The Wildcard, explained
Unlimited transfers for one gameweek, and the new squad stays. The chip that fixes a season rather than a week.
How the Wildcard works
- 1For one gameweek, every transfer is free: no four-point hits, as many changes as you like, including the whole fifteen.
- 2The changes are permanent. The squad you end the gameweek with is your squad from then on.
- 3Two per season in 2026/27: one playable from Gameweek 2 to the Gameweek 19 deadline, one from Gameweek 20 to 38. The first is lost if unused by GW19.
- 4Once you confirm transfers on an active Wildcard it cannot be cancelled.
- 5Your saved free transfers are kept: play it with three saved and you still have three the week after. You can save up to five.
- 6The usual squad rules still apply: £100m, two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders, three forwards, at most three from one club.
When to play it
When the squad is the problem
Three or more players you would sell this week, injuries that have piled up, a bench that cannot cover a blank: that is a Wildcard, because fixing it with free transfers would take a month of hits. The planner shows the best single move each week; when the best move is still three moves short, the chip pays.
Just before the fixtures turn
The best Wildcards are built for the next six gameweeks, not the next one. The fixture difficulty page rates every club's run from the odds; a squad loaded with the clubs whose run is about to turn kind rides that run for free. The same goes for building towards a double gameweek a few weeks out, so your Bench Boost or Triple Captain lands on a full squad of players with two matches.
Not during an international break
Play it after the break, once the injuries from it are known and the press conferences have been held, rather than before. The one exception is when the deadline forces it: the first Wildcard dies at GW19 whatever the calendar says.
The mistakes to avoid
- Building for this week's fixtures only. The squad is yours for weeks; pick for the run.
- Spending the whole budget. £0.5m in the bank keeps the next transfer flexible.
- Three players from one club with a kind run, then a blank gameweek takes all three.
- Holding the first Wildcard for a perfect moment and losing it at the GW19 deadline.
Questions
01What is the Wildcard in FPL?
A chip that makes every transfer free for one gameweek, with the changes kept: you can rebuild the whole fifteen without a single four-point hit. It is for a squad that needs several changes at once, or for loading up on a run of kind fixtures.
02How many Wildcards do you get in FPL?
Two in 2026/27: one playable from Gameweek 2 to the Gameweek 19 deadline, and one from Gameweek 20 to 38. An unused first Wildcard is lost at GW19.
03When is the best time to play the Wildcard in FPL?
When your squad needs three or more changes, or just before a run of kind fixtures or a double gameweek, and after an international break rather than before one. The first Wildcard must be played by the Gameweek 19 deadline; the second is available from Gameweek 20.
04Does the Wildcard reset your free transfers?
No. From 2024/25 the free transfers you have saved are kept when you play a Wildcard or a Free Hit, so a Wildcard with two saved transfers leaves you two for the next gameweek.
05Can you cancel a Wildcard?
Not once you have confirmed transfers with it active. Bench Boost and Triple Captain can be cancelled before the deadline; the Wildcard and Free Hit lock when the transfers are made.
06Can you Wildcard in Gameweek 1?
No. In 2026/27 the Wildcard and Free Hit are available from Gameweek 2; Bench Boost and Triple Captain from Gameweek 1.