2025–26 FPL: The Best Squad for Gameweek 1

The 2025–26 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has been live for several weeks as managers both new and returning build their teams for the new campaign.

FPL managers have already assessed the early fixtures, player prices and new signings, with countless drafts cycled through as stress levels rise ahead of Gameweek 1— which commences on Friday, 15 August with Liverpool vs. Bournemouth.

The new FPL season always bring sleepless nights for dedicated managers, who will undoubtedly be sweating over every decision and, of course, the impact of new rule changes.

With that in mind, here is Sports Illustrated’s best FPL team for Gameweek 1 and beyond.

Goalkeepers

Nottingham Forest thoroughly impressed with their defensive performances en route to European qualification last season and Matz Sels (£5.0m) was key to their resilience. He was the second best value-for-money pick in FPL as he accumulated 150 points in total, and he has a kind early fixture list from which he can benefit in 2025–26.

Forest haven’t been particularly inspiring in pre-season from an attacking standpoint, but they have kept five clean sheets from seven friendlies in total—all of which have come in goalless draws. Forest face Brentford (H), Crystal Palace (A), West Ham United (H), Arsenal (A), Burnley (A) and Sunderland (H) in their first six, with Sels likely to keep at least a couple of clean sheets in that run alone.

FPL managers rejoiced when Martin Dúbravka (£4.0m) moved from Newcastle United to Burnley, with the Slovakian now in the majority of teams given his low price. He’s an injury doubt for Gameweek 1 but should still be in your squad regardless as he’s likely to start in future matches.

Defence

There are several appetising options among premium defenders but we’ve plumped for Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m). While he had an afternoon to forget in the recent Community Shield, the Dutchman is a nailed-on starter for the Reds and boasts huge attacking threat from set pieces. Rule changes for the upcoming campaign also reward players for defensive contributions, with Van Dijk likely to benefit.

FPL managers usually need at least one Arsenal defender or goalkeeper to succeed but their tricky early fixture list means they’re not a necessity for the opening gameweeks. Similar can be said of Manchester City, although Rayan Aït-Nouri (£6.0m) is a tempting option.

It may be smarter to go cheap in defence early doors and there are some excellent options at affordable price points. Neco Williams (£5.0m) could reap the rewards of Forest’s kind early run, while Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) is a safe pick. He scored twice last season and is another who should benefit from this term’s rule changes.

With Pervis Estupiñán moving to AC Milan, it appears that summer signing Maxim De Cuyper (£4.5m) will be Brighton’s undisputed left-back at the beginning of the new term given Ferdi Kadıoğlu’s injury issues. The Belgian has produced nine goals and 17 assists across his last two seasons with Club Brugge.

While there are several cheap £4.0m enablers available in defence, especially among the promoted sides, Tottenham Hotspur’s Micky van de Ven (£4.5m) is too good to ignore. He’s an excellent rotation option and has worked his way back to full fitness after an injury-hit 2024–25 campaign.

Midfield

Given he smashed his own record for the most points in a single FPL season in 2024–25, it’s hardly surprising that Mohamed Salah (£14.5m) finds himself in our team. Despite an eye-watering price tag, the Egyptian is still an essential pick following his mammoth 344-point haul en route to Premier League glory last season.

Following Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup triumph, it feels necessary to have at least one attack-minded player from Enzo Maresca’s squad in the team. Cole Palmer (£10.5m) is the obvious choice despite his price, with the Chelsea midfielder the highest points scorer in 2023–24 and slowly returning to his best form. The fact that the Blues don’t face a single team that finished in the top seven last season until playing Liverpool on Gameweek 7 makes him even more appealing.

Liverpool’s record signing Florian Wirtz (£8.5m) is a popular choice but might need time to ease into new surroundings, with the always reliable Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m) in our team instead. No matter how bad Manchester United are, the Portuguese midfielder always delivers, and he should thrive with Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m), Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) and Benjamin Šeško (£7.5m) in front of him this season.

Having gone big with three elite midfielders, we have to be slightly more cautious elsewhere. However, there is still great value to be found in two summer signings, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) potentially proving a steal. Should he rediscover his 2023–24 form, he may well prove an essential pick in the long run.

Everton have splashed the cash on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£5.0m) and are quietly building an impressive team under David Moyes. The ex-Chelsea midfielder has attacking threat and is strong defensively, making him a stellar budget midfielder.

Attack

Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) has been a regular source of points for several FPL seasons and the England international will lead the line again for the Midlands club in 2025–26. He’s scored 15 or more goals across the past three campaigns and will likely reach that total again next term, with a promising early schedule boosting Watkins’s appeal.

João Pedro (£7.5m), like new clubmate Palmer, could start the season quickly given Chelsea’s favourable early run, and the Brazilian has hit the ground running since moving to west London. He scored three times for the Blues as they won the FIFA Club World Cup and has gone on to score in both pre-season friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and Milan.

With only a little money left in the bank, our third forward choice is also a Chelsea player—well, technically anyway. Marc Guiu (£4.5m) has joined Sunderland on loan from the Blues and will be competing for minutes this season. Given he’s likely to be our third-choice substitute most weeks, even cameos from the bench will be welcomed.