FPL 2026/27 Preseason Guide: Best Early Fixtures & GW1 Draft

TL;DR

Everton, Man Utd, Liverpool and Newcastle have the best opening fixtures in 2026/27, all averaging 2.83 on fixture difficulty across the first six gameweeks. Build around them, not around last season's points table. Gameweek 1 kicked off on Friday 21 August 2026. The opening-fixture logic below still shapes your transfers through the first six gameweeks.

Copilot verdictPLAY IT

“Preseason is won on fixtures and value, not big names. Anchor your draft to the best opening runs and leave room to react after Gameweek 3.”

Preseason is over and the season has started. For the current gameweek, see GW4 tips.

When Does FPL 2026/27 Start?

The 2026/27 season began on Friday 21 August 2026. The Gameweek 1 deadline has passed, so this guide is now about the opening run rather than the first draft.

Transfers now cost 4 points beyond your free one, so changes need to earn their place. The fixture list is settled, which is what makes the opening run plannable.

Start with the projected points and the fixture ticker, then get the draft scored with a free Copilot Score.

Which Teams Have the Best Opening Fixtures?

Four teams share the softest opening six gameweeks, all averaging 2.83 on fixture difficulty:

• Everton, Man Utd, Liverpool and Newcastle at 2.83, each with two green fixtures in the opening six
• Sunderland and Arsenal just behind at 3.00, with Sunderland holding three green fixtures
• Bournemouth (3.67), Fulham (3.33) and Hull (3.17) have the hardest starts, so treat their assets as later buys

A player from a team with three easy opening fixtures is worth more than a bigger name facing three tough ones in August. The ticker below is live, so sort it by the easiest run over the next 3, 6, 8 or 10 gameweeks and check the numbers yourself before you commit.

How to Build Your Gameweek 1 Draft

A strong opening squad follows a simple shape:

• Two or three premium attackers from teams with good opening fixtures. These are your captain rotation.
• Value midfielders (6.0m to 8.0m) with nailed minutes. This is where you find the points-per-million that funds your premiums.
• A solid defence from teams that keep clean sheets, ideally with a set-piece or attacking threat.
• A real 4th and 5th defender and a playing bench, not just fodder. Early-season rotation risk is high, so nailed minutes matter more than name value.
• One budget-enabling goalkeeper pairing so you can spend up the pitch.

Do not chase last season's top scorers on reputation. Chase minutes, role, and fixtures. New signings, pre-season friendlies, and manager changes shift the picture right up to the deadline.

Every preseason, someone builds their whole team around last year's top scorer and forgets he now has three away fixtures to open. Fixtures first. Names second.

Should I Use My First Wildcard Early?

No. You get two Wildcards across the season, and burning the first one in the opening weeks throws away information. Fixture difficulty and form only settle after about six gameweeks. The strongest first-Wildcard window is usually once that picture is clear, not Gameweek 2 when you are reacting to a single blank.

For the full chip plan, including how the two chip sets work across the season, read the chip strategy guide.

Let the Solver Build Your Draft

You can build a first draft by hand, or let the optimizer do it. Enter your Team ID and the solver builds the highest expected-points squad for your budget, respecting every FPL rule, then plans your transfers gameweek by gameweek from there.