is a nice bonus.”
This kind of grassroots momentum is something the Premier League is keen to encourage — not just at the individual level, but among clubs too. “Ideally, we would love every club to be able to broaden the appeal of the game and create their own depth of engagement with their own fans around Fantasy Premier League,” Willis says.
Clubs are also using FPL to connect with fans. Manchester City, for example, launched a dedicated fantasy show to tap into interest around striker Erling Haaland — a move Willis applauds. “They’ve built their own community, tied it into their membership programme. It’s become one of the most important pillars of our digital media strategy,” she adds.
But as the game rises in popularity, some are raising concerns about its growing interest to the gambling industry. While FPL has long been about bragging rights, platforms such as Plucky are formalising so-called friendly wagers where participants bet directly with one another. Its co-founder, Sebastian Lewis, says it is “skill-based wagering”, likening it to selecting stocks, but critics are not convinced.
Matt Zarb-Cousin, director of campaign group Clean Up Gambling, warns this trend could normalise gambling for younger audiences. “Fantasy Premier League is a compelling product,” he says. “So, just as with Premier League football, the gambling industry has been keen to get its claws into it.”
Despite those concerns, Willis’s enthusiasm for FPL as “a community-building tool . . . a journey” is supported by the huge rise in the number of subscriptions. For now it remains the only place where one transfer can spark not only joy or regret — but also a furious group chat.
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