Building your Fantasy XI: a starter guide
Your Fantasy squad is only as good as the eleven you pick. How to open your welcome pack, read attribute scores, and build an XI that wins duels.
From pack to pitch
Fantasy Mode starts the moment you open your welcome pack. Inside is a starter set of real World Cup player cards, each carrying live attribute scores drawn from actual match data. Those cards are the raw material; your job is to turn them into a coherent starting eleven that can win 1v1 duels.
A squad is not just eleven good players. It is eleven players whose strengths cover each other's gaps. This guide walks through how to build one.
Reading a player card
Every card shows attribute scores across the core stats: pace, shooting, passing, defending and goalkeeping. These are not printed once and frozen — they move with the player's real World Cup form. A striker who scored twice in the last fixture will show elevated shooting and impact scores; a goalkeeper who kept a clean sheet will show sharper reflexes.
When you read a card, look past the headline rating. A 78-rated winger with 90 pace can be more useful in the right system than an 82-rated one who is slow. The stat spread matters as much as the overall number.
Balance beats star power
The most common mistake is stacking attackers. A squad full of 85-rated forwards with no midfield loses to a balanced 80-rated squad, because the simulation rewards squads that can actually build and defend, not just finish.
Aim for coverage:
- A reliable goalkeeper. Duels are often decided by saves. A weak keeper undoes a strong attack.
- A defence that can hold. Defending scores blunt the opponent's high-rated attackers. Without them, every duel is a shootout you might lose.
- A midfield that creates. Passing scores are the bridge between defence and attack. A strong striker does nothing if the midfield cannot feed him.
- An attack that finishes. This is where in-form shooting scores pay off — but only once the rest of the squad can get the ball forward.
Form is live, so scout live
Because attribute scores update within minutes of real events, watching Live Mode is the most direct edge available. If you see a player having a strong match, their Fantasy scores will rise shortly after. Getting them into your XI before that form is fully priced in is exactly the kind of read that wins duels.
The connection runs the other way too: a player who has gone quiet in real matches will quietly lose points. Check your XI before a duel — do not assume last week's ratings still hold.
Setting your XI for a duel
- Prioritise in-form players. Elevated scores from recent real matches translate directly into simulation output.
- Cover every position. Attribute scores compound when a well-rounded squad generates multiple high-scoring events. A gap anywhere is a lever for your opponent.
- Scout your rival. The Duelists directory shows each player's squad composition. If your opponent is thin in defence, weight your XI toward attack to exploit it.
- Re-check before you queue. Ratings shift with real football. The best squad last night might not be the best squad tonight.
The loop that keeps it honest
The whole point of Fantasy Mode is that it is not a static card game. Real footballers perform, TxLINE confirms it, and your squad's attributes move to match. Build your XI, watch the World Cup, adjust, and duel. The squads that win are the ones whose owners keep paying attention.