How to Pick a World Cup Soccer Fantasy Team

The World Cup is one of the most exciting sports events on the planet. Staged every four years, the world's best teams descend upon the host nation to battle for the most coveted prize in soccer, the World Cup trophy. Fantasy soccer allows you to be part of the fun. Fantasy World Cup leagues can add enjoyment to the tournament as a spectator, allowing you to pit your team against those of friends and family with bragging rights on the line.

Instructions

    • 1

      Study the rules of selecting your fantasy team and take note of the salary cap limit. Fantasy World Cup soccer commonly allows you a salary cap, requiring you to select players at will as long as you do not go over the cap. If the budget is $100 million, you should take this into account before purchasing that star player for $15 million. Look for potential bargains who will likely have production outweighing their reputation. Young players on the verge of breakouts, or strong players from weaker teams often fit this category.

    • 2

      Take advantage of the scoring system in your league. Common scoring systems award points for clean sheets to goalkeepers. Goals and assists score points for all players. The style of player should be taken onto account. Many good players will be of limited use to your World Cup fantasy soccer team. For example, in the 2006 World Cup, Gennaro Gattuso put in a string of good performances for Italy, the eventual world champion. But what he didn't do was score a goal, limiting his benefit to any fantasy team.

    • 3

      Closely monitor players before selecting them for your World Cup fantasy soccer team. Many big names from previous tournament are considered leading contenders for success in the next tournament. However, World Cups are four years apart, so the current performance level of a player could be very different. Study their performance with their club team to ensure they are starting and playing well going into a World Cup.

    • 4

      Examine the injury and discipline records of players. Red cards will result in a point's deduction for fantasy soccer. Doubly damaging is the fact that an ejected player will be suspended in subsequent games. In such a short tournament as the World Cup, suspensions could seriously hinder your chances of success. Check the injury report as close to kickoff as possible before starting your players.