Everything a new player needs to understand Saudi Pro League Fantasy Football — from setting up your squad to making your first transfers and using SPL Fantasy Hub to gain an edge
Saudi Pro League Fantasy Football is the official fantasy game for the Saudi Pro League (SPL) — the top football division in Saudi Arabia, home to world-class players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar, and many others.
The game is free to play at en.fantasy.spl.com.sa. You pick a squad of 15 real SPL players within a budget, and your team earns points based on how those players perform in real Saudi Pro League matches each gameweek.
With over 157,000 active managers competing, SPL Fantasy is one of the largest fantasy football games in the Middle East. You compete against friends in private leagues and against all managers in the overall rankings.
Your SPL Fantasy squad consists of 15 players: a starting XI of 11 players plus 4 bench players. You have a budget of 100m (Saudi Riyal millions) to build your squad.
Your squad must include players from each position:
Your starting XI must always include exactly 1 goalkeeper, plus 10 outfield players arranged in a valid formation. Valid formations include 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2, 5-3-2, and many others — as long as you have at least 3 defenders, 2 midfielders, and 1 forward in your starting XI.
You can have a maximum of 3 players from any single SPL club. This prevents you from loading up on one team's players and forces squad diversity.
Points are earned based on real-world match performance. Here is a summary of the main scoring rules:
| Action | GK | DEF | MID | FWD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playing (up to 60 min) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Playing 60+ min | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Goal scored | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Assist | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| Clean sheet (played 60+) | 6 | 6 | 1 | — |
| Saves (3 saves) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Penalty saved | 5 | — | — | — |
| Yellow card | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Red card | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 |
| Bonus points | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 |
Bonus points (1, 2, or 3) are awarded to the top performing players in each match, based on the RSL Performance Index. The best performer in each match gets 3 bonus points, the second gets 2, and the third gets 1.
Every gameweek you designate one player as your captain and one as your vice-captain. Your captain scores double points for that gameweek. If your captain does not play (does not appear in the match at all), your vice-captain automatically becomes your captain and scores double instead.
Choosing the right captain is the single most important decision you make each week. A captain who scores 15 points gives you 30 — while a captain who scores 4 gives you just 8. Getting this right consistently is what separates the top-ranked managers from the rest.
Each gameweek you receive 1 free transfer. You can also bank a free transfer — if you don't use it, you carry it to the next gameweek (maximum of 2 banked). Using more than your free transfers costs -4 points per additional transfer (this is called a "hit").
Taking a -4 hit (making an extra transfer beyond your free transfers) is only worth it if you are confident the player you're bringing in will score at least 4 more points than the player going out. For beginners, avoid hits entirely until you understand the game better.
The best managers think 2–3 gameweeks ahead when making transfers. Rather than reacting to last gameweek's results, plan for upcoming fixtures. A player with easy fixtures for the next 4 weeks is a better transfer target than a player who had a great week but has tough games ahead.
SPL Fantasy gives you special chips that can be used once per season for a significant boost:
| Chip | What It Does | Best Used When |
|---|---|---|
| Wildcard | Make unlimited transfers in one gameweek at no point cost — then your squad is locked until next wildcard | When your squad needs a major overhaul — usually after injuries pile up or before a run of good fixtures |
| Free Hit | Make unlimited transfers for one gameweek only — your squad reverts to the previous week after the gameweek ends | During a gameweek with many postponements or when you want a completely different squad for one week |
| Double Captain | Your captain's points are doubled (he scores 2× instead of the normal double) | When a premium player has an exceptional fixture — ideally a double gameweek |
Your rank in SPL Fantasy tells you where you stand among all active managers. There are two ranks to track:
With 157,000+ managers, even scoring 5–10 points above the gameweek average can move you up 20,000–50,000 places in the overall rankings. The average gameweek score is typically between 40–55 points. Scoring 65+ in a gameweek is an excellent result.
SPL Fantasy Hub is designed to give you the information that the official SPL Fantasy platform doesn't show. Here's what beginners should focus on:
Find your Team ID in the URL on en.fantasy.spl.com.sa (/entry/YOUR_ID/event/). Enter it on SPL Fantasy Hub to see your live points and rank estimate during gameweeks.
Sort by Form or PPG (points per game) to find in-form players. Filter by position to find transfer targets in the specific slot you need to fill.
See which players are about to rise or fall in price. Buying before a rise is free value — it's one of the easiest ways to gain squad value without an extra transfer.
Check what the top 1,000 managers are captaining before the deadline. If 60% of elite managers are on one player, there's a strong reason for it.
Enter your Team ID to get personalised buy/sell suggestions. As a beginner, focus on the Threats section — these are high-ownership players you're missing that are costing you rank.