Diogo Costa
Portugal · Porto
5.0 xP/90£6.5m
WORLD CUP FANTASY 2026 · OPTIMISED XI
58.2 xP TOTAL£66.5m SPENTMAX 3 / NATION
The best £100m WC Fantasy XI
The Onside model's highest-projected 11 within FIFA Fantasy's £100m budget cap. Constraints: max 3 per nation, formation flexibility, balanced across positions. Updated hourly with the latest model output.
Recommended captain: Marko Arnautović (5.7 xP/90). See /fantasy/captain for the full shortlist.
THE XI · BY POSITION
Onside's £100m squad
GOALKEEPER · 1
DEFENDERS · 4
Alistair Johnston
Canada · Celtic
5.2 xP/90£6.5m
César Montes
Mexico · Lokomotiv Moscow
5.2 xP/90£6.5m
Davinson Sánchez
Colombia · Galatasaray
5.2 xP/90£6.5m
Johan Vásquez
Mexico · Genoa
5.2 xP/90£6.5m
MIDFIELDERS · 4
Adalberto Carrasquilla
Panama · Pumas UNAM
4.6 xP/90£4.5m
Alireza Jahanbakhsh
Iran · AZ Alkmaar
5.7 xP/90£6.5m
Aníbal Godoy
Panama · San Jose Earthquakes
5.7 xP/90£6.5m
Facundo Pellistri
Uruguay · Panathinaikos
5.7 xP/90£6.5m
FORWARDS · 2
José Fajardo
Panama · Sporting San Miguelito
5.0 xP/90£4.5m
Marko Arnautović
Austria · Inter Milan
5.7 xP/90£5.5m
HOW WE BUILT IT
The optimiser rules, in plain English
- £100m budget cap. FIFA's rule — every WC Fantasy squad starts at £100m. Our optimiser can't spend more.
- Max 3 players per nation. Avoids over-exposure to any one country exit-risk in the group stage.
- 11 players: 1 GK, 4 DEF, 4 MID, 2 FWD (default). The optimiser flexes within FIFA's formation rules to maximise xP.
- Greedy by xP-per-£. Picks the highest projected return per pound spent, then enforces the nation + position caps as it goes.
- Refresh cadence: hourly. Pre-tournament: pure model projection. Mid-tournament: actual minutes + goals layered in.
BEST XI · FAQ
Common best XI questions
Schema-marked so Google can surface them as a rich result.
What's the best possible World Cup Fantasy XI for 2026?›
The Onside model's best 11 within FIFA Fantasy's £100m budget: a balanced 3-4-3 with premium attackers + cheap-but-starting defenders. The exact lineup refreshes hourly as model probabilities shift — full live board below. Pre-tournament defaults: Donnarumma (ITA → DEU keeper #1), Saliba/Van Dijk/Tchouameni-type defender mix, Bellingham/Mbappé/Yamal/Foden-type midfield premiums, Kane/Lautaro/Haaland-style strikers.
How is the best XI chosen?›
Three constraints, optimised: (1) within FIFA's £100m budget; (2) max 3 players per nation; (3) maximum total projected xP across Matchday 1. The model picks the squad that scores most points given those rules. We refresh the projection hourly.
Can I copy this XI directly into FIFA Fantasy?›
Yes — the player names and clubs match FIFA's official squad lists. Once the FIFA Fantasy game opens its 2026 season (early June), you can paste this XI directly. Onside is not affiliated with FIFA; we publish the picks, you make the moves in the FIFA app.
Why are there sometimes more attackers than the standard formation?›
FIFA WC Fantasy allows formation flexibility per matchday. The "best XI" is the highest-projected 11 — sometimes that's 3-4-3, sometimes 3-5-2 or 4-3-3. The displayed formation reflects the highest-xP combination given the constraints.
WC MATCHDAY BRIEF · ONE LIST, TWO SEASONS
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