Fantasy - Soccer Wiretap

Erling Haaland has broken his own record as the most expensive player in Fantasy Premier League history, with a starting price of £15.5 million for the 2026-27 season. The figure surpasses the £15 million mark he set during the 2024-25 campaign and eclipses Mohamed Salah's £14.5 million price last season, the third-highest in FPL history.

Haaland, 26, finished as the Premier League's top scorer last season with 27 goals and eight assists across 35 league appearances, totaling 38 goals in 52 matches across all competitions. It marked his third Golden Boot in four seasons and helped him accumulate 239 FPL points over the campaign.

According to the Premier League, which operates FPL, Haaland was both the most-owned and most-captained player in every gameweek last season. Captaining a player doubles their point total for that week.

His new price represents a £1.5 million increase over last season's £14 million starting figure, which followed a 22-goal campaign in 2024-25. Haaland's price peaked at £15.1 million at one point during last season.

Haaland carried his club form into his first World Cup appearance this summer, scoring seven goals in five matches as Norway advanced to the quarterfinals. That total included a match-winning brace against Brazil in the round of 16, along with two-goal performances in wins over Iraq and Senegal.

Haaland has scored 162 goals in 198 appearances for Manchester City and reached 100 Premier League goals in record time in December 2025, achieving the milestone in just 111 top-flight appearances.

FPL managers build a 15-player squad under a £100 million budget, meaning Haaland's price typically requires balancing with more affordable selections elsewhere on the roster.

The Premier League also announced Wednesday that Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes will carry a £12 million price tag for the upcoming season, a £3 million increase from last year. Fernandes recorded nine goals and 21 assists in 35 league appearances last season, breaking the Premier League record for most assists in a single campaign.

Haaland and Fernandes are currently the only two players with confirmed prices for the 2026-27 season, which begins August 21.

Fantasy Premier League reached 11.5 million players last season, doubling participation since 2016 as the Premier League leverages the game as a cornerstone of its digital media strategy, according to league officials.

The official fantasy game operated by ISM has become what the Premier League calls "one of the most important pillars" of its digital approach. More than one million people registered within 24 hours of this season's launch, indicating continued growth.

Andrew Wainstein, widely credited with introducing the football assist statistic in 1991, created the concept while developing fantasy football to mirror American fantasy baseball. His innovation provided a method to evaluate midfielder performance beyond traditional statistics.

Fantasy Premier League's international appeal has surprised league officials, with Egypt ranking as the second-largest market and Nigeria third. Malaysia holds the sixth position, demonstrating the game's global penetration among younger, international audiences. 
 
"For many people, it can be the first touchpoint to engaging with us directly," said Alexandra Willis, the Premier League's head of digital media and audience development, speaking at the SportsPro Media conference in 2023.
The league employs one full-time staff member to oversee the game while producing extensive content designed for fantasy players.

Studies suggest fantasy sports may alter traditional fan loyalty patterns. Research from the University of Alabama found that 41% of fantasy participants prefer their fantasy team winning over their favorite team in certain situations. 
 
"It pulls you away from partisanship," Wainstein noted, describing how fantasy encourages broader investment in multiple games beyond supporting a single team.

"Its value comes from its ability to engage fans," Willis said. "It offers depth and repeat behavior, and those are the things that drive fandom that lasts forever."

The Premier League views fantasy football as a pathway for fans to broaden engagement through merchandise purchases, game attendance, and broadcast consumption.