Don’t miss out! Play The Sun Dream Team’s fantasy football game today – over £75,000 up for grabs

DON'T miss out! Play The Sun Dream Team's fantasy football game ahead of tonight's 8pm deadline.

Wannabe managers can now play for free via our app or website ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Whether you're new to the world of Dream Team or an experienced gaffer returning for the umpteenth time, here's everything you need to know about the latest edition of the best fantasy football game in the world.

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Team Entry & Prize Pool

First things first, you are limited to just one team which should demand your full attention throughout the campaign.

This season’s overall winner will take home £50,000 with ten runners-up each banking £1,000.

Excitingly, the weekly prize has more than doubled to £250, with a bumper £5,000 prize for Gameweek 1.

Just one points-laden weekend could seriously enhance your bank account but be aware you won't be eligible for a weekly prize if you activate a Booster - more on those further down.

As always, we encourage you to compete for bragging rights by playing in Mini-Leagues alongside your friends, colleagues, family members, etc - why not spice things up by introducing a forfeit for the loser?

Team Selection

You will have an initial budget of £50million to select a team of eleven Premier League players.

For reference, the most-expensive player in the game at £8.5m is - who else? - two-time Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland.

When selecting your XI, you have the choice of seven formations: 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 3-4-3, 3-5-2, 5-4-1 or 5-3-2.

If you initially select 4-3-3 but later decide to switch to a back three, simply remove a defender and choose a midfielder as a replacement - your formation will change dynamically as you make changes.

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Scoring System

Dream Team's scoring system recognises individual performance in great detail, ensuring players receive just rewards for their efforts.

All Players

• Goal +6 points
• Assist +3 points
• Appearance (0-59 minutes) +1 point
• Appearance (60+ minutes) +1 point
• Shot on target +1 point
• Big chance created +1 point
• Successful tackles +1 point per two
• Yellow card -1 point
• Red card -3 points
• Penalty miss -3 points
• Own goal -2 points

Goalkeepers & Defenders Only

• Clean sheet (minimum 60 minutes played) +5 points
• Each goal conceded over one goal -1 point

Goalkeepers Only

• Saves +1 point per two
• Penalty save +3 points

Players are also able to earn bonus points, based on other actions such as blocks, successful dribbles, interceptions, etc - see the Game Rules for a full breakdown.

Dream Team's Fantasy Football Game

PLAY DREAM TEAM AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON!

• £5,000 prize for the manager who earns the most points in Gameweek 1 - master the opening weekend for a HUGE payout!
• Play in Mini Leagues against your mates
• £50,000 jackpot for overall winner plus other weekly prizes

Transfers

Once the season is underway, transfers become the most important aspect of the game as they allow you to change under-performing players for in-form replacements - that's the aim anyway.

You will have the opportunity to make two transfers per Gameweek.

If you choose not to make any transfers then one will carry over to the following Gameweek.

It’s possible to carry over again but four is the maximum number of transfers you’ll have available at any one time.

Hypothetically, if you were to only use one of your two weekly transfers then you would have two available again the following Gameweek - transfers only carry over if you don’t use any at all. 

The deadline for each Gameweek now falls 90 minutes before the first fixture kicks off - any transfers made after the cut-off time will not go through until the following Gameweek.

The exception is Gameweek 1 - you can make changes right up until 8pm (BST) on Friday 16 August (that's today!), when Man United v Fulham is due to kick off.

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Captaincy

Each Gameweek you will be invited to select one of your players as Captain - the chosen player will receive DOUBLE points for the duration of the Gameweek.

If you Captain doesn't play for any reason, your elected Vice Captain will have their score doubled.

Boosters

You have three Boosters at your disposal, each with a special effect, that will deliver bumper points if used activated at the opportune moments.

Each Booster can only be played once per season and applies for the duration of a single Gameweek.

• GOAL BOOST: Each goal scored is worth NINE points (instead of the usual six)

• 12TH MAN: Select an additional player to score points for your team

• MAX CAPTAIN: Whichever player earns the most points will automatically be made Captain, scoring double

Boosters can only be played once at a time, never in combination with another.

Timing is key here! You'll want to activate your Boosters so they coincide with double Gameweeks.

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Eligible Competitions

One of the reasons Dream Team is such a rewarding fantasy football game is that scoring is not limited to the Premier League.

The league fixtures make up the bread and butter of the season but players also score points in the domestic cups and European competitions.

The 2024/25 season will feature Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa in the Champions League while Tottenham and Manchester United will participate in the Europa League.

Chelsea will make it to the Europa Conference League if they win their play-off (which is not included in Dream Team scoring).

We'll be on hand with plenty of tips, tricks, stats and facts via articles, newsletters and push notifications throughout the season.

Wait are you waiting for? Play now!