Final Round fantasy setup

The Fantasy Economist

Final Round fantasy setup for Final and Third Place decisions.

Squad Builder Starter

Start with a Final Round pack using completed semifinal evidence, official fantasy-pool data, role caution, and Third Place lineup risk.

Captain Watchlist Interactive shortlist

Enable JavaScript to see captain options from the current fantasy dataset.

Starter Ideas Player cards

Enable JavaScript to compare a curated pack of projection, core, value, and differential picks.

Team Builder Interactive squad tool

Enable JavaScript to lock players, choose a tactic, and build a fantasy squad.

Team Builder No players locked yet

Add players from starter cards, then build a squad around them.

Open Team Builder

Captain Watchlist

Compare Final and Third Place captain options for the Final Round.

Captain planning. Compare projected points, matchup, start chance, and downside. Third Place can be higher scoring, but lineups may rotate.

Matchday Desk

One saved-squad hub for Final Round captain switches, bench checks, and your matchday timeline.

How to use this center
  1. Build or load a Team Builder squad, then mark captain, vice captain, and bench order if needed.
  2. Choose the matchday and strategy. Core Picks is the default for normal play.
  3. Enter actual points only after your captain or starter has played.
  4. Use the fill buttons to send one comparison into the detailed Captain Switch or Bench Switch check.

Captain Switch Check

Manual switch check for one current captain score against one possible new captain.

Manual Enter current captain points and one possible new captain, then run the check.
How to use this check
  1. Choose the matchday and enter your current captain's points before the captain double.
  2. Pick one possible new captain who is in your squad and has not played yet.
Enter current captain points and a possible new captain.

The possible new captain should be in your squad and still unplayed in the selected matchday.

Bench Switch Check

Manual quick check for one current starter score against one possible substitute.

Manual Enter current starter points and one possible substitute, then run the check.
How to use this check
  1. Choose the matchday and enter the starter's points after that player has played.
  2. Pick one possible substitute who is in your squad and has not played yet.
Enter current starter points and one possible substitute.

The substitute should be in your squad and still unplayed in the selected matchday.

Pick Explorer

Compare player ideas by strategy, official fantasy position, and matchday.

Pick cards show Final Round projected points by default, using fixture context, recent role evidence, role volatility, and status caution.

Simple player notes using projected points, role, matchup, and downside context.

Score Prediction

Final Round opens by default with Final and Third Place expected goals, likely scorelines, win/draw/win, clean-sheet, and uncertainty context.

Fixture Projected xG Win / Draw / Win Most Likely Score Match Uncertainty Clean-Sheet Context
Enable JavaScript to see score predictions.

Knockout Predictor

Known Final Round fixtures from completed semifinal results, with knockout advancement predictions for the Final and Third Place game.

Final Round Fixture xG 90' W / ET / W Advance Uncertainty
Enable JavaScript to see Final Round knockout predictions.

Knockout Bracket Prediction

Projected knockout path. Actual results replace estimates as games finish.

Independent planning estimate. Verify official fixtures, locks, and lineups in FIFA.
Bracket Status Enable JavaScript

The visual knockout bracket loads from the active prediction dataset.

Bracket Prediction Enable JavaScript to see the projected path.

Team Builder

Guided Final Round squad builder for player locks, Team Builder picks, Final and Third Place risk, and saved squads.

Team Builder check: Planning help, not a guarantee. Verify official FIFA locks, substitutions, and lineups before final decisions. Official fantasy-pool data is used; independently source-backed final squads are not verified.
  1. 1Choose strategyStart here
  2. 2Lock or avoid playersOptional
  3. 3Build squadNext action
  4. 4Review legality and riskAfter build
  5. 5Save or exportFinish
1

Choose Strategy

Balanced Squad and Final Round are the defaults. Change strategy, formation, or matchday view before building.

Model notes for this strategy
2

Lock or Avoid Players

Search for must-haves here, or add players from Squad Builder Starter. You can avoid players after a squad is built.

No players locked No avoided players

Fantasy squad rules are loaded for planning.

Advanced filters

These filters change the lock list and the suggested fill-in players. Locked players stay visible even when they do not match a filter, and the builder warns clearly before export.

3

Build Squad

Click Build Final Round Squad to fill 15 players from your strategy, locks, budget, and rules.

Squad Field

Build a squad to fill the pitch and bench from the selected strategy.

Build a full squad first, then click a starter and a bench player to swap them.

Lock a few players first, then click "Build Final Round Squad" to optimize the squad.

4

Review Legality and Checks

Build a squad to check budget, country limits, lineup shape, and risk.

Tactic Rules loading
Total Price 0.0 units
Remaining Budget 0.0 units
Average Risk 0
Squad Size 0 / 0

Rule Checks

Build a squad to check budget, squad size, and country limits.

    Squad Risk Report

    Build a squad to see portfolio health, bad-week floor, and fixture stack risk.

    Waiting
    Advanced: Compare Team Builder Strategies

    Strategy Comparison Check

    Compare the five Team Builder strategies using the same current builder settings, filters, locks, removed players, tactic, matchday view, and risk controls.

    Not run yet.

    5

    Save or Export

    Your squad stays local. Save it in this browser for Decision Tools, or export JSON for backup.

    Browser save is empty. Build a full squad, then save it here for quick Decision Tools access.

    World Cup Fixtures

    See the tournament groups, tournament structure, and bracket shell on the World Cup page. Homepage picks now include matchday opponent adjustments.

    48 teams
    12 groups
    Jun 11-Jul 19 2026 tournament window
    View Groups and Fixtures

    Stats Notes

    Simple explanations for the scores and labels shown on the public tools.

    These notes explain the public labels used in Squad Builder Starter, Captain Watchlist, Team Builder, the switch checks, and Score Prediction.

    Price: the player cost used by the squad builder and player cards.

    Projected Points / Matchday: estimated fantasy points for one matchday, adjusted for role, expected minutes, matchup, and risk.

    Captain Score: a captain shortlist score using projected points, matchup, start chance, upside, and downside risk.

    Start %: estimated chance the player starts in the selected matchday view.

    Expected Minutes: estimated playing time for the selected matchday view.

    Reliability: a 0 to 100 role-and-minutes steadiness score. Higher is steadier.

    Risk: a 0 to 100 downside score using role, minutes, volatility, fixture difficulty, and bad-week exposure. Lower is safer.

    Pick Strategy Score: the ranking score for the selected player-pick view: Projected Points, Core Picks, High-Floor Picks, Upside Picks, Value Picks, or Differential Picks.

    Team Builder Strategy: the squad-building approach: Balanced Squad, Diversified Squad, Concentrated Upside, Stars and Scrubs, or Value Squad.

    Team Builder cards: show price, the selected card metric, country, club, role notes, and the selected matchday opponent when available.

    Squad Risk Report: summarizes portfolio health, projected points, start chance, minutes, bad-week floor, squad risk, country stack risk, fixture stack risk, and budget pressure.

    Switch checks: compare actual points already earned with a possible captain or bench option still to play.

    Score Prediction: shows fixture-specific expected goals, win/draw/win, likely scoreline, match uncertainty, and clean-sheet context.

    Projected Points

    Projected points estimate how many fantasy points a player is expected to score in one matchday. The number blends role, expected minutes, attacking or defensive opportunity, matchup, and downside risk.

    Player role: likely starters and high-minute players receive more credit than players with uncertain playing time.

    Matchup: fixture difficulty changes the projection for attackers, defenders, and clean-sheet candidates.

    Risk adjustment: downside risk can pull the public projection below a player's pure upside.

    Captain comparison: Captain Watchlist shows projected points for comparison. It does not double the points for captain scoring.

    Risk Measures

    Risk measures help show whether a player or squad is steady, fragile, expensive, fixture-heavy, or exposed to a bad matchday.

    Reliability: role and minutes steadiness. Higher is better.

    Substitution Risk: chance of limited minutes, bench role, or early substitution. Lower is better.

    Squad Risk: average downside exposure across the squad.

    Portfolio Health: a steadiness label for the squad. Higher is steadier.

    Bad-Week Floor: what a weaker matchday could look like for the starting XI.

    Worst-Case Floor: a deeper downside view for the starting XI.

    Country Stack Risk: too many players from one country can make the squad more fragile.

    Fixture Stack Risk: too many starters with hard fixtures in the same matchday can lower the squad floor.

    Budget Pressure: premium-heavy squads can force weak bench spots or low-minute players.

    Risk-Adjusted Scores

    Risk-adjusted scores rank players by combining projected output with the kind of risk a strategy is willing to accept.

    Projected Points: favors the highest expected fantasy return.

    Core Picks: balances projected return with reliable starts and minutes.

    High-Floor Picks: prioritizes safer minutes and lower downside.

    Upside Picks: chases higher ceilings in stronger attacking spots.

    Value Picks: looks for strong return for the price.

    Differential Picks: finds less obvious picks that still project well.

    Advanced pick views: extra value and safety lenses stay out of the normal public pick list.

    Captain Watchlist: is a separate captain-planning lane, not a normal public pick model.

    Team Builder Strategies

    Team Builder strategies describe the kind of 15-player squad to build. They combine player projections with the current budget, position, country-limit, lock, avoid, and squad-risk checks. The advanced comparison check can run all five strategies under the same settings and flag squads that look too similar.

    Balanced Squad: strong all-around squad with starters, bench depth, budget efficiency, and moderate diversification.

    Diversified Squad: reduces dependence on one country, one match, or a small group of stars.

    Concentrated Upside: leans into strong attacking fixtures and higher-ceiling stacks.

    Stars and Scrubs: spends heavily on elite starters and accepts a cheaper bench.

    Value Squad: builds the deepest squad for the budget.

    Captain And Bench Checks

    The switch checks are simple comparison tools. They do not make the final decision for you; they show whether the possible new player has enough projected edge to justify a switch.

    Current points: the points already earned by your current captain or starter.

    Possible new player: the captain or bench option you are comparing against the current score.

    Switch score: the selected strategy's comparison score for the possible new player.

    Projection / floor: headline projection plus a lower-outcome view for the possible new player.

    Fixture: opponent, start chance, and expected minutes for the selected matchday.

    Score Prediction

    Score Prediction gives fixture context for fantasy decisions. It is meant for comparing match environments, not for exact-score certainty.

    Projected xG: expected goals for each team in this exact matchup.

    Win / Draw / Win: compact match result probabilities from the scoreline grid.

    Most Likely Score: the highest-probability scoreline, with total goals range kept as supporting detail.

    Match Uncertainty: whether the fixture has a clearer or more fragile score path.

    Clean-Sheet Context: how each team's defensive outlook looks in the fixture.

    About

    An independent fantasy football helper built for the World Cup workflow.

    Purpose

    The Fantasy Economist is an independent fantasy football tool built to compare squad starters, captain options, and squad ideas in one place.

    Current Status

    The public tools currently focus on squad starters, captain selection, team building, switch checks, and score prediction.

    Known Limits

    • Tournament player status, prices, positions, rules, and deadlines can still change.
    • Users should confirm boosters, deadlines, locks, and live status before acting.
    • Team Builder output should be checked against current fantasy rules before saving.